As it is pointed out by many studies, a plant-based diet, can provide significant benefits to the human body, and may lead to the prevention of many of the “diseases of our era”. For the above reasons many doctors and health experts promote the plant-based diet as a means of prevention and treatment of the common diseases of our modern way of living.

In particular, vegetarians seem to have lower rates of:

• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemias
• Cardiovascular disease 
• Type II diabetes 
• Colon cancer

In fact, in 2015 the World Health Organization, following a decision of the International Commission for Cancer Research (IARC), officially linked the consumption of red, and especially processed meat (such as bacon and ham), with cancer, especially colon, pancreas, and prostate cancer. Moreover, it was determined that consuming 50g of meat daily, increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%. You can see the decision here: https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr240_E.pdf

It was in February 2021, that the European Commission issued its new Europe’s cancer beating plan, the main pillar of which is the reduction of carcinogens we ingest from food, by replacing the portions of meat and increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The infographic below shows the per capita consumption of meat in various European countries and the willingness of 66% of the European consumers to reduce this consumption in the following years.