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'''Plant-based food''' could mean many things.
#REDIRECT [[Plant-based food]]
{{minor|There are countless dietary choices that could be healthy, unhealthy, cheap, expensive, low-calorie, high-calorie, low-protein, high-protein, etc.}}
 
 
This page is about ways to eat well with at least 95% of protein/calories coming from ''plants.''
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==Balanced diets==
{{minor|Despite a lot of misinformation out there,}}
'''It is''' possible to meet 100% of your [[nutrition]]al needs with just plants{{x|meaning: ''without relying on animal products''. These plant-based diets still do include low-cost ''supplements''}}. It also '''doesn't have to be expensive.'''
 
 
{{minor|To eat more healthy ''and'' more cheaply than most people do,}}
Use these principles as a guide:
 
<div class="expandable-bullets">
* Get most of your protein from '''dried peas, lentils, and beans.'''
** Use these to '''make [[soups]]''' - eat soup with every meal.
* Get most of your calories from basically anything you want.
** Cheapest options include grains{{x|i.e. rice, pasta, oats, cornmeal etc}}, potatoes, oils, any baked goods (even sweets). {{p2|[Note about carbs]|~ For most people, carbohydrate-rich foods should be okay as long as you [[exercise]] and include all the nutritious foods in these guidelines.<br /><br />~ When in doubt, choose whole grains.<br /><br />~ Not suited for people with diabetes.}}
** Even junk food is also okay, surprisingly. The overall diet will still be healthy, if you eat the soups and take the multivitamin.
* Other useful foods include sunflower seeds, peanut butter - these have both protein and calories.
* Include '''root vegetables''' such as carrots, onions, beets and garlic - whichever are cheap. They can be added to the soups.
* Buy fresh fruits occasionally, when they go on sale.
** This diet doesn't rely on them for ''vitamins'' - but over-ripe fruits have a ''probiotic'' effect which can greatly improve digestion.
* '''Take a daily [[multivitamin]].'''
** This is essential for '''any''' diet that '''doesn't''' include massive amounts of expensive fresh fruits & vegetables.
** The human body needs over 30 different nutrients; most people are lacking in at least a few.
** Vegan or not, most people could benefit from a cheap{{x|typically amounts to about 15 cents per day}}multivitamin. You will likely feel a difference.
</div>
 
 
If this doesn't seem balanced on first glance, see some of the examples below - it is.
* {{minor|Note: These examples may not be perfect, but they are far more balanced than a ''typical'' diet in most countries.}}
* {{minor|Note: You can also play around with the [//olam.wiki/calc nutrition calculator] to analyze your own options.}}
 
===Nutrition examples===
<tabs><tab name="cheap home cooking">
'''cheap home cooking''' <!-- NOTE: tab titles are repeated here to avoid confusion if the tabs span 2 rows on small screens -->
 
A balanced diet with beans, root vegetables, and other ordinary foods.
 
[https://olam.wiki/nutrition.html?targets=averaged&timescale=1&name0=Rice%2C%20white%2C%20long-grain%2C%20parboiled%2C%20enriched%2C%20dry&amount0=100&color0=rgb(204%2C%20204%2C%20204)&name1=Lentils%2C%20raw&amount1=100&color1=rgb(204%2C%20153%2C%20102)&name2=Oil%2C%20canola&amount2=25&color2=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%200)&name3=Carrots%2C%20raw&amount3=50&color3=rgb(255%2C%20153%2C%200)&name4=Seasoning%20mix%2C%20dry%2C%20chili%2C%20original&amount4=30&color4=rgb(153%2C%200%2C%200)&name5=Spices%2C%20parsley%2C%20dried&amount5=3&color5=rgb(0%2C%20153%2C%200)&name6=Potatoes%2C%20flesh%20and%20skin%2C%20raw&amount6=234&color6=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%20204)&name7=Corn%20grain%2C%20yellow&amount7=100&color7=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%20153)&name8=Beans%2C%20black%2C%20mature%20seeds%2C%20raw&amount8=100&color8=rgb(102%2C%20102%2C%20102)&name9=Peas%2C%20green%2C%20split%2C%20mature%20seeds%2C%20raw&amount9=100&color9=rgb(0%2C%20204%2C%200)&name10=Calcium%20carbonate&amount10=1&color10=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%20255)&name11=Multi-vitamin-and-mineral%20supplement%20(one-a-day)%2C%201%20gram%20%3D%201%20pill&amount11=1&color11=rgb(255%2C%20153%2C%20255) See in nutrition calculator]
 
