Category: Diet

The seafood industry contains many products that are considered an important food commodity, and one of those products that are sought-after and unique to the market is tuna fish. More specifically, the Atlantic Bigeye, Yellowfin, and Bluefin tuna, are some of the most overfished fish in the ocean. Seafood provides livelihood to billions of people all over the world and around 40% of the world’s population consumes seafood. Not only do these tuna fish serve as a main source of food for people around the globe, but they also play a key role in sustaining the ecosystem and keeping balance. Predator-prey relationships can be thrown into disarray creating a ripple effect through the food chain if fisheries alter the relative abundance patterns in stocks (Murawski, S. 2000). Recent human activity in the past few decades has taken a major toll on the tuna fish population due to overfishing, which means that the fish are being caught way faster than they can breed to restock the population. Commercial fishing threatens species to great extents but is rarely ever identified until the species have already suffered an immense population decline (Burgess et al., 2013). Not only does overfishing affect the ecosystem, but it can also affect climate change and increase neurotoxicity in marine predators. According to an article written by Asif Qureshi et al. (2019), they discuss how fish are a paramount source of methylmercury (MeHg) in the diet of humans. It has also been proven through research that overfishing has introduced a larger concentration of MeHg into fish such as the Atlantic cod by more than 20%, between the years of 1970 and 2000. This is because of the seawater temperature increase due to climate change and human involvement in our oceans. Many factors are affected by overfishing all around the globe, and it isn’t until the populations of these important species are affected that we do something about it. Overfishing tuna creates issues in many different categories, such as a large decline of the Atlantic Bigeye, Yellowfin, and Bluefin tuna populations and affecting the ecosystems they live in, pollution due to fishing boats and fishing gear along with adding stress on the species, climate change on land and in the oceans, and an increase of methylmercury in marine predators and the diets of humans. The destruction of marine ecosystems is a large con of overfishing, and it can cause a large domino downfall effect on the species in it.

Over 3 billion people around the world consume seafood and consider it as a main source of protein in their household. The number of fish that need to be caught in order to keep up and maintain that demand is through the roof, and fisheries around the world are having trouble doing so due to the rapid decline of tuna fish populations in the ocean. In fact, the decline of bluefin tuna, in specific, has been so great while the demand has been so high, that a single 202-kilogram tuna was sold in Japan at the Tsukiji market for $862.00 (Escontrela, D. 2012). The reproduction rate of these tunas is nowhere near the amount needed in order to be at or above the number of fish needed to supply the globe. Not only does it affect our food supply, but it also affects the many different species that are eaten by or eat tuna fish. Tuna fish are located in the middle of the food web and are both predators and prey to many different species. Tunas usually hunt and eat small fish such as herring, sardines, and mackerel, and even invertebrates like crustaceans and squid. They are also hunted by predators like killer whales, sharks, other big fish, and of course, humans. With the large social, economic, and ecological importance of these tuna fish and their family, it would be expected for their trajectories and status to be monitored closely and understood well but, surprisingly, the degree of their impacts globally on the fishing market is uncertain (Juan-Jordá, M. et al. 2011). Using the same source mentioned, a model was constructed to view the age-structured stock assessments for over 20 different populations of tuna and their family members. This model portrayed the geographic locations, years, and temporal span of these species. It was found that by observing the total biomass of the largest adult species such as the yellowfin, bigeye, and bluefin tunas, and the smallest species such as mackerels, has declined the most with 62.8% and 58.1% respectively since 1954. This model proves how the decline of tuna fish has become a large ongoing issue since the 20th century, and many other species of tuna have suffered this same trend due to overfishing. With the decline of these 3 important types of tuna, there will be an overabundance of smaller fish and organisms that can eat and basically “infest” the oceans. On the other hand, though, when fisheries catch tuna and farm them to be a good size for selling, they also capture twice as many smaller pelagic fish to feed the tuna and keep them healthy. This change to the ecosystem increases the demand for these smaller fish as well, and a lot of the baitfish come from the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, which allows for a presentation of invasive species and pathogens (Forrestal, et al. 2012). Using that same source, the goal for most aquaculture that captures bluefin tuna is not to expand the levels of biomass but to increase the fat content in a single bluefin tuna. This enlarges the value of that fish in the marketplace and with the model presented in this article, increases the biomass from 0.100 to 0.106 t km^(-2). With the removal of these tuna and smaller fish from their ecosystems, it creates a disruption in the balance. Human activity such as fishing, and boating can create even more of a disruption as well.

Not only does the actual act of overfishing affect the tuna fish and species around them, but so does the equipment that is used to do it. There are almost 5 million fishing boats around the world lurking in the oceans, and the amount of oil needed to fuel these ships is extremely great. Fishing gear such as plastic bait, fishing poles, fishing lines, nets, lost items that fall overboard, oil spills, and many other things create stress on the species in the ecosystem. Fishing boat and gear pollution make up over 80% of trash populated in our oceans, and marine traffic contributes to millions of tons of waste due to oils and burning fuel spilled into the water. Another con is that human activities, such as aquaculture, shipping, and opening the Suez Canal, are introducing around 1000 foreign alien species into the Mediterranean Sea (Coll, M. et al. 2014). Using this same source, these alien species are detrimental to many ecosystems that they come across because they throw off the balance that is permitted in that ecosystem. They can also become invasive and change habitats and the structure of aquaculture communities, affect human health, cause loss in the economy, and even wipe out native genotypes. It was found with this source’s model that out of the 986 species that were reported in the Mediterranean, 114 of those species have been assigned to more than 1 possible pathway, 799 have been identified to 1 pathway, and the other 73 species that remain have been identified as unknown (Coll, M. et al. 2014). This shows how human activities have created chaos without even realizing it, and the side effects of overfishing harm the ecosystems as well. Traffic in the marine also affects climate change since oil spills and pollution change seawater temperature and concentration levels.

