NHS Scotland, Go Vegan to Save Lives and the Planet!
Amid the global health crisis and climate catastrophe, a group of medical doctors including Scottish GPs, nutritionists, and plant-based health professionals have signed an open letter to NHS Scotland urging it to make the switch to vegan catering in hospitals to improve patient health and recovery, reduce costs, prevent animal suffering, and meet its commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions.
Meat, egg, and dairy consumers suffer higher rates of early death, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.
It’s Not a Cliché: Hospital Food Is Gross – and Unhealthy
It is a dereliction of duty that meals offered in hospitals are often far from healthy and can even include red and processed meats, which are known to be carcinogenic.
It’s equivalent to distributing cigarettes in the pulmonary care unit.
Obesity rates in Scotland are among the highest in the world, yet hospitals continue to serve animal-derived foods laden with saturated fat. This is placing its population at increased risk of developing severe illnesses or dying as a result of COVID-19.
The NHS could save more than £30 billion per year if all meals served in the UK were vegan.
Replacing meat, eggs, and dairy with vibrant vegan foods is vital if we are to protect the health of Scottish people and the planet.
Meat = Heat
It doesn’t stop with our bodies. The harmful effects of eating animals spreads beyond us into our land and water and the air we breathe.
As animal agriculture drives deforestation, ocean acidification, water pollution, and biodiversity loss, the National Food Strategy and the Climate Change Committee have called for a significant reduction in the amount of meat served in the public sector.
According to the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for 14% to 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than all forms of transportation combined. While it takes about 1,790 litres of water to grow 1 kilogram of wheat, more than five times that amount is required to produce 1 kilogram of beef. It takes the equivalent of 50 bathtubs full of water to produce just one steak. And raising cows for milk requires 72% more water than is used to produce soya milk.
Don’t Wait for Hospitals to Save You – Take Individual Action Now
Going vegan can shrink your food-related carbon footprint by up to 73% while lowering overall rates of “lifestyle diseases” like diabetes. Each person who goes vegan spares sensitive animals daily suffering and a terrifying death.
Take action to save the planet, your health, and animals by making the change to a vegan diet. We can help:
