Could you have thought that half a year would pass so quickly? We didn’t even notice, and the month of June has just ended. For some, it was a tense period of studying and exams; for others, it was an opportunity to complete essential tasks and make new business deals, while others could use that time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season slowly. We will set aside July and August for holidays and natural gifts to anticipate events ahead of time. We will talk about how to have a safe and fun holiday in nature and how to create a holiday for your pets. We will also have some fun conversations for you to read with people who have successfully incorporated cannabis products into their daily lives. It is worth the wait, and while waiting, it is worth visiting our online store, where you will see more news this summer.
—
Strangely enough, summer for many people starts as early as winter. You ask, how is this even possible? Before the New Year, we promise to start exercising, move more, give up bad habits and thus prepare our body (and soul) for the upcoming hot season of the year. In the summer, we take off our clothes and enjoy time spent at lakes, sea, river or calmly swimming in a pool, sunbathing in the sun, and boldly (or not) demonstrating our bodies. One action that requires most of our attention before summer begins is nutrition.
A healthy and balanced diet helps maintain a good appearance and strengthens our bodies from within. No matter how positive the sentence you just read sounds, nutrition also can become our biggest problem. Nevertheless, this will not be the main topic of this blog today. We will dedicate this text to get you acquainted with three different diets – vegetarianism, veganism, and raw food. The rapidly growing diets are popular among fashionable youth, but how stylish are the reasons behind their choices?
What Harm does Human Eating Habits do to Nature (and Us)?
We will not be surprising anyone saying that not only impressive amounts of plastic waste but also many food wastes going to landfills worldwide every year. The reality is quite painful, but the statistics are even more shocking: we throw around 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste a year. The numbers remain numbers that do not usually have any long-term impact on people and their consumptions habits. However, it is particularly worth considering that this amount of food waste accounts for a third of all food stocks grown and produced in the world. We must add that this costs the world economy almost one trillion dollars every year. From an economic perspective alone, these numbers are enormous, but such a loss is more detrimental to the well-being of our planet and our health than to our wallets.
Let’s take a closer look at what foods are most often thrown away and how much such consumptions habits cost us? According to international informational sources, people are most likely to throw away fish products and seafood, cereals, legumes, meat, and dairy products. We could go on with this list, but here we can already spot some critical aspects. We are depleting the oceans by throwing away fish and seafood; we are wasting water by growing vegetables that no one needs. By throwing away beef and dairy products, we contribute to the growing amount of methane gas depleting the Ozone layer. On top of all that, we are casually looking at the efforts of those people for whom food growing is their primary source of livelihood.
Every day and every year, we need to talk more and more loudly about the change in food consumption habits and that we subconsciously choose to consume foods that are detrimental to our health. Research has shown that people who eat red meat are more likely to suffer from diabetes, have cardiovascular problems, and certain types of cancer. An even more significant number of scientific articles conclude that consuming fatty foods and meals significantly increases early deaths and shorten life expectancy. Even though food deprivation affects close to one billion people globally, those who have too much food suffer as well – such people from obesity and various diseases.
To help both themselves and the planet, every year, more and more people choose to change their eating habits radically, give up meat, fish, dairy products or eat what is not heat-treated.
Vegetarian Diet
Vegetarianism is one of the most popular dietary practices adopted by nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population. While India is considered the most vegetarian country, one of the main reasons is its religious beliefs (Hindus consider cows to be a sacred symbol of life, thus, protecting it). Other reasons include ethical convictions and cultural, aesthetic, ecological, economic, political, taste and health reasons. For example, people may abandon eating any meat, including fish, poultry, crustaceans, and slaughter by-products because they do not find meat tasty or believe animals are equal to humans and have a soul. There are several different types of vegetarians, as some people choose to eliminate eggs from their diets and others do not. However, most vegetarianism cases include people giving up any animal-related products, for example, choosing eco-leather clothing, not wearing accessories made from animal horns, etc.
Vegan Diet
Veganism is a more diet restrictive version of vegetarianism; while people with a later diet can still have a glass of cow’s milk or eat cheese, vegans opt-out for alternatives such as soy milk, coconut milk, or tofu. As said, vegans exclude any animal-related food from their diet as they, for example, consider milking a cow equal to doing injustice to an animal and hurting it. A vegan diet includes fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grain products, already mentioned dairy alternatives and vegetable oils. The major downside of a vegan diet is that the lack of fatty acids found in fish consumption can lead to depression and other psychological and emotional problems. However, the vegan diet is still considered healthier than eating meat.
Raw Food Diet
While vegetarianism and veganism exclude meat, fish, dairy and eggs, raw food diet allows eating almost everything if food’s temperature does not go above a certain number of degrees. Eating unpasteurized and raw foods such as meats is dangerous; therefore, raw food diet mainly includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains. Despite many different reasons behind vegetarians and vegans’ decisions to eliminate meat and animal-related products from their diet, the raw food diet’s main rules are based on studies stating that such a diet allows people to consume more nutrients than processed and cooked food. Sticking to raw food diet does not mean you only get to eat raw fruits and vegetables as such dietary restrictions include blending and dehydrating foods to prepare them for eating. Even though such a diet sounds very simple to follow, it can be a burden to your wallet as organic foods tend to cost more than regular groceries.
A change in your diet is an important decision to make; thus, it should not be made in a hurry. While for some people, vegetarianism, veganism, and raw food diet is a way to make a statement and contribute to the conservation of the planet themselves, others should only make such decisions after a thorough chat with their nutritionist or family practitioner.
Too long, didn’t read? The world suffers from human eating habits: impressive amounts of food are thrown away every year, and things we eat often harms our health. To help themselves and the planet, every year, more and more people become vegetarians, vegans, or choose to eat only raw food. By giving up meat, dairy products, fish, etc., their diet mainly consists of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains. At the same time, various food substitutes are used to maintain vital body functions and obtain all the necessary nutrients.