How Do Plant-Based Diets Affect the Environment and Your Health?

Can plant-based nutrition be optimal for both?

8 min readSep 16, 2022

My story

Forming habits is not easy. Every time you start something new you need time to adjust. This applies to many things, such as waking up early, exercising, eating well, showering in cold water, or anything else that requires discipline. Good isn’t always easy. It depends on deliberate thought, planning, and motivation. To make a change something has to be driving you forward: a goal; an ideal; a certain aim. If you don’t convince yourself internally, it will be hard to carry on doing what you are doing, especially when things get tough. That is why every important life change has to be nested in an appropriate, convincing narrative.

When I was about 23 years old I decided that I need to shake things up a bit. I was not in the place where I wanted to be, and I wasn’t sure where I was going. Then, three things were on my mind: health, martial arts, and nutrition. Being an apt reader of Buddhist literature I became fascinated not just with their way of living, but also with the way they approach food. Vegetarianism seemed noble, yet I did not know if it was healthy, so I began researching. Fortunately, after looking through some papers I found out that eating plant-based is not just better for the environment, but, if done correctly, for people’s health as well. It lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and even the risk of all-cause mortality.

That is great news for many vegetarians, assuming that they are not eating a diet based on chips, noodles, or oreos. To transition decently, every person should understand at least the basics of nutrition. They have to know what their body needs and how to serve it what it requires. Today I would like to address a list of things to consider before going plant-based. Also, I want to clear some misconceptions revolving plant-based nutrition. I have been eating this way for over 6 years, and for the time being — I am alive and well. I exercise daily, my brain has not deteriorated, I’m in a decent physical condition, and my blood tests are just fine. If you know what you are doing — you will be fine as well.

Macronutrients — the holy trinity

Proteins

One of the first questions that many vegans and vegetarians receive is about protein. “How do you get enough of it without eating meat?” My hunch is that the person posing this question might not know the science of macronutrients. All foods can be divided into 3 macro categories: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. What differs is their quantities. You can find protein even in fruits and vegetables, although its concentration there is low. The best plant-based source of protein is definitely legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils.

According to a Harvard Health study:

“The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.”

Thus, if you are eating enough without restricting your plant-based sources only to fruits and vegetables, you should hit the recommended dietary allowance of protein with no problem. The key here is to eat enough and to be active.

Healthy fats

The word “fat” gets a bad wrap. Not all fats are bad, especially those that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are responsible for the health of our brain, eyes, arteries, and much more. To befriend healthy fats, stay away from highly-processed foods and refined vegetable oils. They are high in omega-6, carcinogens, and sometimes — even trans fats. Instead, stick to avocados, extra virgin olive oil, or coconut oil. To meet your daily intake of omega-3s, use grounded flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts. Don’t shy away from a handful of other nuts, as they are full of other important nutrients, such as magnesium, selenium, vitamin E, etc. If you are still worried about your omega-3s, treat yourself to an occasional dish of salmon or sardines. Otherwise, you can supplement with various DHA or omega-3 supplements.

Whole carbohydrates

The last macronutrient category that we have to cover today is carbohydrates. Similarly to fats, carbohydrates are a widely discussed and controversial topic, that has no one clear consensus both in the popular and the scientific literature. Still, I would like to share a couple of ideas, that seem to be reasonable, at least to me.

1) Stay away from refined carbohydrates. They have very few vitamins and minerals and spike your blood sugar like crazy. Refined carbohydrates can be found in sugar-sweetened beverages, highly-processed foods, pastries, white bread, and other foods made with white flour.

2) Eat foods that contain whole (complex) carbohydrates. These are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains (such as barley, buckwheat, quinoa, and oats).

To learn more about “healthy carbs” you can check this video provided by Healthline.

