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Anthony Phelps/Stuff
James Wilson’s journey to better health led him to take up a vegan diet – which proved good for the environment too.
Climate Karanga Marlborough member James Wilson shares his journey to a plant-based diet as part of Climate Action Week.
OPINION: Two pulmonary embolisms and a Kim Hill interview with Dr Caldwell Esselstyn convinced me, despite conventional medical wisdom, to follow a plant-based whole-food diet regime.
This all happened 12 years ago when I chose to avoid taking blood thinners and other medications.
Despite the constant querying from ‘non-believers’, my confidence in maintaining the diet continues to grow. Not only do I maintain my good health into my eighth decade but I now know that there is a trifecta, of good health, of environmental care and of animal cruelty, to support my beliefs.
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While good health was the reason for making the lifestyle change, I am now more aware of the enormous environmental damage caused by livestock farming and consumption in New Zealand and around the world.
Livestock farming has caused the clearing of vast areas of forest. The industry, when including fertiliser usage, transport, processing and shipping remains the country’s largest emitter of global warming gases.
CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
Journalist Steven Walton sits down with dietitian Lea Stening after spending the last month on a vegan diet.
If all environmental costs were sheeted back to the producers there would be no profit in livestock farming; the true value of milk and meat to New Zealand is negative and will continue to remain so.
As a retired farmer, I am also well aware of the cruelty meted out to farmed animals.
In my days as a farmer, I committed all the cruelty I can now see but was blind to it at the time.
Animals are no less sentient than humans and we denigrate them if we believe otherwise.
The trifecta remains, but with climate change an ever present threat, I implore everyone to join the beneficial trend and stop consuming meat and milk products.
This was commissioned for a commercial partnership. We have produced it independently, to the same standards applied to the rest of our journalism.
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