The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, July 28, 2023:
The PLANT act was introduced in Congress to Ensure USDA Support of Plant-Based Diet, Potentially Saving Billions in Health Care Costs and FIghting Climate Change
Please click the following link to read the article in its entirety:
https://www.pcrm.org/news/news-releases/plant-act-introduced-congress-ensure-usda-support- plant-based-diet-potentially
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national nonprofit health advocacy group, applauds U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts for introducing the Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today (PLANT) Act, which would help ensure that U.S. Department of Agriculture programs support farmers and companies producing plant-based foods.
The PLANT Act, introduced on July 28, would establish the Office of Plant-Based Foods and Innovative Production at the USDA; increase USDA incentives for farmers producing ingredients in plant-based foods, such as pulses and mushrooms; create a new plant-based protein research program within the USDA; and create a Plant Protein Innovation Initiative to direct technical assistance and grants to businesses.
In addition to benefiting farmers, the PLANT Act will increase consumer choice for the many Americans that are already dedicated to a plant-based lifestyle and those interested in adding more plant-based foods to their diet.
“Helping farmers to provide Americans more protein from beans and other plant sources instead of animal products could save countless lives from heart disease and other diet-related conditions,” says Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “I applaud Rep. Jim McGovern for introducing the PLANT Act and encourage any legislator who wants to help save lives and improve the livelihood of farmers to co-sponsor this bill.”
Research shows the health benefits of replacing animal protein with plant protein for conditions including heart disease and cancer, which cost the nation billions each year. A study published in 2020 found that replacing red meat with plant proteins such as beans, nuts, or soy may be associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Another recent study found that eating plant-based protein from sources such as bread, cereal, and pasta instead of animal protein reduced the risk of death from heart disease by up to 12%. Other research has shown that plant-based protein also reduces risk of early death from any cause.
Federal promotion of plant-based diets would also benefit the environment. A recent study found that, compared to a meat-based diet, a vegan diet resulted in 75% less greenhouse gas emissions, 75% less land use, 66% less biodiversity loss, and 54% less water use.
Research also shows that swapping beef for beans could help the United States reach targeted greenhouse gas emission reductions. Researchers compared simulated net emissions of legume production, subtracted those from average beef production rates, and used U.S. reduction goals for 2020 as a reference. Based on the results, legume substitution could account for 46-74% of the required reductions.
2. VegNews Magazine: July 31, 2023: (Please see the article in its entirety by clicking on the link below)
https://vegnews.com/2023/7/1400-mayors-plant-based-food
1,400 US Mayors Joined NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams in Promoting Plant Based Food
At the recent 91st annual Conference of Mayors, elected officials representing 1,400 US cities embraced a resolution to emulate NYC’s model of plant-based initiatives, with the aim of enhancing both human health and environmental sustainability in their respective regions.
Research continues to show that adopting a plan-based lifestyle can help people and the planet live longer, while improving their quality of life by slashing risks of common illnesses.
A plant-based diet is also beneficial to planetary longevity, a comprehensive Oxford University study found (published July 2023).
The study found that compared to meat-heavy diets, the plant-based diet slashes greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, land usage and water pollution by 75%.
“With NYC at the frontline of plant-based promotion in our schools, hospitals and agencies, we aim to lead by example and start conversations that lead to action on how other mayors and cities can apply our best practices and lessons learned to their communities,” Mayor Adams said.
The US Conference of Mayors, the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 people or more, represents these 1,400 cities. Each city’s mayor represents it at the conference. This organization has been instrumental in leading important social and policy changes.
A big issue this year was chronic diseases, with statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicating that 60% of US adults suffer from a chronic disease and 40% have 2 or more such conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
The healthcare expenses primarily driven by the management of these lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for a substantial chunk of the $4.1 trillion annual healthcare spending.
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has lauded this collective decision of the US Conference of Mayors to adopt the resolution as it aligns with ACLM’s own dietary position statement that advocates for predominantly plant-based diets, consisting of minimally processed foods, for the treatment, reversal, and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.
“The resolution also is in alignment with our position on the interface of human and planetary health, which acknowledges that the leading cause of chronic disease and the leading cause of so many of our most pressing global sustainability issues is one and the same: our Western dietary pattern,” ACLM President DR Beth Fates, stated to VegNews.