A must-read for all wannabe vegetarians

Washington: The argument over consuming less meaty and more plant-based foods has been in news for a long time. However, people still hesitate to gorge on "meat-free and vegetarian" diet pondering whether the taste would satiate the palate or not.

"The language for meat and beef in particular, just sounds so much more delicious," dietician Daniel Vennard was quoted as saying by US-based non-profit organisation NPR.org.

"People don't create positive associations with how it's going to taste and don't feel it's very indulgent," Vennard noted, while adding that labels such as "meat free," "vegan" and "vegetarian" are mostly not preferred by consumers.

NPR.org cited a study by the Better Buying Lab, in which Vennard has provided a solution to the above problem stating that less focus should be given on the meat-free or health aspects of plant-based foods, which tends to make consumers feel like they are missing out on something, while priortising the flavour of the food, so that it becomes more "appealing to the inner food critic within all of us."

The aim is not to turn everyone into a vegan or a vegetarian, whereby people would only prefer to intake plant-based foods, as red meat production includes a significant amount of water loss from the planet and indirectly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, Vennard added.

According to World Resource Institute (WRI), if an average person on Earth swapped out 30 per cent of the beef, lamb and goat meat with plant-based options, almost half of the greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced from agriculture by 2050.

"Which is pretty significant," Vennard said, "because we've learned that agriculture accounts for about 25 per cent of the world's global greenhouse gas emissions."

In view of the above health guidelines, France has introduced “French Paradox”, against the French diet, which includes regular indulgence in rich animal-based foods like foie gras and cheese, along with the consumption of alcohol, and dairy and sugar-laden desserts, Live Kindly reported.

As per the recommendations put forth in a report by French health authority Santé Publique France, the French people are being recommended to reduce consumption on meat and processed meat, as well as sugar and salt and increasing, and instead increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and more nuts.

“The recommendations have all been tested by several samples of people aged 18-64, as well as by nutritional and social experts, and are designed to appeal to individuals with even a minor interest in their health,” Connexion France noted.

The new recommendations emphasises more on consuming “more” fibre-rich foods and vegan proteins such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans at least twice a week.

The French guidelines came after Canada's update on nutritional recommendations advising similar options.