- [Narrator] Here are five reasons
Meghan Markle's flexitarianism matters.
- Five things I always have in my fridge,
hummus, carrots, 'cause I love them
and so does my dog, Bogart, strangely,
a green juice, almond milk for sure
and chia seed pudding which I made every single week.
- [Narrator] The Duchess of Sussex is passionate
about environmentalism and animal welfare.
She doesn't follow a vegan lifestyle
but she doesn't eat much meat either.
This makes her a flexitarian, a term coined for those
who follow a mostly plant-based diet
but occasionally eat meat and dairy.
Markle told Best Health in 2016,
"I try to eat vegan during the week
"and then have a little bit more flexibility
"with what I dig into on the weekends,
"but at the same time it's all about balance."
Markle's attitude towards food is commonplace in the UK.
FoodNavigator reported in October 2019 that flexitarians
will make up half the British population by 2025.
It's expected that a quarter of Brits will be vegan
or vegetarian by then, too.
It's not just the UK, nearly 114 million Americans
pledged to eat more plant-based foods throughout 2019.
In Sweden, 30% of young people
are eating more plant-based foods.
In Denmark, 8% of Millennials
identify themselves as flexitarian.
In China, 39% of consumers
are actively reducing their meat consumption.
So, could you join them and go flexitarian
or maybe even vegan?
Here are the five reasons
why Markle's flexitarianism is important.
Number one, she has got people talking
about the vegan lifestyle.
By talking about vegan food and her flexitarian lifestyle,
Markle has helped bring the vegan movement
into the mainstream.
She's not alone, stars like Beyonce
also regularly talk about flexitarianism.
Starpower draws attention to the lifestyle.
It makes it look desirable
and ultimately makes eating plants popular.
Markle and Prince Harry's wedding helped put veganism
in the spotlight.
The bride wore a cruelty-free dress for her reception
made by vegan designer Stella McCartney.
The Royal couple's photographer Alexi Lubomirski
is an ethical vegan,
and their wedding album even includes Vromage vegan cheese,
a favorite from Markle's days of living in Los Angeles.
Her affinity for the cheese stayed with her
after moving to England and she requested
that the business be included in the royal wedding album.
Markle is not the only member of the royal family
who follows a flexitarian lifestyle.
Prince Charles has regular meat-free days.
In 2017, he launched an initiative
to evolve the food system.
It aims to bring long-forgotten plant-based foods back
in a bid to help farmers move away
from unsustainable monocultures.
Princess Beatrice has adopted a plant-based diet.
According to The Mail on Sunday,
in celebration of her new lifestyle
she threw a vegan birthday party.
Lady Amelia Windsor, the 23-year-old granddaughter
of the Duke of Kent could also be considering
a plant-based diet.
She asked her Instagram followers for tips
on how to go vegan.
Number two, it's helping to save the planet.
Animal agriculture has devastating consequences
for the environment.
The United Nations said in 2018,
that tackling meat consumption
is the world's most urgent problem.
The meat industry is responsible for high levels
of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
The Amazon rain forest fires were caused by cattle ranchers.
They were clearing the land for beef production.
Increasing temperatures have also led
to the devastating bushfires in Australia.
By ditching meet during the week, Markle's helping
to reduce the demand for animal products.
She's not alone, people around the world
are reducing their meat intake for the planet.
It's a good place to start, but according to Joseph Poore,
the lead researcher of the biggest food production analysis
at Oxford University, the most environmentally friendly way
to eat is to follow a vegan diet.
Poore told the Guardian, "A vegan diet
"is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact
"on planet Earth, not just green house gases,
"but global acidification, eutrophication,
"land use and water use.
"It as far bigger than cutting down on your flights
"or buying an electric car," he said, "since these methods
"only cut greenhouse gas emissions."
He continued, "Agriculture is a sector that spans
"all the multitude of environmental problems.
"Really it is animal products
"that are responsible for so much of this."
- In the foreground is a beef farm,
in the background is the Amazon rainforest.
And if you look at this farm from satellite imagery,
what you see is it's just one of millions of farms in Brazil
carved out of what was pristine rainforest
only 10, 20, or 50 years ago.
- [Narrator] Markle and Prince Harry
are supportive of environmental causes.
They urge their social media followers
to support 17-year-old Swedish vegan
climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
- Many people, actually I should say
many adults dismissed her,
yet today millions upon millions of young people
have joined her fight.
- [Narrator] Youth climate activist organization
This is Zero Hour,
primatologist and environmentalist Doctor Jane Goodall,
climate change focused organization
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,
and wildlife conservation organization
Elephants Without Borders
were among the other Instagram accounts
Markle and Prince Harry encourage fans to follow
and learn more about.
"There's a ticking clock to protect our planet,"
they wrote on their Instagram page Sussex Royal.
Only now we are starting to notice and understand the damage
we've been causing, but nearly 7.7 billion people
inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint,
every action makes a difference.
Markle's father-in-law Prince Charles is very vocal
about environmental issues.
He's even tried to convince President Trump
that climate change exists.
Number three, flexitarianism is boosting
the vegan food market.
Plant-based food is no longer the niche category
that once took up barely any space in grocery stores.
More consumers are interested
in cutting back on animal products
for their health and the environment.
