Daily Times

The magnificent Himalayas offer truly picturesque and glorious pastures and graze lands, which are also a natural habitat to a variety of unique wildlife and ecosystem. This region has been supporting our agriculture system by providing grazing opportunities for the livestock.

Recently, the entire region’s ecosystem has come under threat due to overgrazing. The ever increasing human population, has led to a fierce increase in the demand for meat. Nomadic tribes seeking higher profits are grazing more and more animals to feed on young grass and plant samplings, leading to scarcity of food for other animals of the regions. Such as the region’s beautiful brown bear species which are nearing extinction, hardly find flowers and berries to feed on.

But this is not just limited to the beautiful Himalayas, as animal agriculture has become a worldwide concern. In fact, it is said to be the leading driver of human induced climate change, deforestation, water depletion, habitat loss, species extinction and world hunger.

The question has gone beyond animal ethics and welfare. Cattle produce CO2 and methane emissions as a by-product of their feed. Research shows that methane is 22 times more potent as a climate changing gas. Just one species such as “cows” produce 570 litres of methane per day. According to environmentalists, it is a “highly inefficient way of producing food”. Research shows that livestock produces more green house gas than all the direct emissions from transport sector.

Depleting earth’s resources are compelling us to live in harmony with nature. Such as, in the past the inhabitants of Thar region, the romantic desert of Sindh, had learnt to cope with limited vegetable harvest by preserving them in the form of papadums

It is clear that if we want human species to live and thrive on earth, we will have to find substitutes for meat, milk and eggs. Food chains recognize human food habits – FAAT – flavor, aroma, appearance and taste. That’s what the Impossible Whopper by Bugger King offered during its launch earlier this year in the US, with its meat alternate burger. Sharon Zarabi RD, director of the Bariatric Program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Healthline, says , “I wouldn’t define it as healthier, I would define it more as ethical,”. This definitely adds another perspective to what we eat.

A landmark research, “Water Footprint Usefulness as a Sustainability Indicator” by Pacific Institute and Energy Resource Group stated that meat and dairy have especially high product water footprints due to the amount of water-intensive feed required for raising the animals. To produce one quarter pounder burger requires 660 gallons of water (2498 liters).

In some cultures, opting for vegetarian based diet seems to fall under the religious sphere. The distorted discrepancy still prevails as an obstacle for a sustainable trophic lifestyle, despite the overwhelming scientific proof advocating plant based nutrition as healthier option for humans. Animal protein takes longer to digest and is associated with heart disease as well as high cholesterol. Vedic science promotes food that is light on the body and meat carries the qualities of feeling heaviness, exhaustion and sluggish. Grilled meat creates carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and eating BBQ meals can contribute to colon cancer. HCAs also increases C-reactive proteins which leads to heart disease.

The goal has shifted from an individual’s dietary choice to a more philosophical perspective on earth’s resources. It’s about responsible eating as a mitigation strategy . Dia Lama points out very well, “the future of humanity very much depends on our planet, and that the future of the planet very much depends on humanity”.

Depleting earth’s resources are compelling us to live in harmony with nature. Such as, in the past the inhabitants of Thar region, the romantic desert of Sindh, had learnt to cope with limited vegetable harvest by preserving them in the form of papadums. Now packaged potato chips and other non-nutritional foods have replaced traditional healthy papadums and posing as not only a health disaster but an environmental one as well.

Some companies have juxtaposed eco-unfriendly meat options with nature friendly food. “Beyond Meat”, a US company, have started producing pea based alternatives. Although such products are not available in every corner of the globe, it is certainly cultivating research and knowledge on processing and cooking vegetables and herbs in different ways to give it meaty flavor and texture for the new age yogis.

The grim reality of our fragile ecosystem demands that we opt for animal free diet as frequently as possible. Ultimately the demand for meat will fall which will positively contribute to world hunger and climate change.

The writer is a Wellness & Yoga Expert