Climate change is another factor that is affected by overfishing in our oceans, and that is due to the idea that having more fish in the ocean creates less of climate change. Since overfishing does quite the opposite and creates fewer fish in the ocean, climate change under the sea has been prominent. Many factors have adjusted to the constant change, such as reduced oxygen levels and pH levels underwater and the changes in force of major currents. Along with that, oil spills also contribute to a change in climate in the oceans since the concentrations of the sea are affected when foreign matter enters. It also has been shown that seawater temperatures have risen by 0.3 °C in the upper 300 meters of the ocean and are expected to increase throughout the 21st century (Liu, Y. et al 2011). Using that same source, it has also been projected that water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) will be greatly affected as well, along with recreational and commercial fisheries. Adult bluefin tuna like to reproduce and spawn in warmer waters, usually between 24°C and 27°C, and their larvae are usually collected between water temperatures of 23.5°C and 28°C. Constant shifts in seawater temperature can affect spawning times and areas, the behavior of how the bluefin tunas migrate, and the effects of fisheries and stock size. Overfishing has also introduced a surge of methylmercury levels into the oceans, which is brutal to certain ecosystems.

Fish is the number one source of methylmercury, MeHg, in a human’s diet, and according to many scientists, a link between overfishing and an increased level of mercury in the diet of humans and skin tissue of tuna fish has been found. An introduction of great amounts of methylmercury into the human diet can cause numerous amount of health problems, an important one being central nervous system damage. In the United States alone, 82% of methylmercury exposure in the population is due to eating marine seafood, and 40% is from canned and fresh tuna (Asif Qureshi et al. 2019). Not only is it affecting human diets, but it is also greatly affecting tuna fish and the predators that eat them. Asif Quereshi and his team have found that by analyzing the stomach contents of 2 major marine predators, the spiny dogfish and Atlantic cod, between the year of 1970 to 2000, they were able to determine that cod in the 1970s ate 8% more small clupeids than they did in the 2000s. This is because of the overharvesting and decreased supply of herring, so the cod were forced to consume small clupeids. It was also found that concentrations of methylmercury in spiny dogfish were 33-61% larger in the 2000s when herring was more prominent than clupeids. The results from these findings show that perforations in the trophic structure of marine organisms due to overfishing can greatly affect MeHg concentration levels throughout different species. This is an unexpected side effect of human activity bombarding the oceans, and another reason why regulations should be set in place to control this.

In conclusion, the act of accumulating more fish from the ocean than they are able to spawn and reproduce is very detrimental to our marine ecosystems. More specifically, overfishing to an extent causes a large population of three very important tuna species: Atlantic Bigeye, Yellowfin, and Bluefin tuna. Taking out a key factor in an ecosystem, such as tuna, can greatly impact the peaceful chain that goes on under the sea. Many other factors are affected due to overfishing, such as pollution as a result of fishing boats and fishing gear along with adding stress on the species, climate change on land and in the oceans, and an increase of methylmercury in marine predators and the diets of humans. Overfishing effects will not only be visible in the large depletion of fish stocks but also will shoot consequences that wave through the world that humans live in, along with the economy and ecosystems that fish are an integral part of (Kraemer, E. 2013).

You are what you eat. Adequate nutrition is the key to health, well-being, and exercise or sports performance. Nutrition experts also agree that diet is directly related to health and the prevention of degenerative diseases. The basic principle of healthy nutrition is balance. A well-chosen selection of various foods will provide many of the nutrients needed for health and physical activity, but not all. It is also interesting to note that water is the most important, but most easily forgotten, nutrient the body requires. The other nutrients that we require to sustain life include vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Because of the nature of our diets today, the amount of processed foods that we ingest, and the amount of junk food that is pushed on us, nutrition is often lacking even when we are eating a lot.

Nutrition is a relatively new science, which evolved from the discovery of vitamins in the previous century. Much research has been done since then and more and more information becomes available daily. Unfortunately, this abundance of information has also created the problem of misinformation and even dietary myths. Exercisers and athletes sometimes follow dietary principles and practices that do not contribute to improved health and fitness. In some cases, this leads to eating habits that may be harmful. You could spend a lifetime studying all of the different advice that people give about nutrition and dieting. We do not plan on adding to the wealth of information out there on individual diets. Instead, we will provide a general overview of nutritional principles that we believe make sense regardless of the type of diet you may pursue. Not all of these principles will be consistent with all dieting recommendations, so be sure to reconcile the points we raise below with whatever diet you may be following. Drink lots of water Staying properly hydrated is probably the most important thing that you can do as part of a well-planned fitness routine. More than 75% of your body is made up of water-even bone is more than 20% more.

Muscle is composed of more than 70% water. When you don’t drink enough water, your blood doesn’t flow properly in the digestive tract doesn’t run smoothly. New research even suggests that drinking plenty of water can reduce the risk of breast, Cohen, and urinary tract cancers. We have all heard that you need to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day to remain healthy. The reason for that is that the typical individual loses about 10 cups of water per day-2 cups to sweating and evaporation, 2 cups to breathing, and 6 cups to waste removal. You can replace cups with 2 cups through the water in the foods that you eat, you have to make up the remaining 8 cups by drinking fluids, water being the best choice. Don’t rely on thirst to tell you when to drink. By the time your mouth feels parched, you’re already mildly dehydrated. Prevent dehydration by drinking all day long. Keep a water bottle at your desk and always carry a bottle when you work out. You will also find that staying properly hydrated helps to control your appetite. You will be less hungry if your stomach is filled with water. That is not to say that water should be substituted for taking in the nutrients that your body needs to function and grow, but it does help to keep you from overeating.

A well-balanced diet must include food supplements. Your body produces chemicals that naturally signal you to crave a variety of foods in your diet. Unfortunately, junk foods that we eat sometimes contain chemical flavorings that interfere with this normal bodily function by changing your tastes to crave more junk. As a result, you are often too full after eating junk to injure the things that provide you with proper nutrition. Additionally, even if you are avoiding junk food, fresh fruits, veggies, and other healthy food selections no longer contain the same level of nutrients that are necessary for a proper diet. This is so because our agricultural system has so over-farmed our land that foods no longer absorb from the soil all the minerals and nutrients we need. As a result, your diet should include whole-food meal supplements (not synthetic vitamin equivalents). Exercise and Rest Most people don’t think about exercise and rest being part of their diet, but we mention it here because no wellness routine is complete without proper exercise and rest. A proper exercise routine should include both strength training and cardiovascular (aerobic) conditioning. You don’t have to be following the workout routine of an Olympic athlete for your exercise regimen to benefit you. Sometimes, simply adding a brisk walking and stretching routine to your activities can be a great way to ease yourself into a more comprehensive approach.

