21-Day Plant Forward Challenge
Northwestern Dining is launching a 21-day Plant Forward Challenge to encourage students and others to choose more plant-based meals. What does it mean to eat a plant-based diet? It means no meat, fish, poultry or animal by-products (milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt). It also means enjoying lots of vegetables and fruits, grains, legumes and nuts and seeds, and choosing calcium-rich foods that are no dairy such as soy or rice milk. Participating in the Plant Forward Challenge will benefit your health, the planet’s health and the welfare of animals and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Benefits of Eating a Plant-Forward Diet?
- Good for your health: plant-based diets promote good health because they:
o Are often higher in fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and C and folate, and are more cost-effective than Western diets because of the plant-based focus.
o May promote more effective weight management and may help reduce the risk of heart-related diseases and type 2 diabetes
o May offer protection against certain types of cancers (breast, prostate, colon)
- Good for the planet: By removing animal meat from your diet you can:
o Reduce CO2 eq emitted into atmosphere.
o Reduce methane gas: Beef and pork are the largest sources of methane (a gas that is 23 times worse than C02) in the U.S. and may be the leading cause of rainforest deforestation, antibiotic resistance, freshwater use and pollution.
o Reduce your carbon footprint: It takes 13 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef protein
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