In fact, flexitarian demand is helping to boost
the vegan market in general.
According to vegan meat brand Beyond Meat,
93% of its customer base are meat-eaters.
In August 2019, research showed that meat-eaters
had consumed 216 million vegan burger so far in the year.
- That patty is 100% plant-based protein.
- [Together] No way.
- Like no meat?
- That's plant?
- [Narrator] Plant-based burgers allow consumers
to substitute without sacrifice.
They get the burger experience, while assuaging their need
for more protein and social concerns.
Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analysts
said in a statement, "The findings echo previous studies.
"According to Dining Alliance,
"the largest purchasing organization
"for restaurants in the U.S.,
"vegan meat sales increased 268% last year,
"primarily due to more realistic options
"from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods."
Supermarkets are seeing a similar trend.
Nielsen data shows that 98% of plant-based meat buyers
also buy meat.
"There is a seismic shift
"occurring in eating habits globally,
"creating a significant market opportunity.
"Most important, our research reveals
"that for most consumers, this has moved
"beyond experimentation into a permanent change
"brought on by health, lifestyle and social factors,"
said Greg Paul, marketing leader for the beverage industry
at DuPont Nutrition and Health.
Number four, it's better for your health.
Markle's lifestyle is better for your health
than eating a diet high in processed animal products.
The link between processed meat, like bacon and sausages,
and disease is well-documented.
An Oxford University study revealed
that eating three bacon strips a day
could increase cancer risk by 20%.
The study was conducted on behalf of Cancer Research UK.
Researchers analyzed half a million people's data
over the course of six years.
For every 10,000 people
eating 21 grams of processed meat a day,
for example, one slice of ham or strip of bacon,
40 developed bowel cancer.
For every 10,000 eating 76 grams a day,
48 were diagnosed with the disease.
Red meat is also detrimental to health.
One 2018 study analyzed the data
of more than a 120,000 people,
collected over the course of 26 years.
It found that those who ate the most inflammatory foods,
such as processed and red meats,
were 37% more likely to develop colon cancer.
They were also 70% more likely to develop rectal cancer.
high meat consumption can also increase the risk
of other health conditions,
including type two diabetes and heart disease.
The vegan diet, on the other hand,
has been shown to improve health.
A study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine
studied the eating habits of 77,000 adults,
finding that those who followed a plant-based diet
could lower their chance of developing rectal cancer by 29%.
Cancer Research UK advertises the benefits
of a meat-free diet on its website.
Eating lots of processed and red meat
can increase the risk of bowel cancer.
If you're eating lots, it's a good idea to try and cut down.
When you cut down on meat, there's more room on your plate
for high fiber foods like veg, whole grains and pulses
like lentils and beans, which are all high fiber foods
that reduce the risk of cancer.
Research published in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology
found that eating plant-based could protect people
against heart disease better than vitamin
and mineral supplements.
And Slovakian researchers believe a plant-based NFI diet
can reverse the symptoms of type two diabetes.
The diet does not emphasize calorie restriction,
but promotes eating whole plant-based foods
like beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
- She subscribed immediately,
one of the first people to enroll,
she followed the plans perfectly, was very very active,
never asked for a break,
because she really cared about health
and the way she wanted to improve.
After five months she lost over 35 kilo,
which is about 75 pound,
she reduced all the medication,
tablet medication completely.
- [Narrator] "The diet was developed over a few years.
"Looking at the interactions of chemicals within food
"and what effect they have on the body,"
David Hickman, one of the co-founders of the NFI diet,
told LiveKindly in an email, "From this, a diet was designed
"which when followed by patients placed them into remission.
"This is all types of type two diabetics
"and with varying stages of the disease."
Number five, it reduces animal cruelty.
Markle is against cruelty to animals.
Over the past few years, many reports have surfaced
claiming that Prince Harry has abstained from hunts,
because of the duchess's concerns about animal cruelty.
A Royal Insider told The Sun,
Megan is a keen animal rights campaigner
and doesn't like hunting in any form.
Like Markle, most people who eat meat
are against animal cruelty, but they don't realize
there's a link between the two.
99% of meat, dairy and eggs in the U.S.
come from factory farms.
Figures from the Sentience Institute show
that 70.4% of cows, 98.3% of pigs, 99.8% of turkeys,
98.2% of egg-laying hens and over 99.9% of chickens
raised for meat come from factory farms.
While there is limited data for fish,
the study notes that based on living conditions,
virtually all us farmed fish can be described
as coming from factory farms.
Factory farming is a cruel way to raise animals for food.
Animals are kept in close confinement
and may never get to go outside or see the sky.
All animals raised for food
face violence despite regulations.
It's a common practice to castrate piglets
and dock their tails just days after birth,
according to the USDA's Swine Industry Manual.
A Humane Society report revealed that cattle raised for beef
are often faced with castration
and dehorning without anesthesia.
Ultimately, if the demand for meat lowers,
fever animals will suffer in factory farms.
Flexitarianism is a step on the path to a kinder lifestyle.
It is helping to carve the way for food system
that is compassionate towards animals,
the planet and our health.
What do you think?
Are you trying at a flexitarian lifestyle
or are you thinking of going vegan?
Let us know in the comments below.
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