While the great physicist Albert Einstein and civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi shared characteristics of a lifelong dedication to a plant-based diet, each of these figures he did it for different reasons. Gandhi made the decision to become a vegetarian based on spiritual and philosophical principles, while Einstein saw vegetarianism simply as a logical and informed choice. However, you don't need to be a great thinker or a great leader to save the world. All individuals can and should adopt a plant-based diet as a means to ensure the health of people, the environment and the resources that fuel the economy. Eating a plant-based diet can have benefits that go beyond simply avoiding the unpleasant thought of how animals in modern society are raised and harvested for use as human food. With a plant-based diet you have the opportunity to develop a positive impact on the environment, personal health and economic productivity which determines the quality of life. While there are arguments against the adoption of plant-based diets, these arguments require acceptance of unnecessary death and suffering in the population due to preventable diseases and preterm mortality, as well as environmental impacts that create poor conditions for sustainable use. As this article will show, the counterargument also contains some flawed arguments that, when taken into account, increase the value of choosing a plant-based diet over one that includes meat. There is a clear indication from all levels of evidence that adopting a plant-based diet is the best choice with the least negative and most positive impacts on all stakeholders. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Eating meat has a terrible impact on the environment and creates both short- and long-term problems. To raise chickens, pigs, cattle, turkeys, and other domesticated animals consumed by humans, inputs include enormous amounts of land, including land for the animals and their food sources; a large use of energy; and enormous quantities of water, including the production of immense quantities of potentially biologically hazardous wastewater. Environmental risks, including contamination of air, water and soil and carbon sequestration in the atmosphere, are caused by modern animal farming and farming practices. Meat production has a very negative impact on environmental health and helps contribute to climate change, but these important considerations are often not known to the general public. Furthermore, it is not always realized that the environmental burden, including land use and risks of environmental damage, is much less intense or harmful for plant-based agriculture than for raising animal products. The energy required, as well as the gases released by animals in the form of flatulence, cause considerable pollution of the atmosphere. The lack of awareness of the important reasons to reduce meat consumption is unsustainable. Unfortunately, ignorance of the real impacts of meat production and consumption is reinforced by the high value that some cultures and groups place on meat consumption, and this challenge has been difficult to overcome. Meanwhile, growing population pressure is increasing the environmental pressure created by increased meat production to meet growing demand. The issue of sustainability will soon become one that cannot be avoided, and difficult decisions about what to do with itsociety has to give up to facilitate continued meat production could be an unfortunate consequence if things continue to develop based on the status quo. Furthermore, this predicts even higher levels of disease and premature death, and exacerbates the spiral of negative outcomes as environmental health, personal health, and economic health reach crisis levels of contamination, disease, and resource allocation to solve preventable problems. The personal risks of not eating a plant-based diet include an increased risk of premature death due to preventable diseases. The many diseases that become higher risk with increased meat consumption include diabetes, heart disease and heart failure, stroke, and cancer. This includes the risks of developing these diseases, as well as risks related to disease management and potential acute outcomes. In addition to the increased risks of chronic disease, there are also increased risks of food poisoning, parasitic infections, or simply rancid food. The statement is true that meat contains nutrition in the form of amino acids, calories, iron and vitamins such as B12 which cannot be produced by plants, however these are all available by eating plants. Furthermore, there is an unfortunate tendency for wealthy societies to eat far more meat than individuals in that society need to meet their nutritional needs, resulting in high levels of obesity and poor health. A more repugnant aspect of meat is the presence of parasites and bacterial diseases. For example, pork may contain Trichinella. Deli meats and similar processed chicken, beef, pork, turkey and mixed products are at risk of Listeria contamination. These personal risks, whether due to infectious diseases or preventable lifestyle diseases, should be proof enough that meat consumption has many disadvantages and drawbacks. On the other hand, following a plant-based diet is associated with many personal advantages and benefits, such as a healthier weight. Avoiding disease, living a longer life and looking healthy appear to be just some of the personal benefits of adopting a plant-based diet. One of the most important aspects of studying economics is the allocation of resources. Currently, a significant amount of land, antibiotics and other resources are required to produce animals for food. If much or all of the world's population were to adopt a plant-based diet, these resources could be put to more productive uses, including bioethanol and plant-based fuels, and other non-food productive uses. This is due to the need to use large areas of land to support meat farming, as the animals themselves require food. The resulting land use of a non-meat-eating planet would be very different, with significant land remaining after the necessary allocation for plant-based food production. This becomes even more important when considering the alternative, the increasing allocation of productive resources to meat production to meet the needs of a growing global population with rising incomes. The plant-based diet would also translate into another area of ​​resource allocation: healthcare. By reducing or preventing many chronic diseases through the adoption of a plant-based diet, healthcare resources would no longer be required for the management of chronic diseases and acute lifestyle events caused by diseases. Health systems could focus better on prevention and well-being, and patients could enjoy itoptimized health outcomes. Perhaps the money currently spent by individuals, governments and others today would instead be put to more productive uses that take advantage of innovation and economic growth. If people adopted a plant-based diet many positive side effects would be likely because many negative consequences would be resolved or reduced, leaving resources free and providing greater value to society as a whole on multiple levels. Not everyone agrees with the premise that adopting a plant-based diet could create positive results. While there is broad consensus that vegetables are good for your health, there is no consensus on adopting plant-based diets and the concept faces criticism. Objectors and meat eaters who do not support the adoption of plant-based diets point to the fact that meat contains nutrients that humans need and that a vegetarian diet can still be unhealthy. For example, a vegetarian diet consisting only of meatless but processed foods may result in excess salt, fat and sugar. The statement that poor food choices are still possible even if you don't eat meat is also true. A plant-based diet, however, has some additional important connotations. For example, much of the unhealthy aspects of non-meat choices involve foods that contain salt, sugar, or a high fat content. These represent foods that move away from the concept of plant-based, which, while accepting some basic processing and transformation in plants, does not at all see the addition of highly processed flavor producers to be plant-based. Additionally, the plant-based diet goes beyond simply being vegetarian or not eating meat, as a plant-based diet excludes dairy, eggs, and similar animal products which are acceptable for some vegetarian diets, but not actually plant-based. The fact that meat contains nutrients is also important. As for protein, including iron and other needs, plants can provide everything needed in addition to vitamin B12, which can be obtained from specially prepared plant-based supplements in combination with a healthy lifestyle that includes outdoor sun exposure. The needless suffering of hundreds of millions of people can be prevented with this simple lifestyle change, but in doing so the average individual living a modern Western lifestyle will find that this goes against many of the easy and convenient options that are presented for food consumption. . This may change as more people adopt plant-based diets, and therefore the demand for plant-based food products that are affordable and sustainably produced increases. While those who argue the contrary position that meat is an important part of the human diet make some important points, these critics fail to overcome the overwhelming evidence of the harm caused by meat consumption. Fortunately, there is the potential to overwhelm meat advocates with growing evidence that continues to clarify the benefits and well-being that can come from adopting a plant-based diet. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, adopting a plant-based diet now makes all the difference in the world. Plant-based diets ensure a better environment now and, in the future, better health for the person practicing the diet, and a better allocation of important resources that allow for a more productive society with a better quality of life. A plant-based diet involves not only avoiding meat, but also,, 17(2), 61-66.