A plant-based diet opens up new flavours and restores harmony with the world around us. Settimana Veg is the opportunity to put yourself to the test and discover the benefits of reducing meat consumption.
From 18 to 24 May, Settimana Veg gets underway — the event by Essere Animali that promotes a diet that is kind to animals, health and the environment. Now in its fifth edition, it attracts more participants every year: thousands of people curious to try, for at least seven days, a cuisine free of animal-derived products, which is proving ever more surprising and tasty.
To take part, all you need to do is visit the event's dedicated website. Once registered, each participant will receive a recipe guide with simple yet appealing recipes created especially by Elefante Veg, as well as a wealth of information — first and foremost the advice of nutritionist Dr Silvia Goggi — to help them get the most out of the weekly programme. It is an initiative that brings people closer to vegan eating in a spirit of simplicity, curiosity and fun, a lifestyle that many still regard as difficult to sustain.
In recent times, more and more people have discovered a new sensitivity towards the question of animals. This is largely thanks to organisations such as Essere Animali, which have been working in this direction for years and have carried out numerous investigations aimed at documenting the real conditions of animals raised for food. These images have also been brought to television by several programmes that have for some time been dedicating considerable space to issues relating to animals and the environment — subjects that are now very much current and demand ever more frequent discussion.
Leggi anche: Per salvare il Pianeta dobbiamo mangiare tutti meno carne
Yet the cruel conditions in which animals live are not the only reason for this new consumer awareness. An important role has also been played by the statements of the most authoritative organisations in the field of health and nutrition, which are increasingly in favour of a predominantly plant-based diet, as well as, no less significantly, the data on the environmental impact of livestock farming — and therefore of meat and animal product production — on the environment and the planet.
In recent decades, the consumption of meat and animal products has grown exponentially, and with it the health risks have increased — among them the average rates of heart attacks, circulatory problems, cancer, diabetes and obesity. The WHO too has linked the risk of cancer to the consumption of red meat, particularly processed meats, and leading nutritionists recommend a diet based on fruit, vegetables, pulses and cereals. As for the environmental impact, it is by now well known that livestock farming is one of the main causes of global pollution.
Leggi anche: L'impatto invisibile di quello che mangiamo
The meat industry alone produces 18 per cent of emissions — more than the entire transport sector — and together with milk and egg production it is considered the planet's leading source of CO2. Meanwhile, cattle farming, which makes Italy one of the world's top importing countries, is the reason behind 90 per cent of deforestation in the Amazon. When it comes to the waste of water resources, meat carries a staggering price tag: 15,000 litres of water to produce just one kilogram.
A plant-based diet, in a comparison that is striking, has an environmental impact roughly sixteen times lower than one that includes animal products. Changing the way we eat is a necessity, first and foremost for ourselves and the planet we live on, as well as a duty towards other animal species.
Each of us is responsible for our own actions, and every small, individual daily revolution, added to those of others, can produce great results.
With a vegan diet, you give up nothing — quite the opposite. You discover new flavours and tastes that will be hard to let go of. Above all, you have the chance to eat healthily, with a significantly lower environmental impact, and — not least — to save the lives of thousands, billions of animals still today confined in farms and destined for human consumption.
Settimana Veg is the right opportunity to rediscover and find a new harmony — with ourselves and the world around us — to put ourselves to the test and discover a new way of relating to food. All that remains is to accept the challenge, sign up on the website, share the experience with friends, and uncover the countless benefits that an exclusively plant-based diet has to offer.