TODO: add screenshot of nutrition calculator here
 
Notes:
* This analysis shows the raw ingredients. Cooking instructions / recipes will be added to this wiki soon. In general, when you boil any food, do not drain the water; keep it for the soup. You don't want to lose some of the minerals (nutrients) {{x|relevant info: Heat doesn't destroy minerals{{x|scientific reason: the minerals are ''elements'' (on the periodic table); the vitamins are ''molecules'' that can break down at high temperatures}}, but it does destroy ''some'' vitamins. The multivitamin fully compensates for this: Most multivitamin tablets have 100% the recommended daily intake of all B vitamins and vitamin C, which are the ones that can be lost in cooking.}}.
* Calcium is supplemented (typically costs about 10 cents per day), because the cheap foods aren't naturally high in calcium.
* Yes it's all vegan!
 
 
 
</tab><tab name="junk food method">
'''junk food method'''
 
Yes, it is possible to construct healthy diets with junkfood, in some cases.
 
[https://olam.wiki/nutrition.html?targets=averaged&timescale=1&name0=Snacks%2C%20potato%20chips%2C%20barbecue-flavor&amount0=200&color0=rgb(255%2C%20204%2C%20153)&name1=Cookies%2C%20chocolate%20sandwich%2C%20with%20creme%20filling%2C%20regular&amount1=200&color1=rgb(153%2C%20102%2C%2051)&name2=Peas%2C%20green%2C%20split%2C%20mature%20seeds%2C%20raw&amount2=200&color2=rgb(0%2C%20204%2C%200)&name3=Carrots%2C%20raw&amount3=50&color3=rgb(255%2C%20153%2C%200)&name4=Calcium%20carbonate&amount4=1.5&color4=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%20255)&name5=Multi-vitamin-and-mineral%20supplement%20(one-a-day)%2C%201%20gram%20%3D%201%20pill&amount5=1&color5=rgb(255%2C%20153%2C%20255) See in nutrition calculator]
 
TODO: add screenshot of nutrition calculator here
 
Notes:
* Even if the cookies have small amounts of dairy etc., the vast majority of calories & protein are still coming from plants.
* Calcium is supplemented (typically costs about 10 cents per day), because the cheap foods aren't naturally high in calcium.
 
 
 
</tab><tab name="low carb">
'''low carb'''
 
{{empty}}
 
 
 
</tab><tab name="expensive cliché vegan diet">
'''expensive cliché vegan diet'''
 
Not an example of the principles above. This tab is included for '''comparison.'''
 
This vegan diet is still nutritionally balanced but far more expensive.
 
{{empty}}
 
 
 
</tab><tab name="global food supply"> <!-- TALK: maybe move [this tab and the next tab] to a subspace called "more examples - agricultural research? Or dont use tabs at all and switch to sections? -->
'''global food supply'''
 
This tab is for research purposes.
 
Suppose the world went vegan but all the same food crops are grown{{x|albeit in smaller quantities, since everything is more efficient when you don't have animal factory farms and feedlots}}.
{{minor|In other words, crops get used for making food directly, instead of animal feed.}}
 
This tab shows how a balanced diet would work. A multivitamin is once again essential.
 
{{empty}}
 
Notes:
* Farmers ''could'' grow other crops instead.
** See the next tab for an extreme example. <!-- ** The {{alt|humanitarian|environmental|animal ethics}} benefits would hold just as well, in most cases. -->
 
* This analysis shows just the raw ingredients. Recipes can be added to this wiki.
** Recipe ideas:
*** Corn muffins: using corn flour, wheat flour, sugars, soy, etc.
*** Soy milk: The soybeans are cooked, pureed and filtered. The solid parts (filtered out) are used in the muffins.
 
 
 
</tab><tab name="extreme amounts of vegetables">
'''extreme amounts of vegetables'''
 
This tab is for research purposes.
 
This '''theoretical''' diet comes from research on [[crop choices]]. If farmers around the world grew only the highest-yielding crops of their local regions, the global food supply would look like this! Calories & protein come from the sheer volume of vegetables grown, mostly. For people to be able to eat that many vegetables, most of it would have to be [[powderization|powderized]] and used as flour. There would still be some fresh produce, of course.
 
{{empty}}
 
Notes:
* This diet appears to work without a multivitamin. But since most of the vegetables would be powderized, then some nutrients would be lost. A multivitamin would still be needed to make up for this.
 
</tab><tab name="typical western diet">
'''typical western diet'''
 
Not an example of the principles above. This tab is included for '''comparison.'''
 