Water, the most important source of essential minerals on this planet that a living being could have. The element which covers the 70% portion of this planet gives life to every living species. As this mineral becomes like a bar of gold in hand for a person who is roaming in lands of deserts where no sign of trees could have seen. And in other places, it is taken as granted many wastages has done as human thinks that its availability is like they could get it anywhere and spill all over the place. No doubt whether you could say while taking a bath while washing their vehicle. If taking all the aspects of wastage alongside some weird people have water PARTY where all this precious source is all wasted.

Water Crises

This wastage from the enjoyment of people led to Chennai facing its crisis as the groundwater level of that region has just gone below just 20 feet. Yes, 20 Feet that’s it so we should be aware of that and should know how to conserve water. Besides this, we used to find many minerals in our drinking water and don’t forget to spill the water around while drinking. As we all are habitual of mineral water and seldom we avoid tap water as it may not mineral water healthy. So, you can see from this one word (mineral) how much difference can make between tap water and mineral water.

As containing minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium in large quantities makes it superior water than just regular water. But along with this, you should know that not all minerals are in favor of our strong teeth, bones, hair and healthy skin. Which of them are Lead and Arsenic which could result in really dangerous for our health? Whereas the main and one benefit of the mineral water is this water doesn’t go under any chemical processing and provides full nutrients of those minerals (excluding arsenic and lead).

Why Minerals Are Important In Water?

Now diving into what really makes the difference between regular water and mineral water. As for how one from them is much more purified than the other one. Like it’s just simple water but comes in different categories of itself.

Mineral Water > Tap or Regular Water

● Well, the first reason for this difference would be that no doubt the water you obtain from underground contains minerals. Minerals which we’ve mentioned earlier and yes resulting in good condition for drinking. So, let’s think about it again the water that comes from the soil in the age of pesticides, or whatever harmful chemicals are used.

So would you still drink this water even this all process you see in front of the eyes? Those micro-organisms from all of those biodegradable waste contained water could be really causes cancer among individuals. Not only from these farming soil sometimes it flows from corrode pipes. The pipes which are all contaminated and because of no proper maintenance for the overflow of rainwater then it restricts the flow of freshwater if it does then it will be all polluted. Rusted corroded pipes could be the big reason behind this.

● Now coming in terms of mineral water, no doubt it also came from the same directions which are mentioned above. But before reaching it to the houses tap water, all the households now have installed the water purifiers. In simple language, it’s called water Filter as it helps to purify it all that grounded water free from contamination.

These filters are here have a TDS controller which contains RO membranes. These membranes are so in size with equal of all those water (maybe polluted) molecules. Through these membranes, all those molecules become purified and serving every household healthy drinking water.

Economic Terms

As from surveys from economists about the human conditions, it’s been conducted that many rural areas have not these purifiers that common. As they really dependant upon water from tube wells yes it is good for your skin, hair indeed. But not for your metabolism as we’ve mentioned it all earlier. So, it becomes an essential requisite for every citizen out there to have at least one purifier in your home especially in this water polluted and crisis time.

Worrying about its monetary terms but now you haven’t at all as govt. tries to give this line of healthy product a good amount of subsidy. But some companies seek this unhealthy environment opportunity and charges away much higher price for these. Not in the case of Aqua fresh water purifiers as we’ve seen in the comparison chart of this market it is seen that it charges the fair price from customers for their purifiers. Or we can say it’s the only company here who is following up on the government’s subsidy pattern.

Not only providing you a fair price and they are done, as you can see in your maps today one Aquafresh service center would be near your house. With good service employees which could be at your home with such short notice. Besides promoting this company and telling about aquafresh service and its services center, we can say it’s the only company for now who could be resulting in the welfare of society.

Benefits of Mineral Water in a Nutshell

So without taking your precious time we could now discuss the benefits of the mineral water. From the beginning, it can be clear that it is not only free from pollutants but eliminate those as well. Alongside with it’s containing mineral magnesium could be the source of freeing yours from fatigue. And calcium is really helpful in strengthening all your bones prevents muscle weakness.

After explaining these benefits from it now it becomes all responsibility of you that taking one step towards saving water can affect thousands of people moving towards it. Because it is estimated that our future generation would be out of this precious source. All it prevails would be contaminated water which could be all affected by these industrial wastes, our disposal of everything into these oceans. So, instead of just thinking about this initiative do take one step today.

Obesity is certainly a growing problem around the world. Obesity is one of the major health epidemics that many people struggle with. Obesity is also known as being overweight has been a major concern in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 93.3 million adults in the United States (US) are affected by obesity (Defining Adult Overweight and Obesity, n.d.). Obesity is also a concern for children in the US. Statistics show that 13.7 million children are affected by obesity (Childhood Obesity Facts, n.d.). Three of the most common problems with obesity are lack of eating a balanced diet, exercise, and portion control.

Problem

Obesity is having an excess of body fat and is usually based on a person’s body mass index (BMI) (Defining Adult Overweight and Obesity, n.d.). There are many health risks associated with obesity such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart attacks. The eating habits of society have become more harmful and the food industry is set too much on satisfying appetites with quick unhealthy foods. We need to start seeing more advertisements on eating right and being more active. Let’s just say that obesity can diminish your life.

Why

Why should we care about obesity diminishing life? There has been an increase in obesity in the US over the past 20 years (Menifield, Doty, & Parker, 2019). An increase in obesity leads to an increase in health problems. Health problems due to obesity have an economic impact on the healthcare system. The impact is associated with direct costs (preventive or treatment services) and indirect costs (decrease in work productivity) (Defining Adult Overweight and Obesity, n.d.). Obesity also affects you socially and emotionally such as depression and discrimination.

Balanced Diet

The first problem of obesity is the lack of eating a balanced diet. A balanced diet is eating foods that give your body the necessary nutrients to function. Without the proper nutrients, your body is more prone to many health problems and obesity is one of them. A balanced diet involves eating foods that are low in bad fats and sugars and high in fiber, vitamins, etc. The food groups that are associated with a balanced diet are vegetables, fruits, protein, and dairy. Eating a balanced diet is not about depriving your body of the foods you enjoy eating; however, it’s about making small changes. For example, instead of eating fast or processed foods for dinner 5 days a week, try doing this one day a week. Eating this type of food regularly contributes to obesity. Cook at-home meals that consist of protein (meat), vegetables, and a small number of carbohydrates.

