A plant-based diet is the most compatible diet with a Net Zero world. Only diet can sustain  a world population that could grow to 10 billion people in the future. In a plant-based diet, plants make up to at least two thirds of your diet and meat only makes up to one third. Plants do not only mean fruit and vegetables. It also includes nuts, rice, olives, legumes, beans and grains. There are different types of plant-based diets: vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian and Mediterranean diets, so it is possible to have a varied diet when it is plant-based. If you are not motivated to adopt a plant-based diet for only eco-friendly reasons, there are many reasons how it can improve your life with its impact on your health and your finances.

Plant based diets are great for preventing diseases

Harvard Medical School recommend plant-based diets because they are the best diet for preventing diseases. These diseases are wide-ranging, from diabetes, cancer, stroke to auto-immune diseases. Plant-based diets lower blood cholesterol that causes heart diseases and stroke. Since it improves heart health, it reduces the chance of getting cardiovascular disease and dying from these diseases. Plant-based diets lower the chance of getting type 2 diabetes and you are more likely to have good control over blood sugar than those with a meat-rich diet. There is plenty of evidence that it is effective in managing high blood pressure and improves brain health as well. There is less cognitive impairment and dementia amongst people who eat more plants. Those who eat a plant-based diet are less likely to get cancer, such as breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. It is estimated to reduce your chance of getting these diseases between 25-34%.

Plant based diets are good for keeping you looking younger and weight loss

Research has shown it is much easier to manage your weight with a plant-based diet. Those who eat a plant-based diet have a lower body mass index (BMI), smaller waists and lower blood sugar. This is the case even with people eating the same number of calories as those on a meat-rich diet. Plant-based diets slow down the process of ageing and improves your skin. This is because there are more collagen boosting nutrients in these diets and they reduce inflammation of the skin. Even being on a vegan diet for just several weeks can reduce your biological age. These diets are richer in antioxidants, which come from vitamins A, C and E and this helps with skin repair. Plant food contains 64 time more oxidants than animal products.

Plant based diets will save you money

A plant-based diet can save up to £560 per person per year according to research by Oxford University. This is because meat is usually more expensive than plants. The amount you save will depend on the type of plant-based diet you adopt. A vegan diet will save you £560 a year on average, whilst a vegetarian diet will save around £500 a year. The only exception is a pescatarian diet, a diets of vegetables and fish that excludes all other meat, and this is slightly more expensive than the average diet. It is also important to remember that to reduce your carbon footprint, food does not need to be organic to be eco-friendly. It will have no impact on climate change, so it is not necessary to think about it when you are food shopping.