Vegetarians and plant-based diets are not unfamiliar topics. As more and more people are adopting vegetarian diets around the world, the market value of plant-based alternative meat will have huge growth potential.
How many vegetarians in the world?
According to the latest survey from ResearchGate, the percentage of vegetarians in the world is estimated at 22%. Moreover, the result suggests that most of these people became vegetarians out of necessity, meaning they either don’t have the opportunity to eat meat or became vegetarians for health-related reasons.
6 percent of the UK population and 5 percent of the US population are vegetarians. The survey conducted by Finder showed that 6.5 million (about 12 percent) of Britons plan to become vegetarians in the future. The number of American consumers following a vegetarian diet is 9.7 million, growing from 290,000 15 years ago.
Why do people adopt vegetarian diets?
Many people become vegetarians because it improves their health and reduces their risk for disease. Others follow a vegetarian diet for moral and religious reasons to avoid harming animals and to protect the environment. According to survey data collated by CouponBirds, 67 percent of people try vegetarian diets because they want to protect animals and the environment, and 22 percent do it for personal health.
Livestock accounts for more than 14 percent of global carbon emissions. A global shift to a vegan diet could reduce carbon emissions by 70 percent. Furthermore, reducing gas emissions could yield economic benefits of $570 billion a year.
Livestock farming requires a lot of land. To get land for livestock, people destroy forests. 91% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed as a result of livestock. If all humans adopted a plant-based diet, 75 percent of farmland could be saved.
Vegetarian diet can help people stay away from high cholesterol and lots of oils, reduce the intake of processed foods, naturally lower body weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes type 2 and cancer.
Reducing the risk of disease increases life expectancy, promotes long-term personal development, and enables people to create more value and happiness. From the perspective of the whole society, vegetarianism can reduce the use of medical resources, save people a large amount of medical expenses, and promote a virtuous circle of social resources.
How to become a vegan?
Vegans can eat foods made from plants. Like these:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Breads, rice, and pasta
- Vegetable oils
- Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Dairy alternatives such as soymilk, coconut milk, and almond milk
Vegans can’t eat any foods made from animals, including:
- Meat: beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck
- Fish or shellfish: tuna, salmon, crabs, clams, mussels
- Dairy products: milk, cream, ice cream, cheese, butter
- Eggs, mayonnaise, honey
How to get enough protein and vitamins?
Sticking to a vegetarian diet for a long time can leave you short of some micronutrients, such as vitamin B12, which are found in large quantities in meat, dairy products and eggs. You can solve this problem by taking vitamin supplements. Don’t worry. You can easily find online vitamin products specifically designed for vegetarians.
You can get enough protein from soy products, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Soy milk is rich in protein like milk, while other soy foods, such as tofu and tempeh, contain 10-12 grams of protein per cup.
Whole grains are a great source of protein for vegetarians. Grains with the highest protein content include quinoa and whole wheat pasta, steel-cut oats and whole wheat bread. Because whole grains retain the protein from the plant skin.
Almonds, peanuts or peanut butter, chia seeds, macadamia nuts, and cocoa are all good sources of plant-based protein. Yes, but because of their high oil content, they need to be consumed in small amounts. It can be eaten as a snack or added to salads.
What do vegetarians worry about?
Although more and more people around the world are choosing to become a vegetarian, the proportion of vegetarians in the global population is still too small. They may face some inconveniences.
First, vegetarians may not be able to avoid animal-based foods when eating out if they are too busy to cook. To avoid meat, vegetarians need to emphasize to restaurant staff when ordering. Although this is an effective method, not every restaurant can meet the requirements highlighted by vegetarians. The good news is that there are now many chain restaurants that offer all-vegetarian meals and there will be more in the future.
Secondly, vegetarians may not get the support from their friends or family, which hinders their good relationship with their surroundings. However, vegetarians can find other similars on the Internet to share eating tips and meet new friends. Of course, it’s not impossible to get their support by sticking to principle and exchanging your reasons with your family and friends friendly.
Worth a try?
If you pursue health and longevity, try to reduce the animal-related food in your diet and increase your vegetarian food. By ensuring adequate protein and vitamins, vegetarians can provide enough nutrition for you.
Here are 10 best vegetarian cookery blogs. You can find a guide on these sites.
- The First Mess
- Green Kitchen Stories
- Cookie and Kate
- Naturally Ella
- My New Roots
- Sprouted Kitchen
- 101 Cookbooks
- Tinned Tomatoes
- Oh She Glows
- Deliciously Ella
These sites can help you assess your necessity to stick to it. You need to be clear about your goals and what you want from a vegetarian diet. If you don’t know how to start it, check out blogs. They’ll tell you everything you need to know.
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