Exercise

Next, lack of exercise is another problem that contributes to obesity. Some benefits from exercise are burning off calories, weight loss, an increase in metabolism, and a decreased risk of health problems. There are different types of exercises such as walking, running, or lifting weights. It is important for you to pick the type of exercise that is right for you. Start with 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week. When at work take the stairs instead of the elevators or ask your employer about getting a stand-up desk. Becoming more active throughout the day in simple ways will contribute to your end goal. It is recommended that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week and 60 minutes of activity for children every day (CDC, n.d.).

Portion Control

In addition to eating a balanced diet and exercising, you also have to incorporate portion control. This also can contribute to the solution of obesity. Some examples of portion control are using small plates instead of large ones, filling your plate with mostly vegetables or low-calorie foods, and avoiding going back for second and third helpings. Staying hydrated is another way to keep from overheating. You may think you are hungry or craving a snack when in fact your body may be craving water. Portion control simply allows you to have control over your caloric intake and keeps you from overindulging.

Best Solution

The most important of the proposed solutions to obesity is eating a balanced diet. While exercise and portion control are important factors, it is actually your diet that drives weight loss. It is pointless to exercise and still eat junk food. The more unhealthy foods you eat, the less energy you have to exercise because they do not fuel your body with the right type of nutrients. For example, eating bananas is a good source of natural energy that aids in keeping energy levels up to exercise.

Objection

Some people claim that being obese is genetics; however, obesity is caused by lifestyle choices. In 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) made the decision to recognize obesity as a disease and that this would help change the way the healthcare community addresses the issue (Kyle, Dhuranddhar, and Allison. 2016). Although this may be true, is that a good reason to classify obesity as a disease? Obesity is a consequence of unhealthy lifestyle choices. Many people stay busy and it is easier to go through a drive-thru to pick up something to eat. It is not good to eat this type of food on a regular basis as it is loaded with carbs, fat, and sugar. Along with unhealthy eating is living a sedentary life. A more active lifestyle has health benefits both long term and short term.

Conclusion

In conclusion, obesity is a preventable condition that is a problem in the US. It is associated with many chronic conditions and affects the healthcare system. It can be addressed by making conscious decisions to eat a balanced diet, exercise, and practice portion control. It is the responsibility of everyone to do what is in his/her power to fight obesity and to encourage others. Live your best life and act now!

There has been an evident growth in the demand for plant-based alternatives in food within contemporary society, mostly due to increasing consumer concerns over the environment, health as well as animal welfare (Lang, 2020). Thus, it may appear tempting to switch to a plant-based menu in-order to capture value from this rising demand. The present paper seeks to examine the potential benefits and costs associated with each menu (meat vs. plant-based) through factors including health, social, environmental, and how they may influence profitability. Ultimately, this paper suggests that a balanced offer, including both plant-based products and meat, appears to be the ideal option to capture the optimal level of value from consumers. The existing menu may need changes, but rather than switching entirely to a non-meat menu, incorporating further plant-based meat options appears more suitable.

This emerging social trend to reduce meat consumption through shifting to more plant-based alternative foods is mainly fuelled by ethical, environmental, and health concerns, especially from younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z (Deloitte, 2019; Slade 2018). Some research has suggested that switching to plant-based diets can support protection against unethical animal treatments and reduce negative environmental impacts including high water and land usage and significant greenhouse gas emissions from livestock productions (Lang, 2020). Media portrayal of potential links between high consumption of processed/red meat and cancer also drove this growing switch towards plant-based meat alternatives (Deloitte, 2019). The Food Industry Association (FMI) reported a ‘hallmark of change’ in the marked rise of interest in plant-based foods, with 13% of Gen Z considering themselves flexitarian – an individual who still consumes dairy and meat but wishes to reduce the quantity (FMI 2019; Deloitte, 2019). In specific, Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMA) are gaining significant attention as they offer an opportunity for consumers who wish to sustain the taste of meat to still contribute towards their environmental and ethical positions. Increasing consumers seeking these alternatives, coupled with significant industry investments towards innovative product developments to satisfy such demands, have combined to create the predicted exponential growth in the market for plant-based foods (Deloitte, 2019). Thus, this rise in plant-based food demand does offer opportunities for business growth.

However, it is too early to conclude, ‘meat-eaters are going extinct.’ In fact, despite this seemingly abundant popularity of plant-based alternatives, the market is still dominated by meat consumers, with 86% of shoppers classifying themselves as meat-eaters (FMI, 2019). Even within those who demand plant-based alternatives, the main driver behind this growing demand are flexitarians, who still consume meat.

Moreover, there are also concerns with potential health problems with a completely meat-free diet. Studies have shown multiple nutritional benefits with meat consumption, including being a rich source of protein to promote body tissue repairs and muscle building as well as supplying zinc to boost immunity and essential amino acids that help in digestion (Nagdeve, 2020). Some also suggest that there are certain exclusive benefits in meat consumption that cannot be substituted with vegetarian diets (Nagdeve, 2020). Therefore, current meat consumers may be unwilling to switch to a complete vegetarian/vegan diet due to health concerns. Additionally, a recent systematic review across 12 eligible trials concluded that there is high uncertainty regarding causal relationships between meat consumption and potential cancer outcomes (Zeraatkar et al., 2019). Such results suggest that meat consumption does not have a definite positive link with cancer outcomes portrayed in certain media. Contrastingly, there has been growing scrutiny over the supposed ‘healthiness’ of plant-based alternatives, such as high salt content and frequent use of genetically modified crops within these products (Deloitte, 2019). Therefore, it is difficult to conclude an overriding winner between meat vs. vegetarian consumption.

Furthermore, Slade (2018) found that even when told both beef and plant-based alternative burgers are hypothetically the same in taste and nutritional values, participants still showed a marked preference for beef, with only 21% of participants choosing the plant-based burger. Consumers are not as welcoming towards these options as one may think. Literature also points out that it is difficult for habitual meat-eaters to utterly eliminate meats from their diet (Lang, 2020). Therefore, from the view of consumer acceptability – the complete eradication of meat options on the menu will likely incur negative receptibility from consumers. Such consequences will result in unhelpful outcomes for both profitability and environmental concerns. Instead, methods prompting a reduction in meat consumption requires the least behaviour change and is therefore far more likely to appeal to the mainstream population, in comparison to fully replacing or substituting meat in meals (Lang, 2020). The incorporation of both meat and plant-based alternatives will likely lead to most consumer acceptability meaning there will likely be an overall decrease in meat consumption (good for the environmental) and an increase in profitability (from satisfying needs of a broader range of consumers’ needs).