{{empty}}
</tab></tabs>
 
==Rationale==
 
Plant-based diets are beneficial for a few reasons:
<div class="expandable-bullets">
* Humanitarian & environmental:
** Feeding crops to farm animals is a [[food funnel|net loss of food]]. This makes it harder to [[feed the world]]. It also worsens all the environmental impacts of [[food]]: more crops have to be grown; more [[land]] is needed - thus more [[habitat loss]].
** While it's true that some animals can eat [[pasture|grass]], there are [[limits to sustainable animal consumption|limits to how much meat & dairy can be produced from this alone]].
* Animal ethics:
** [[Factory farms]] (where animals are treated very badly) meet most of the world's demand for meat, milk and eggs. Less-cruel farming practices exist, but are less productive. To get rid of factory farms, we're going to have to consume fewer animal products. {{x|And maybe [[lab-grown meat]] could change this one day, but it's not scalable enough yet.}}
</div>
 
====In summary====
If people ate fewer animal products{{x|this does not require 100% veganism, but let's just suppose if people collectively decide to cut out 2/3 of all animal consumption (changes would be biggest in ''developed countries'', as that's where most meat is currently consumed)}},
* [[Deforestation]] could finally be stopped, and
* Massive amounts of farm [[land]] could be [[rewilding|rewilded]], and
* {{light|Even with less crop production,}} there'd be more than enough surplus food to end global [[hunger]], and
* [[Factory farms]] could be abolished.
 
<!-- old style of phrasing:
: * Humanitarian benefits:
: ** There would easily be enough surplus [[food]] to end all global [[hunger]].
: * Environmental benefits:
: ** Far less [[land]] would be needed to feed the world (see [[food funnel]]). [[Habitat loss]] could completely stop, and massive amounts of farm land could be [[rewilding|rewilded]].
: * Animal ethics benefits:
: ** Abolition of [[factory farms]].
-->
 
With all of this, it '''also''' helps to reduce [[food waste]] {{light|(the gap between production and consumption)}} {{x|Part of this involves personal choices. Part of this involves systemic changes, especially with regards to [[farm subsidies]]}}.
 
==FAQ==
Veganism<!--especially--> is a heated topic. This section can hopefully clear up some misconceptions on both sides of the debate.
{{minor|''If you want to add more Q&A to this section, please join the {{talk}}.'' }}
 
 
{{faq
|I thought vegan diets were expensive! You're saying they're cheap?
|There are cheap ways to be vegan, and there are expensive ways to be vegan. A healthy balanced diet is possible in both cases. See above for examples.
}}
 
 
{{faq
|Don't vegans eat mostly salad and greens with little protein & calories?
|Not necessarily. See examples above.
}}
 
 
{{faq
|Does eating this many beans make you fart all the time?
|Not if the beans are [[soups|cooked well enough]]. Gas might also be a sign that your gut needs more variety of bacteria to digest the variety of plants you eat. Include more [[probiotic foods]] such as over-ripe fruits or saurkraut. It may help to eat them towards the end of the meal.
}}
 
 
{{faq
|Aren't plant proteins less digestible?
|Not if they're cooked/blended properly and you have good [[gut flora]]. {{npn}}
}}
 
 
{{faq
|Aren't chickens needed on farms to control pests by eating the bugs that infest crops?
|Sometimes yes. However, this alone wouldn't even come close to producing as much chicken as people eat.
}}
 
 
{{faq
|What about [[fertilizer]]? Don't we need animals to fertilize the soil by pooping?
|Animals don't add minerals to the overall system. They can only poop out whatever minerals were already there in the soil/plants. Also, mass production of meat/dairy/eggs requires more crops, which just increases the need for fertilizer even more.
}}
 
 
'''Q:''' <q>What to do with all the animals if everyone goes vegan?</q>
 
'''A:'''
* Option 1: Keep them until they die of old age.
* Option 2: Keep slaughtering them at the same rate they currently are.
* In either case, the farmers '''stop breeding more animals'''{{x|except to maintain the species by keeping around ~0.1% of their population{{x|maybe that's more in the realm of scientists, conservationists, zookeepers etc. - but no matter who does it, it's [[Term:viable|viable]]}} }}.
* In either case, people would still eat meat ''for another year or so'', after '''pledging''' to go vegan.
* Maybe the "pledge" part is weird and hypothetical, but so is the idea of everyone going vegan tomorrow.
* If everyone ''gradually''{{x|as in, people slowly phase out meat in their diets - or people go "cold turkey" vegan but each starting from a different day - or anything in between: there wouldn't need to be a whole lot of coordination between people necessarily; just a general trend of being more plant-based}}went vegan, there'd be no "shock in demand"{{x|as economists would say}}, and thus no "what do we do with the animals". Farmers already control how many animals are bred. They would just breed fewer of them.

Latest revision as of 05:50, 20 February 2024

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