Culinary Institute: Plants are the Future of Protein

Plant protein is the future, says the Culinary Institute

New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America has called on chefs to focus less on meat and more on plant-based protein sources.

The school says “urgent public health and environmental reasons for a shift away from an emphasis on red meat and toward more plant-based foods, including plant proteins” are noted in its evidence-based The Protein Flip and Protein Plays, part of the Menus of Change initiative launched along with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

But the institute doesn’t stop there, stating that Protein Plays, which offers chefs ways to make these changes, “also debunks nearly a dozen common myths about animal-based protein, ranging from the arguments used to promote a meat-centered Paleo diet to concerns about insufficient consumption of dairy.”

The reports warn that Americans are eating three times more meat than the global average, with animal sources making up 85 percent of the protein consumed, with health and environmental risks.

There’s plenty of good news to go around. Demand for meatless meals is growing, and many eateries serve them. The market for veggie meats is expected to rise to $5.17 billion by 2020.

And with Americans now spending more on dining out than eating at home, the school says chefs should present them with plant proteins, and “adopt next-generation approaches that simultaneously embrace and integrate indulgence, deliciousness, health and sustainability.”

And while the report notes that if demand for animal products continues at its current rate, it could increase 70 percent by 2050, which is unsustainable with a soaring human population to feed, a recent study found that a global shift toward a vegan diet has the power to save more than eight million lives and cut livestock greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent – by that same year.

So, which future do we want?

There are so many reasons to leave animal products off our plates. We can benefit our health, save animals and protect the planet each time we sit down to eat.

Join the future of food: visit TryVeg.com to get started today.