Overall, it appears that the increasing demand for plant-based alternatives represents great opportunities to encourage company growth. Ongoing investments from large companies as continuous innovations from smaller organizations all suggest the failure to adapt to this strong market trend may cause the company to fall behind potential competitors and suffer in profitability (Deloitte, 2019). However, it is evident that meat consumption still holds a significant place in the market, with the majority of omnivore consumers finding it difficult to eliminate meat from their diet. Therefore, both the complete eradication of meat and remaining without sufficient plant-based alternatives seem unwise. The addition of plant-based alternatives to the current menu of both meat and vegetarian options may be more suitable as it allows maximum flexibility in meeting differing consumer needs and demand.

The topic of reducing your carbon footprint by adding a more plant-based diet is pertinent to the environment. Eating a plant-based diet is a diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Eating a vegan diet does not include any type of animal product; a vegetarian diet does not consist of animal products except for items such as milk, honey, and eggs.

Everyone has a carbon footprint, but it is up to us to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. A carbon footprint is the number of greenhouse gases that a person produces due to their everyday activity. The larger the carbon footprint that a person has, the more they are contributing to greenhouse gases and climate change. It is up to us to reduce our carbon footprint so we can save our planet. As long as you make a few lifestyle choices, this can be obtained, such as having a more plant-based diet.

Having a more plant-based diet and how to reduce your carbon footprint have been popping up all over the internet. Within the past year, being environmentally conscious has been a large trend, although trends do die off I hope that this particular trend sticks around. It is scientifically proven that having a plant-based diet will reduce your carbon footprint by seventy-three percent. By increasing the demands for plant-based foods; directly impacts the meat and dairy industry cutting down on their carbon emissions.

It is estimated that twenty-three percent of greenhouse gas emissions are due to agriculture, livestock, and the land needed to raise these animals for slaughter. Look at it this way, if you go out to eat and order grass-fed ribeye steak, to make that single serving of steak it emits around three hundred and thirty-three grams of carbon. If everyone were to switch to a vegetarian diet, the carbon emissions would be cut by two-thirds. Even if we reduce our meat intake it will drastically help.

This topic is relevant to my own life because I have been a vegetarian for three years. The decision to change my dietary habits was long and difficult, but the pros of a more plant-based diet outweighed the cons. Not only do I feel more energized, I feel as if I am making a conscious decision every day to put the life of another living being above of my own. By having a more plant-based diet, I find myself picking more environmentally friendly options whether that be carrying a water bottle, recycling, carpooling, or even turning off all lights and unplugging devices that are not being used. This decision has impacted my entire life.

Throughout my research, I have realized that as long as we all make changes in our lives; they do not have to be drastic, we can positively impact the Earth. If we consciously decide between eating less meat, carpooling or cycling, choosing to buy second hand instead of buying fast fashion, or countless other options we can help restore our planet to a more vivacious state. A few years ago, I came across a website that calculates your carbon footprint and will tell you how many Earths would be needed to support your way of living and Earth’s overshoot day which represents the day that we would have used as much from nature as Earth can renew in the entire year. I advise everyone to calculate their carbon footprint and see where they can make changes, go to What is Your Ecological Footprint?

A plant-based diet is composed of whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. It is highly encouraged by the government and health organizations because it can have a positive impact on animal welfare as well as climate change. Plant-based diets are also known to have numerous nutrients and minerals which are known to do wonders physically and mentally for the human body. The population is growing rapidly thus the consumption of food and resources has been increasing at an alarming rate. This increase puts immense pressure on our limited croplands, freshwater and energy resources. This is a huge concern and a driving force for many to shift to a more plant-based diet.

Why follow plant based diet?

A healthy plant-based diet consists of nutrient-dense plant foods and limited processed foods, oils and animal foods. Numerous studies prove that a plant-based diet is highly effective for weight loss. People following plant-based diets are more likely to have lower rates of heart diseases, high blood pressure as well as type 2 diabetes. A study shows that the non-vegetarian diet required 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more primary energy, 13 times more fertilizers and 1.4 times more preservatives than the vegetarian diet. The non-vegetarian diet exacts a higher cost on the environment relative to a vegetarian’s diet.

Meat based diet

A meat-based diet is mainly composed of beef, lamb, chicken etc. it is very popular due to various reasons. It is considered tastier by many and is cheaper than a plant-based diet. As it is cheaper, it has a wide reach of consumers from all income levels. Meat-based diets are a good source of protein. Protein is important for growth and cell repair thus the intake of protein is hugely important.

Problems of meat based diets

Red meat can be a possible source of colorectal cancer. Consuming red meat increases colorectal cancer by more than 20 to 30%. More than half of colorectal cancer occur in developed countries where meat is a major part of the diet. Additionally, it also increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. A meat-based diet is also linked with early death, type 2 diabetes as well as an increased probability of heart diseases and strokes. Meat-based diets require cattle farming, poultry farming etc. Animal farming for consumption results in the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide as well as methane. The emission per unit of energy of animal-based diets is higher compared to a plant-based diet. Within types of meat, ruminant production releases more emissions than non-ruminant thus poultry farming has fewer emissions then mammals.

Our modern agriculture practices are very water-intensive. Livestock alone consumes a third of the total water consumption which is used in agriculture. Our freshwater reserves are depleting very fast thus modern agriculture results in wastage of this precious resource. We are already seeing water shortages in countries like India, Pakistan as well as South Africa and many more Asian and African countries. Utilization of water is extremely important thus modern agriculture especially livestock should be much less water-intensive for being sustainable in the near future. Livestock farming is known to destroy many habitats and ecosystems. Forests are cut down for making green fields for grazing. Trees are the lungs of our planet thus cutting down trees makes as much more vulnerable to climate change and global warming. Destruction of ecosystems is also resulting in an increased rate of extinction in the animal kingdom. Animals being extinct effects the food chain inversely. This is mainly due to the fact that the chain is broken thus there will be an increased population of certain species as there are fewer and fewer predators of that species. This will be extremely harmful to us in the near future especially in the field of agriculture and fisheries.

Meat based diet has its own pros

I believe a plant-based diet is not the future. Yes, it does have numerous environmental and health benefits, we cannot disregard the benefits the meat-based diets bring to the table. A meat-based diet is a great source of protein and iron. Consumption of protein is essential for growth and cell repair thus people who consume less protein have their own health risks. Plant-based diets are known to be lacking in protein thus it is not as perfect as it was assumed before. Iron is essential for humans as it maintains energy levels in the body. A diet lack of iron will reduce hemoglobin in the body which will result in a lack of energy, shortness of breath and headache. Meat-based diets boost metabolism as well as enhance brain health. Meat-based diet tends to be much cheaper thus disregarding it is not a wise option completely is not a wise option in the first place.