Micronutrients — the building blocks of our health

With macros out of the way, let’s talk about vitamins and minerals. Tracking your micronutrients is not easy, that is why I would recommend using a nutrition tracking app, such as Chronometer. Even though this blog is not sponsored by anyone, I have quite a bit of personal experience with this platform. It helped me a lot, especially in the beginning stages of my journey into veganism and vegetarianism. Surprisingly, even from the first use, I saw that my nutrition intake was quite adequate. Even so, a few markers were harder to reach. Down below I would like to list a few micronutrients that people eating plant-based should be wary of.

Vitamin B12

Not getting enough B12 can have serious consequences. In the past, vitamin B12 used to be commonly found in various soil-grown foods, and animals that eat them. Unfortunately, in our contemporary sterile world, the risk of not getting enough vitamin B12 affects not just vegans or vegetarians, but omnivores too. Adding fortified foods and nutritional yeast to your diet can be good ways of getting your plant-based dose of vitamin B12. Otherwise, the National Institute of Health in the US recommends taking a B12 supplement, which I take as well.

D3

Vitamin D helps to absorb calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. These micronutrients keep your teeth, muscles, and bones healthy. Vitamin D also helps with your brain, heart, and immune system function. According to the National Health Service in the UK, about 1 in 5 people are Vitamin D deficient. Some symptoms relating to a Vitamin D deficiency are a lack of energy, depression, fatigue, and muscle soreness. In order to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, it is suggested to spend at least 15 minutes a day in peak sunlight. For people living in a Northern climate, some other sources of Vitamin D can be eating tofu, mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light, or drinking fortified dairy-free milks, and orange juice. If none of the above-mentioned choices are accessible in your area, it might be wise to consider taking a supplement.

Iron

Iron is a mineral responsible for the proper function of hemoglobin. As hemoglobin helps to transfer oxygen in the blood, being deficient in iron puts a person at risk of anemia. As a side note, having too much iron can cause problems as well. For this reason, people should keep an eye on their iron levels through regular blood tests. If the results show that you are low on iron, consider eating more dark leafy greens, legumes, cacao powder, and nuts. Pumpkin, hemp, and chia seeds are also great sources of iron for people that are eating plant-based.

Calcium

Even though from childhood most of us are told that we need to drink milk to grow up big and strong, it is likely that more than 60% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant. If that is so, how do people (especially those in Asia) gain their daily adequate amounts of calcium? Fortunately, just like milk, plants are a great source of calcium too. Some of the best plant-based sources that are high in calcium are: soy milk, tofu, tempeh, almonds, dark leafy greens, oranges, chickpeas, poppy seeds, and figs.

Zinc

Zinc is important for our immune system because it helps to fight off unwanted bacteria and viruses. It also regulates our senses of smell and taste, and is important for the healing of wounds. Some great plant-based sources of zinc are whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and tofu. Starting your morning with oatmeal is a great way to boost your intake of zinc. If you are still worried about your zinc levels, consider snacking on pumpkin seeds or cashews throughout the day and you should be ok.

Omega 3s

There are 3 different types of omega-3 fatty acids: EPA, DHA, and ALA. The first two are mostly found in marine oils, while ALA is commonly found in plants. Mammals don’t make their own short-chain fatty acids, that is why they have to get them from their diet. Even though the most important fatty acid is DHA, the human body can convert the plant-based ALA to DHA without a problem. As mentioned before, grounded flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts are great sources of omega-3. Other plant-based sources of omega-3 include brussel sprouts, algal oil, and perilla oil.

In conclusion…

If you still have doubts about the validity of plant-based diets, I would like to share an abstract from a research paper written by Vesanto Melina, Winston Craig, and Susan Levin and published in the National Library Of Medicine. In the paper the researchers state:

“It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthul, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity. Low intake of saturated fat and high intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds (all rich in fiber and phytochemicals) are characteristics of vegetarian and vegan diets that produce lower total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and better serum glucose control. These factors contribute to reduction of chronic disease. Vegans need reliable sources of vitamin B-12, such as fortified foods or supplements.”

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