Beyond. Impossible. Ultimate. Incogmeato. The latest crop of plant-based meats aren’t just courting vegetarians. A plant-rich diet can help curb the greenhouse gases that fuel climate change...and that’s good for everyone’s health. Here’s our guide to plant-based meats.
Experts estimate that even if all fossil fuel emissions stopped instantly, the world’s food system would still put us on track to exceed the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of only a 1.5°C rise in global temperature by 2100. Here’s how your diet can make you—and the planet—healthier.
Plant-based meats are processed foods, but they may still protect your heart. Researchers had 36 adults eat at least two servings a day of ordinary meats (like ground beef and sausage) for eight weeks and similar plant-based versions (supplied by Beyond Meat, which funded the study) for eight weeks.
“Wildfires at all-time high. Arctic sea ice remains at record lows,” says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “The Earth’s climate is changing.”
The change shows up in virtually every indicator that the EPA and the National Climate Assessment track, from rising global greenhouse gas emissions, sea levels, and air and ocean temperatures to more heatwaves, heavy rains, persistent drought in the Southwest, and flooding on the coasts and in Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and Midwest rivers.
A fledgling sector that has morphed into an $800-million-a-year darling of Wall Street, the alternative-meat industry is now on the receiving end of some serious pushback from cattle ranchers and others.
Some of the dustup is about naming rights: Can plant-based meats—especially the breakout stars Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger—call themselves “meat”?
Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” proclaims the ad campaign that began in 1992. These days, plants-only brands like Beyond Meat are surging, and Big Beef is worried. Ranchers want to ban the word “meat” from faux-meat labels. At the same time, meat processors are investing in their own plant-based brands. Here’s what to look for.
What diet can protect both our health and our children’s and grandchildren’s future? In January, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, and Health unveiled its “planetary health diet” at dozens of events worldwide. Here are some take-aways from commission co-chair Walter Willett.