Recommendations

I believe anything in moderation is not bad. People should eat a diet which contains both meat and plants. Meat should not be over consumed nor under-consumed, a balance between the overconsumption and under consumption hugely important. Plant-based meat are becoming popular these days! Incorporating plant-based meat in our diets should be encouraged and widely adopted in all regions of the world. Shifting our focus to eating more chicken then red meat is important for both the environment as well as the body. Chicken provides protein and unlike red meat, it has very low-fat content. Chicken also produces much much fewer emissions compared to red meat. I think both plant and meat-based diets are important for a person to be healthy and happy. The environmental impacts of a meat-based diet can greatly be reduced with new technology and much more efficiencies in the production process. The plant is certainly not the future, our future includes the consumption of both plants, meat, and knowledge about our carbon footprint as well as climate change in order to make the most appropriate choices in our diet!

The purpose of this C.T. is to find solutions to reduce the impact of human activity in the world and we are going to try to find positive solutions that could help change the human activity in the world. The problem that we chose to solve is to reduce the amount of meat we eat.We chose this topic because we want to show that something that doesn’t use meat like plant-based burgers , can help our environment in many different ways. this can help save the amount of animals being killed for food.

A plant-based diet is a diet that contains foods from plants such as vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and very little to no meat products . companies are starting to create more meat-less products such as plant-based burgers,plant based sausages and many more.About 3 million animals are killed for meat everyday and close to 72 billion a year. Killing animals is a problem because it has a big contribution to why so much carbon and greenhouse gases are being released in our atmosphere. greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere from High-Energy Feed. animals are mostly fed high energy crops such as corn which is produced with tons of chemicals and the chemicals are releasing carbon into the atmosphere. another thing that produces greenhouse gases are fueling factory farms which requires tons of fossil fuel based energy to cool,heat, and ventilate these factories and 90 million tons of CO2 is released every year.one other big problem is slaughterhouses are generated by electricity to help get rid of the water waste which carries organic materials which released carbon and methane when they decompose. Switching from a meat- based diet to a plant -based diet will help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions because we aren’t generating as much meat which means can reduce deforestation because not as much forests will be taken down for factories, it also uses 90% less greenhouse gasses because we aren’t using factories and all of the reasons listed above instead we are using plants and grains to produce our products, it uses 45% less energy because animals use different functions which need more energy such digestion, respiration, and others. finally it uses 99% less water impact . It is also much healthier for humans because it can lower the risk of different diseases.Currently, some restaurants like Burger King are creating plant-based burgers to help reduce the amount of meat they use in their burgers.We think this problem can be reduced but not completely solved because we can’t force people to change their diets.

Biodiversity is a measure of organisms at a specific scale or level. Biodiversity is important because it provides functioning ecosystems that gives off water and oxygen. It also provides pollination of plants and clean air and killing animals is lowering biodiversity. The negative impacts of killing animals is the production of meat has caused biodiversity loss and we need high biodiversity rather than a low one. It also has affected land and water use. Habitats are cleared to raise cattle and other animals for food which is causing the loss of many habitats for many different species. For example with deforestation, all of the animals that live in the trees and the forests are dying because the land is being used for the killing of other animals. Finally a big negative impact is the amount of greenhouse gases that are being released are contributing to climate change. Some positive impacts of plant-based burgers are Switching from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet will help reduce water and land use. It can lower pollution, reduces deforestation, and it also uses 90% less greenhouse gasses, 45% less energy and 99% less water impact. It is also much healthier for humans.

Our topic plant-based burgers can relate to many different ecology topics that we have learned. Our topic can relate to population size change because when you kill an animal you are decreasing the number of animals still alive in the area and animals are still living things so the more we kill the less amount of food we have and the less animals that can reproduce. this relates to death rate. Our topic can relate to symbiosis because reducing the amount of meat products and switching to a more plant-based diet will help gain better eating habits for humans. So this can relate to a commensalism relationship because the burger is benefiting the humans but humans aren’t being affected. Our topic can relate to energy flow because Plants are autotrophs because they make their own food/ energy from sunlight or chemicals. Animals are heterotrophic because they get food/ energy from other organisms. we think that autotrophs have more energy because they get it from sunlight and other chemicals and they don’t have to rely on other organisms. Autotrophs are lower on the food chain because they get it from the sun and many other animals eat it because they are a producer. Heterotroph is higher on the food chain because they eat the organisms that make their own energy.Our topic can relate to the different cycles because killing animals releases greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide is one of the gases released and co2 is a big part in cycles such as the carbon cycle cause carbon is released from many different resources such as fossil fuels, animals, and more. Finally our topic can relate to characteristics of living things because plants and animals are living organisms and we know that because they have all 10 characteristics, such as reproduction because when plants die they are able to re-grow, plants have cells which is a big part of living organisms, plants need light and water to grow .

Possible solutions to reducing the amount of animals being killed would be creating plant-based burgers and using more plant-based products such as vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and no meat products. We’re not trying to force people to switch their diets within a few days but trying to incorporate more plant-based items Some examples of ways you can substitute meat for plant products are eating plant based meats such as sausages, chorizo, chicken nuggets and burgers Switching from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet will help reduce water and land use. It can lower pollution, reduce deforestation, and it also uses 90% less greenhouse gasses, 45% less energy and 99% less water impact .Animal-based diets lead to a 16% increased risk of cancer and 21% increased risk of heart disease, while plant-based products reduce these risks It is also much healthier for humans cause lots of meats have high amounts of salts and fats which is bad for your body.Some disadvantages of plant-based burgers are that almonds are a big part of plant-based diets and the production of almonds has increased water demands by 27% .For our model, we choose to make a model of plant-based burgers using a cycle of showing how they are made.they steps are 1. grow all ingredients needed 2. collect ingredients after grown 3.ingredients are sent to a lab to produce the burger 4.lab produces heme 5.patty based is made 6. heme and patty base are mixed 7. burgers are put into molds and pressed 8. cook and serve.

