After all, it's better for the planet

[Cybergreen]

I've wanted to go vegan for a long time and it's good for the planet, but... I'm not sure it's good for my body.I can help the planet in many ways: buy an electric car, put solar panels like this... It wouldn't do me any harm. But wouldn't it hurt me to have no animal products in my diet...?

[Paplo]

It is good for your body as long as you pay attention to certain nutrient levels that you can't get as easily from only plant-based, such as iron and some B vitamins. Transition gradually if you're going to do it, and have a nutritionist, dietitian, or doctor on your side regularly while you do it to monitor your health through some bloodwork. Going vegan isn't something most of us can just switch over to without knowing a lot of things. There's a learning curve and you do need to be more mindful about what you're eating to be sure you're getting the basic nutrition you need. Meat does come with a lot of nutrients, so it makes it easy to not think about them if you eat it. If you don't eat it, just be aware that you need to keep on top of that. It'll get easier over time as it becomes a habit, but at first, it does take some effort.
Also, about the environmental impact, going vegan is definitely better, but only if you get most of your foods from local - or as close to local as possible - sources. Eating mostly foods that have been grown/produced/prepared far away means that your carbon footprint skyrockets due to the shipping. Eating a small portion of local organic, pasture-raised chicken, pork or beef is more environmentally friendly than eating processed food grown in South America, processed in Asia, and shipped to the US. Or grown tropically and shipped to a northern state. Cargo ships, trucks and some trains add massive pollution. If your concern is primarily for the environment, transition slowly and as you shrink your meat consumption, focus on locally raised and pasture raised - or at the very least not industrial farm raised. Find out if there are small farms in your area. There is a massive difference. Then at least you know as you're transitioning to plant-based, you're still shrinking your environmental impact. Even though that meat is more expensive, since your portion is smaller, you won't be paying more for what's on each plate. I hope this helps!

[tara]

Is it really better for the planet? I think it depends on what specifically you replace your meat with. If you're choosing plastic bottles of supplements and lots of food shipped from the other side of the world, a locally raised chicken from a free-range farm sounds greener to me. I think there's more to going green than going plant-based. It's a step, done right, but it's not automatic, I don't think.

[treehuggertodd]

Is it really better for the planet? I think it depends on what specifically you replace your meat with. If you're choosing plastic bottles of supplements and lots of food shipped from the other side of the world, a locally raised chicken from a free-range farm sounds greener to me. I think there's more to going green than going plant-based. It's a step, done right, but it's not automatic, I don't think.

I agree about your packaging about supplements but you can say that about everything. If all you get is local lettuce but it's in plastic clamshells or bags, you've still got waste. You need to look at all the elements, not just the food itself. A lot of meat is sold with a lot of packaging too, local or not.