AN ETHICAL REMINDER
It is October and in Italy this month is dedicated to prevention.
The World Cancer Research Fund urges people to introduce plant-based foods into their diet and to limit consumption of red and preserved meats and processed foods in general (often high in sugar, fat and salt) to prevent cancer diseases.
Diets based mainly on the consumption of plant-based foods are studied for their benefits not only on health but also on the environment.
For years, I too have been trying in my own small way to contribute to a greater cause such as the environment, but I would like to point out that it is not important to lead a perfectly ecological and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, but what is important is to make a difference in the small things, and that millions and millions of people can understand that in their small daily gestures lie the key to a better and safer future, for ourselves and for the environment around us.
One of the main solutions that everyone can try to adopt in their daily lives is to reduce meat consumption. This would be a more sustainable choice first and foremost for our physical wellbeing: science has in fact amply demonstrated that a high and frequent consumption of meat (both red and white) increases the possibility of developing certain forms of cancer, raising cholesterol, contracting type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, hypertension and other diseases. This also applies to packaged products.
Reducing meat consumption can also contribute greatly to the environmental impact by decreasing demand for large industries that exploit intensive livestock farming, one of the main causes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere. In addition, huge amounts of food and water are used to feed the large number of livestock that occupy the farms (think that a single hamburger requires the equivalent of three months' worth of water we use for showers). The animals are fed maize, wheat and soya, which are also intensively cultivated and with the use of large quantities of pesticides, which can remain in the meat of the animals and also create serious health risks for humans. When animals are given too many antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria can develop and remain on raw meat and be transmitted to humans, through handling raw meat (e.g. in washing and preparation) or eating undercooked meat.
The secret to a healthy and balanced diet lies, above all, in the quantities (and in the quality): to reduce the risk of falling ill, it is not necessary to eliminate foods of animal origin altogether, but it is certainly useful to limit their consumption, and increase the intake of fruit, vegetables and legumes. Or, if you want to continue consuming meat, you should opt for the best quality you can find.
It is true that vegetarian and vegan people take away a large part of what ordinary people eat every day, but it is also true that they add so much more, especially those foods that ordinary people do not eat or eat very rarely (vegetable milks and yoghurts, more cereals, more vegetables, more fruit, more nuts...).
You will say, 'what about protein, what about iron? ". Meat as the only source of protein is a myth that has long since been dispelled, as you will see that it is completely replaceable by foods that we can find in nature. All the amino acids (including, of course, those necessary for us humans) that are 'packed' within animal foods actually come from plants, so it is much more convenient to go straight to the source. By doing so, we are including all food groups and meeting the necessary protein requirements. In contrast, an excess with animal protein can be a problem: we think of animals as machines that concentrate nutrients already present from plants. In this process, animals remove fibre from the food they ingest, add saturated fat and cholesterol, and add the pollutants they have been exposed to all their lives.
Our body needs a daily dose of protein to keep us strong and to improve our immune system. Getting it from meat is easier of course (because we are used to it from our tradition) but it is wrong, because we have to learn to include more vegetable proteins in our diet, to help our body get well. This can also apply to animal by-products. For example, I have been replacing cow's milk (lactose-free as I am lactose intolerant) for a few years now with vegetable milk from almonds, oats and soya. Totally cholesterol-free, I also use them in cooking preparations. Plant milks may seem a 'somewhat forced' alternative to cow's milk, but it is also true that cow's milk, although a nutrient-rich food, is not an ESSENTIAL dietary component, and we can safely deprive ourselves of it without harming our bodies.
I am in no way trying to lecture you about completely eliminating animal products and their derivatives from your tables, mine is simply an invitation to be more conscious towards their consumption. I personally consider myself a 'reducetarian'. It's a strange word, but it describes the philosophy that I have adopted for years with regard to my diet: I have not eliminated meat, I just tend to consume it infrequently and if I do, I try to do so on occasions when it is of quality (moreover, since meat is not meant to be kept in the refrigerator, if I buy it out of necessity, I always prepare it within 24 hours of purchase).
The objective of reducetarianism is to reduce the consumption of animal products, without eliminating them altogether, by embarking on a path that does not lead to any radical choice or extremist stance, but to a change of habits that means first and foremost health for oneself and for the ecosystem. Moreover, becoming a reducetarian is much easier than going the vegetarian route, because it is not a total exclusion, but it does involve a commitment, especially in the early days: you start by trying a little at a time and not all at once, finding your own balance. My advice? Don't look with envy at someone eating something you are trying to deprive yourself of, remember that eating healthy and nutritious snacks or meals is just as satisfying if not more so. The really important thing is not to deprive yourself of small pleasures, as you are eating healthy practically all the time, why deprive yourself of micro-indulgences such as homemade biscuits, a slice of cake. Occasionally these little things can nourish the heart and soul.
This is not a diet but an ethical, moral and sustainable choice, which also results in daily behaviour: in fact, 'reducing' does not only mean 'consuming' less, but also spending less, in the purchase of an expensive food such as meat, and, consequently, this action also leads to the discarding of less packaging and, therefore, to limiting the use of plastic and packaging. It is therefore good to remember that eating sustainably does not only mean favouring the consumption of plant foods, but also reducing food waste.
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