In conclusion, a plant-based diet is a diet that contains foods from plants such as vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and very little animal meats. Eating animals is a problem because it generates greenhouse gases and if we shift to a more plant-based diet, it will help with climate change and pollution. Switching to a plant-based diet will help reduce water and land use, it can lower pollution and it reduces deforestation. We know that we won’t be able to change someone’s diet in a day, but we know that by talking to someone about this problem, word will get spread throughout the community and that can make a big difference in the world.

The long-term sustainability of soil usage is very important because people and animals live on it, if the soil is fertile, it can produce marvelous things. Healthy soil provides important ecosystem services, provide clean air and water, forests, and bountiful crops. Contrary, degraded soil makes the soil vulnerable (Decaëns et al. 2006). Unfortunately, human activities have a serious impact on soil quality currently. If people do not protect the Brisbane soil, it will be placing their native plants and animal life at risk.

The natural soils of the Brisbane area are podzolic, between red podzolic and yellow podzolic (Beckmann, Hubble & Thompson 1987). In eucalypt forests and heathlands. Podzolic soil generally comes from sedimentary debris from magmatic rocks or sandstones, also, as long as there is high precipitation (Chesworth 2008).

Layers of soil are formed by parent material and various soil forming processes. There are three main horizons that are present in all soil. A horizon is also called topsoil. Is near the surface. Plant roots grow in this layer. It is a soft porous layer, that is rich in humus and nutrients. It is a shelter for living organisms like worms and rodents (Isbell & the national committee on soil and terrain 2016). B horizon also known as subsoil, is a hard and compact layer. Roots of bigger plants extend to this layer. C horizon is the parent material, and the geological features are often evident in the C horizon (Isbell & NCST 2016).

Soil quality is a measure of the condition of soil relative to the requirements of any human need or purpose, and the requirements of one or more biotic species (Johnson et al. 1997). People have different ideas about what soil quality is. For example, for people who are producing agriculture in Brisbane, soil quality is mean highly productive land, sustaining or enhancing productivity, maximizing profits, or maintaining the soil resource for future generations. For consumers, soil quality means bountiful, healthful, and economical food for present and future generations (Posudin 2014).

Soil quality is very important because it relates to soil functions. There have five main functions. Healthy soil regulates water, sustains plant and animal life, filters potential pollutants, cycles nutrients, and supports structures (Posudin 2014). For example, in Brisbane, healthy soil can help control where rain and irrigation water goes. Also, healthy soil can provide a safe place for Brisbane citizens. The most important thing is the diversity and productivity of living things depend on soil.

Healthy soil is so important to humans and animals. However, human development has impacted their natural vegetation cover, and environmental changes may affect the soils, and major threats to the soils are human development.

Firstly, human development has impacted their natural vegetation cover. Land use changes destroy some savanna and tracts of forest (Sharpe et al. 1986). In the process of urban development, many natural vegetation covers become residential land. The natural vegetation cover is being cleared. Or, natural vegetation cover becomes agricultural lands. Also, some of the natural vegetation covers are surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings. The natural vegetation cover will degrade because not enough sunshine and the buildings totally block the sunshine.

Secondly, environmental changes will affect the soils. Sea level rise increased, salt content in the soil, and decrease fertility (Joyce & Valerie 2018). As sea levels rise, Brisbane River would potentially swamp suburbs dotted along the banks. Some agricultural lands will increasingly be inundated with saltwater, or more salt to leach into the soil, cause to land salinization (Levinson 2008).

Thirdly, human development will affect the soils. Industrialization, household waste, and agriculture is the major threat to the soils. In industrialization, industrial waste has contained heavy metals, which can pollute urban soil and cropland (Lee et al. 2006). Also, when industrial toxins go into the water in gaseous, liquid, or solid form. The soil and water PH will be affected. The soil will become acidic and not suitable for farming. And the water is not suitable for irrigation use or drinking. For example, Brisbane has a high-temperature incinerator in Willawong, highly toxic waste from incinerators is deposited in the junkyard and it can leach into groundwater.

Household waste also will affect the soils. In Brisbane, everyone generates around 460 kilograms of household waste a year, more than 20 percent of Brisbane’s household waste is food waste (Brisbane city council 2016). The household waste will be delivered to landfills. The waste products will leach into groundwater or generate polluted vapors. Moreover, in the process of transportation, improper waste disposal will cause soil contamination, and waste pollution will contaminate the areas surrounding waste disposal sites. Also, a large quantity of dishwashing liquid will affect soils. Dishwashing liquid has a chemical composition, it will be introduced into the soil via runoff, and will cause land acidification (Cachada, Rocha & Duarte 2018).

Another major threat to the soils in agriculture. People over using fertilizers, soil contamination and irrigation water (Durães, Novo, Candeias & Silva 2018). The intensive use of fertilizers and soil contamination affect the soil because those products have chemicals. These chemicals go into the soil after use, which will be reducing soil fertility. Also, large amounts of irrigation water, increase salt content in soil and decrease fertility (Joyce & Valerie 2018). If soil continued to have a large amount of water, it will cause land salinization.

If people want to have long-term sustainability of soil usage in Brisbane, people need to improve soil quality and soil usage in the Brisbane area. Firstly, facing an amount of household food waste in Brisbane, people can build a compost bin at home (Brisbane city council 2016). To reduce the pressure on landfills. In this way, food waste can become fertilizers without chemicals, the fertilizers have organic matter. This can reduce soil contamination due to improper waste disposal. Also, the fertilizers will improve soil quality instead of decreasing fertility.

Secondly, the government can reduce land pollution through education and legislation. By educating the public, people can know more about soil and know more about how to have long-term sustainability of soil usage. Also, the government can legislation limit industrial waste emissions. Thus, reducing land pollution.

Soil is very important to people, also it can be very easy to get contaminated. If people want to have long-term sustainability of soil usage in Brisbane, it better changes their lifestyle now.

Plant-Based Diet

Nutrition is an extremely important aspect of public health with so many diseases and disorders branching from poor diet and nutrient consumption. Diet and people’s nutritional habits can either cause or prevent almost all diseases that are plaguing the western societies but most dramatically is the United States. In most of the world people consume some sort of meat or animal product every day and for some countries like the United States of America and many other western societies this diet may be even more extreme with consumption of animal products happening every meal. A plant-based diet can technically mean any diet that has plants on a regular basis, but for the definition that will be used in this paper it will be any diet consisting of only plants and no animal products to be consumed at any time.

