Want more people to eat plant-based foods? Make them the default. » Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

There are many vegetarian sources of protein, and Ilana Braverman wants to help more people enjoy them:

Braverman: “Tempeh, tofu, seitan, fava beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, … I could go on and on.” 

Braverman cofounded Greener by Default, a nonprofit that encourages hospitals and other institutions to offer plant-based proteins by default, instead of by special request.

Braverman: “All to help make plant-based the easy choice and normalize that option.”

For example, her group helped Sodexo, a food service provider, begin to offer two vegetarian chef’s specials daily at 11 New York City hospitals.

Braverman: “Both of those specials were offered to the patients. If they said no to both of those options, then they were offered a different choice.”

The nonprofit helped rename the dishes to highlight their flavors. And the chef led tastings for hospital staff so they could give genuine recommendations.

Braverman: “And this resulted in about 50% of patients eating those plant-based meals.”

Eating more plant-rich foods is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.

And it helps the climate because growing vegetables causes less carbon pollution than producing meat products.

So making vegetarian meals the default menu option can benefit the health of people and the climate.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media