Every day more and more people concerned about the future of humanity decide to include sustainable alternatives to generate change from their individual actions. Such is the case with the transition from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet. 

Today, more than 4 billion people live primarily on plant-based diets. This figure is increasing considering that in some places the limited conditions for harvesting, the lack of water and energy sources is what has led them to this type of diet.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), we refer to sustainability in the diet when:

• Its production has a low environmental impact
• Ecosystems and biodiversity are respected 
• It is accessible to the majority
• It is socioculturally acceptable
• It optimizes the performance of both natural and human resources
• And, contributes to the nutrition and health of current and future generations. 

Plant-based diets fulfill all these conditions, which is why they are positioned as one of the most accessible and friendly alternatives for those who seek to generate a change from the actions they can afford themselves from the conditions of their lifestyle.

In both meat-based and plant-based diets, a constant average of 3533kcal per person is consumed per day (according to a Cornell University study). 

However, meat-based diets require a much higher percentage of energy, land, and water to produce than a plant-based diet. 

The latters are much more sustainable than the average daily diet in America and could make a global difference in the long term if more and more people integrate them into their daily lives, achieving a sociocultural change in the traditional ways of consuming food.

This change in the sociocultural paradigm does not seem very distant considering the awareness of the environmental situation, the concern of each individual for their loved ones integrity and their own, and the reception of the environmentalist ideology as socially correct. 

Every day there are more people who decide to modify their diet either by the individual choice to take care of their health or with the intention of generating a change bigger than themselves. 

Just as there are more and more plant-based alternatives available in supermarkets; products like ASANTÉ encourage people to eat a sustainable diet and due to its practicality it adjusts to even the busiest lifestyles while preserving and evolving the traditions of Mexican cuisine.

Sources:

• Sciencedirect.com, 2022. 
• FAO, 2022. 
• Academic OUP, 2022.