Health Issues with Eating Animals

“We humans do not need meat. In fact, we are healthier without it” (Grant, 2017). A whole food plant-based diet is one that is derived from the ground with no animal products to be consumed at any point. There are many health issues in today’s society that can be associated with eating animal products like meat, cheese, and milk. One of the many different problems associated with this animal eating lifestyle is obesity. Some of the research done in Canada reports that “62.1% of the entire population to be overweight and 25.4% to be obese. A total of 32% of children and youth aged 5 to 17 years are overweight or obese. Overall, 40% of men and 29% of women aged 18 and older are overweight, with 27% of men and 25% of women being obese. Vegetarians and vegans, irrespective of age, sex, and geography, are leaner than omnivores,1,6 with a much lower prevalence of obesity (

Health Benefits of Eating Plant-Based

Eating a plant-based diet has so many great benefits to a person’s health and well-being that just simply increasing the amount of plants someone eats in their current diet has shown signs of healthier bodies. There have been tons of research in the recent years on how a plant-based diet affects people’s health, “A review of studies shows people who follow a vegetarian diet reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease by 40 percent, and hypertension by 34 percent. In addition, up to 91 percent of patients experienced the unblocking of blocked arteries either partially or fully, and total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol are significantly lower in vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians” (Stanton, 2018). Eating a plant-based diet also helps to lower excess body weight, without restricting calories, since the diet is naturally low in fat and helps to prevent over eating highly processed foods. According to the American Heart Association eating a diet filled with plants has been shown to lower a person’s chance of heart disease by 20 percent. “The National Cancer Institute cites colorectal cancer as the third most common type of cancer in the United States. A recent study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine showed that people who ate a vegetarian diet had a 22 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who didn’t” (Vegetarian Times, 2018). Not only can a veggie filled diet help with obesity and cardiovascular diseases it can also help to manage diabetes complications. The Mayo clinic says that eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts can help people suffering with diabetes to control their blood-sugar and make their body more responsive to the insulin their body makes or receives from shots (Vegetarian Times, 2018). This plant-based diet is naturally high in fiber and when teenage girls and young women have lots of fiber it has been shown, according to a study of more than 90,000 women, to reduce their likelihood of getting breast cancer later in life (Nurses Health Study). Inflammation is yet another factor that a plant-based diet can control and lessen significantly, meat-free diets decrease the production of proteins in the body that can cause or seriously aggravate inflammation. A study was conducted on 73,000 people who were Seventh-day Adventists, people who follow the bible very literally so they do not consume a lot of meat since it is considered ‘dirty flesh’, it was shown that these individuals had a lower mortality rate for all causes which was better than all other forms of diets.

Environmental Impacts With Eating Animals

“Which is better for your health-ordering a cheeseburger or a salad? Which is better for the planet? The answer is the same. Science is finding that what is good for the person is also good for the planet” eating a more plant-based diet is better not only for yourself but for the planet we live on according to Larisa Brass (Brass, 2018). When people think of public health there is rarely any mention of how our dietary lifestyles effect the world we live in. the agriculture industry that gives us all the food we eat in the animal-based diets contributes to 30 percent of all greenhouse gas production. But what is worst of all is this omnivore lifestyle uses 70 percent of the earths total water usage and is the leading cause of deforestation, land usage, and biodiversity loss (Brass, 2018). Not only does animal-based diets take more land, water, and resources it is also not a long-term solution to feeding our rapidly growing population ‘Current food production is destroying the environment upon which present and future food production depends, the FCRN report states” (Brass, 2018). Almost one billion people in the world suffer from chronic hunger from not getting enough food throughout the day even though our Earth is more than capable of feeding every person on it if only we were more efficient with our means of feeding the population. “More than half of the world’s crops are used to feed animals, not people. For instance, today 97% of the soymeal and 40% of cereals produced worldwide are used for animal feed” this is just one of the examples given by Alsaffar on why eating animals is not a sustainable food source (Alsaffar, 2016). Not only that but much of our crops are wasted by the animals that we raise to eat since they are extremely inefficient at using these crops by turning the plant proteins into their animal proteins. It takes around 15 pounds of animal feed, or the crops that humans could be eating, just to get two pounds of beef. So not only does it take so much of the food people could be eating if they were not giving it to the animals, but they are also using way more of the crops to feed a cow or other animals then it would take to feed a human those same soybean crop.

Conclusion

The plant-based diet is one that comes with many people who will apposed to it simply for the fact that it is different to the normal way of life. Although it may not seem like a normal way of life to many it has been proven to be extremely beneficial in reversing, preventing, or managing many of the chronic diseases that are affecting the world today like obesity, heart disease, and many forms of cancer. Not only does a plant-based diet help the individual to have a healthy life and a longer life it also helps the plant in many ways that can hopefully overturn any damage already done by the people on the planet. The conventional diet is not only bad for the body if a surplus of certain foods is eaten but it also drains and damages the Earth with every animal farm we must erect in order to feed the growing population be raised on this new western diet.

References

1. Brass, L. (2018, September-October). HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY PLANET: How What You Eat Affects Your Health–and the Environment. Vibrant Life. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.db02.linccweb.org/apps/doc/A554494316/AONE?u=lincclin_bcb&sid=AONE&xid=3a78d3f4
2. Grant, J. D. (2017). Time for change: Benefits of a plant-based diet. Canadian Family Physician, 744–746. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=29025793&site=eds-live
3. Alsaffar, A. A. (2016). Sustainable diets: The interaction between food industry, nutrition, health and the environment. Food Science And Technology International, 102–111. Retrieved from https://doi-org.db02.linccweb.org/10.1177/1082013215572029
4. Hill, D. S. (2014). Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet. Maryland Nurse, 6–7. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=103915676&site=eds-live
5. Eating for the Environment: Dietary choices are important to personal health, and they can also affect the health of the planet. (2018). Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.560925666&site=eds-live
6. The Power of Plant Foods: Make the right food and beverage choices to harvest an array of health benefits from a plant-based diet. (2019). Men’s Health Advisor. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.574695521&site=eds-live
7. Stanton, R. (2012). How Healthy Is A Plant-Based Diet. Nutridate, 2–4. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=94604889&site=eds-live
8. Vegetarian Diet Lowers Heart Disease Risk. (2019). Environmental Nutrition, 42. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=134548466&site=eds-live
9. 8 Reasons Why a Plant-Based Diet Is Good for You. (2016). Vegetarian Times, 42. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.db02.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=116188872&site=eds-live