What are Plant-based Diets and Plant-based Proteins? 

What Are Plant-based Foods? 

Plant-based foods are foods sourced from plants, such as grains, vegetables, fruits, and plant-based proteins like beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy foods. They contain no animal products and could also be called “vegan.”  

What Are Plant-forward or Plant-rich Meals? 

Plant-forward meals are meals that center on and feature plant-based proteins or other plant-based foods while still containing some animal products. Examples include bean and turkey chili, mushroom-beef burgers, or a tofu and chicken curry.  

What is a Plant-based or Plant-rich Diet? 

A plant-based or vegan diet consists entirely of plant-based foods. A vegetarian diet consists of plant-based foods and animal products like cheese, eggs, milk, and butter, but excludes meat. A plant-rich or plant-forward diet emphasizes plant-based foods but still includes some animal products.  

What Are Some Common Plant-based Protein Sources? 

• Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh and edamame 
• Tofu: ~20-40 grams of protein per cup 
• Tempeh: ~33 grams per cup 
• Edamame: ~18 grams per cup   
• Hemp seeds: ~6 grams per 3 tablespoons 
• Chia seeds: ~5 grams per 2 tablespoons 
• Quinoa: ~8 grams per 1 cup 
• Buckwheat: ~19 grams per 1 cup 
• Nutritional yeast: ~6 grams per 2 tablespoons 
• Seitan (wheat gluten-based): ~ 18 grams per 1 cup 
• Lentils: ~18 grams per 1 cup cooked lentils 
• Legumes, such as garbanzo, kidney, black, pinto, or cannellini beans: Most types provide ~15 grams per 1 cup of cooked beans 
• Nuts: For example, whole almonds provide ~30 grams per cup 
• Nut butters: between 4-8 grams per 2 tablespoons 
• Spirulina: ~3-6 grams per 2 tablespoons 
• Spinach: ~5 grams per 1 cup cooked 
• Broccoli: ~3 grams per 1 cup cooked 
• Asparagus: ~4 grams per 1 cup cooked 

What Are the Options if I Still Want to Eat Animal Protein? 

If you consume animal proteins, choose USDA-certified organic, pasture-raised animal products without antibiotics or hormones, verified by a third-party certification. This means the animals are raised outdoors on a range or pasture, consume grass or organic feed and are not given growth hormones or routine antibiotics. Grass-fed beef has a better ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fats, more antioxidants, and, since grass-fed beef is produced without GMO crops, it will likely have lower levels of pesticide residues than factory-farmed meat. These products also generally require less water and fewer pesticides and fertilizers. Well-managed animals can contribute to healthy soil and pest and weed control. In addition, when looking for animal products, look for local and regional farms and businesses.  

What Are the Benefits of Eating and Prioritizing Plant-based Proteins?

Reduced risk of diet-related diseases 

Plant-based diets, particularly those featuring whole foods, are associated with a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer, as well as a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Shifting toward plant-forward diets could also save our nation billions of dollars in healthcare costs.  Reduced meat consumption also reduces exposure to the toxic chemicals found in animal products. The vast majority of meat and dairy in the U.S. is produced in factory farms, which typically rely on pesticides, routine antibiotics, and growth hormones. 

Animal products are also the number one source of saturated fat in Americans’ diets. Meats high in saturated fats include:  

• ground beef  
• fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb 
• processed meats, including bologna, salami, sausages, hot dogs, bacon 
• some poultry 

Overconsumption of these products can raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Processed meats have also been identified as “carcinogens” or substances that could cause cancer by the World Health Organization. Specifically, they are linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer.  

Reduced environmental impacts 

Animal agriculture is a major source of emissions worldwide. Globally, the livestock industry is estimated to be responsible for between 12-19% of all human-caused greenhouse gases. And a recent report from Friends of the Earth U.S. and partners estimated that 45 major meat and dairy corporations generated more than a billion tons in greenhouse gas emissions – more than the entire country of Saudi Arabia. A global shift towards plant-forward diets, and away from factory-farmed meat and dairy products, would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Reduced water footprint  

Animal products require large amounts of water to produce. For example, 1,500–2,000 gallons of water are used to produce a single pound of beef. This means an eight-ounce steak would require eight showers’ worth of water to produce. On the other hand, foods including beans, lentils, soy, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables have significantly lower carbon and water footprints. Changing global food production methods and prioritizing plant-based and plant-rich diets featuring these foods would significantly reduce water use.  

Reduced climate footprint 

Research has shown that even if we reduce our emissions in other areas, we cannot effectively mitigate climate change without addressing the animal agriculture industry, specifically reducing  consumption of factory-farmed meats and dairy products in high-meat-consuming countries like the United States. Animal products are the most resource-intensive and climate-polluting foods in our food system.  

Reduced land conversion and biodiversity loss 

Approximately 100 billion animals are killed for meat and other animal products every year. As you can imagine, raising this many animals requires substantial amounts of water and land.  

To produce this meat, we also have to grow the feed for the animals. This requires land, pesticides, water, fertilizer, and other inputs. Overall, livestock production is estimated to use about 75% of Earth’s agricultural land. Converting land and prairies to agricultural land to grow animal feed also destroys critical habitats, harms wildlife, and reduces biodiversity.  

The use of pesticides for growing animal feed has also contributed to an alarming decline in bees and butterflies. For instance, glyphosate, a key ingredient in some weed killers, is a potent herbicide that has decimated milkweed, the only food monarch butterfly offspring will eat. 

More plant-based and plant-forward diets can help shift the world away from these production methods and, combined with education, outreach and advocacy, could help expand sustainable food production systems.   

What Can I Do? 

• Incorporate plant-based proteins and plant-forward meals into your diet.  
• Support organic, regenerative, and local farms whenever possible. 
• If you eat meat, choose healthier and more sustainably produced meat and dairy options, such as third-party-certified grass-fed, organic, and higher welfare options.  
• Ask restaurants to offer more plant-based options.  
• Ask local schools to prioritize plant-based meals and organic foods in the cafeteria. Organic foods are grown without synthetic fertilizers, toxic pesticides, synthetic food additives and synthetic growth hormones.  
• Learn more about food production and distribution systems.  
• Share about the benefits of plant-based proteins and a plant-rich diet.  

How is Friends of the Earth Addressing This?

Friends of the Earth focuses on creating structural changes in our food system through policy change, corporate campaigns, and research and education. Our goal is to achieve three fundamental shifts in our food system: from toxic and chemically intensive to healthy and ecologically regenerative; from corporate-controlled to democratically governed; and from a system that embodies the deepest inequities in our society to one that advances justice and fulfills the needs of all eaters now and in the future. 

This specifically includes work to stop the international financing of  factory farming, leveraging school food and other public food purchasing to drive shifts towards plant-forward, sustainable food, advancing organic food production, and more.    

You can learn more about our work on food here.