Choosing plant protein foods over animal proteins provides powerful health advantages and can have a significant effect on climate change (greenhouse gas emissions, water use and pollution, and land use and acidification). In this presentation, Registered Dietitian Vesanto Melina will answer many of your most pressing questions about protein from plants. Do vegans and vegetarians get enough protein? If we adopt a plant-based diet, must we carefully combine beans and grains? Can top athletes compete successfully when their diets include no animal products? Are plant-exclusive diets suitable for every stage of the life cycle? Can seniors avoid sarcopenia while eating only plants? What are the environmental impacts of going plant-based?
CPE Level: 2
CPEU: 1.0 (pending)
Performance Indicators:
Learning Objectives
- Compare the environmental impacts of various dietary choices in terms of their CO2 emissions, land use, water use, and water pollution.
- Compare risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and the hormone-related cancers for people whose diets are non-vegetarian and those whose diets are plant based.
- List key points in planning optimal protein intake for those on plant-based diets during pregnancy, childhood, and for athletes and seniors.
Speaker
Vesanto Melina MS, RD
Vesanto Melina, MS, Registered Dietitian has taught nutrition at Seattle’s Bastyr University, at the University of British Columbia and been a government consultant. She is lead author of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics last Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets. She is co-author of books that have won awards internationally, received star rating by the American Library Association as “the go-to books” on plant-based nutrition and are now in 10 languages. She is an internationally known speaker in 11 countries.