Plant-based diets: are they really natural?

Translated by Jennifer Di Giacomo

Lately, it has been said that a plant-based diet, as vegetarian, vegan, or otherwise based mainly on foods of plant origin, is recommended because it is healthier and more ethical, respectful of the environment and nature.

In general, this is true, but it is not always easy to distinguish between truly natural products and those that are not, perhaps realized in attractive green packaging to make them appear environmentally friendly, but in reality, based solely on greenwashing.

We have already discussed greenwashing and how widespread it is, a subtle mechanism that deceives consumers and leads them to buy certain foods under the pretext of environmental respect and love for animals. Many people fall into the trap of greenwashing, and now with the boom in plant-based products, it is easy to read labels with wording that evokes nature and green packaging and convince ourselves that these foods are healthy.

Experts warn against all fake natural products and tell us that "supermarket shelves and refrigerated counters are teeming with fake meat and fake eggs. Instead, they contain mixtures of vegetables and other substances that, after various industrial processes, become fake hamburgers, fake meatballs, fake cutlets, fake omelettes, and so on. In terms of taste and shape, they resemble the original animal products, but they are all made from ultra-processed ingredients."

We all know that overly processed foods cause damage to the body and that they are also made with chemical ingredients that can be really dangerous in the long run.

There are plant-based foods that are truly natural and respectful of nature, the best and safest from a nutritional point of view, and products that claim to be plant-based, but are actually nothing more than a concentrate of polluting and dangerous chemicals that harm nature instead of helping it. Reading labels carefully is only the first step in exposing fake plant-based products. We cannot buy fake plant-based food only to discover that it is nothing more than a concentrate of dangerous and polluting chemicals.

These are products that deceive consumers and exploit their good faith. People think they are buying healthy, environmentally friendly food, but instead they end up with food that is often ultra-processed and full of substances such as colorants, thickeners, and more.

Today, many people choose a plant-based diet because “awareness of the impact that food choices have on the world and on the quality of life of living beings has increased, to the point that it has become the first and most important reason for deciding to embrace a vegan or plant-based lifestyle.” False plant-based products undermine the climate of trust and love for the environment that has been created over the years between more conscious consumers and reputable companies that truly produce and market foods made with natural ingredients.

Then there is the great confusion between vegan and plant-based diets. They are not the same thing, but too often people tend to confuse them, further increasing the chaos.

The debate between veganism and plant-based diets rages on, and there is often confusion with veganism, but we must be careful because a predominantly plant-based diet does not mean vegan. You can very well be omnivorous while following an omnivorous diet; you can eat meat and at the same time have a predominantly plant-based diet. You can eat meat once a week and then follow a plant-based diet, while vegans totally reject foods of animal origin. It seems like a minor difference, but it is not at all.

Vegans completely refuse to eat animal products, while those who follow a plant-based diet also eat vegetables, but still eat a little bit of everything, including meat and fish.

Following a diet based mainly on plant-based foods is a good way to help the environment and nature, but to be sure you are really buying plant-based products from reputable companies, the first thing to do is to read the label carefully and then find out online and offline about the credibility of the company.

In conclusion, yes to plant-based foods, but only if they are reputable and certified. This is the only way we can protect ourselves from scams.

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