First Thing: What is Veganism? As claimed by The Vegan Society: “Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
It is important to say that one of the main reasons for the rise of veganism is the environmental issues we are facing and desperate to resolve before it is too late, researchers indicates the meat and dairy production is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). If we consider the scenario where we all went vegan, the world’s food-related emissions would drop 70% by 2050, according to a 2016 report on food and climate in the academic journal, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Adopting a vegan diet is easier and cheaper than most people might think, it includes fruits, seeds, beans, grains, vegetables, nuts and everything else that is not from an animal. With that in mind, you ensure yourself of all the possibilities you have to not be bored with your food. By the end of the article you will find some Instagram accounts and YouTube channels to get inspiration and motivation to cook your meals without any animal source ingredients.
Is it really more expensive than a non vegan diet?
Brazil is the second biggest meat exporters and we are facing a challenging scenario with China’s high demand and less cattle for slaughtering, caused by longer droughts which led to a delay in grazing ox production. Without the pasture, the ox does not obtain all the nutrients necessary for its development and the producer needs to invest in supplements to solve this problem, increasing the prices of meat.
We are also living in an economic crisis due to Brazil government’s bad decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the devaluation of our currency it gets more expensive and difficult for the population to buy meat and dairy products
Here are some tips if you want to adopt a cheap plant based diet:
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Buy local and more natural food
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Avoid industrialized and processed products
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Peel more and unpack less
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Cook at home
To help you with ideas to make your grocery’s list and go to the kitchen, here are some Instagram and YouTube videos:
It is not wrong to say that, in Brazil, to fight against hunger we must adopt plant based diets since only the rich can still consume animal sources food like before. To adopt a balanced vegan diet it is not necessary to resort to industrialized, fashionable or gourmet products, which are undoubtedly more expensive, but rather to seek nutrition in less processed, more accessible foods, already present in Brazilian food culture and important for anyone looking for a healthy diet.
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The article above was edited by Larissa Mariano.
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