In a recent survey, 48 percent of consumers are choosing to eat more plant-based for the sake of the planet, as well as our human health. So which dairy-free milk is best, or worst, when it comes to how much harmful greenhouse gases are emitted, or land and water used?

But which milk is best for the environment? It depends on what measure you care most about: Water, land use, greenhouse gas emissions or all the climate-change factors combined. Read on to see how your favorite milk stacks up as an environment hero or zero.

As for dairy, we know it’s the worst for the environment. for one thing, cows belch and pass gas, adding methane to our atmosphere, and methane gas is at the highest level it’s ever been in human history, according to a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report.)

Any plant-based milk is better than cow’s milk, even almond milk (since almond trees are thirsty plants), according to a study from the University of Oxford. A single glass of dairy milk results in almost three times as much greenhouse gas emissions and nine times more land use than the equivalent glass of plant-based milk.

So which plant-based milk is best? That depends on what you are trying to achieve: Lower water use, less land use, lower CO2 emissions, or other considerations. The milk with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions overall is almond milk because it requires almond trees which pull CO₂ out of the atmosphere as they grow – as do all plants and trees. But almond trees are extremely thirsty and use copious amounts of water to produce all those little almonds. Good old-fashioned soy milk uses the least water with only slightly higher emissions. So you could argue that soy, which has been a hero all along, is the winner.

Each plant-based milk has a unique environmental impact to consider. Here’s the low-down on your favorite cereal partner, milk or smoothie enhancer, or straight-up sip.

The Best and Worst Plant-Based Milk for the Environment

Almond Milk

Almond Milk has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions and uses less land than dairy milk but almond milk is known for its high water usage. Almond milk requires more water than any of the other dairy alternatives: It takes 130 pints of water to produce a single glass of almond milk.

About 80 percent of the almonds used for milk in the US are grown in California, but in the hot climate, the water consumption of the almonds creates a lot of stress on the dry, arid land, especially during heatwaves and fires that are persistently devastating California.

What do bees have to do with it? They have to pollinate all those almond trees! As the almond industry grows, so does the bees’ workload. Nearly 70 percent of commercial bees in the US are drafted every spring to pollinate almonds. Last year, it’s estimated that one-third of the bees died from the pressures of this imbalance of growth.

If you are curious as to which milk is healthier for you, almond milk or oat milk, you may want to consider the additives on the label, since both use oils and other additional compounds to provide a smooth milk-like texture.

Read More: Which Plant-Based Milk Is Healthier: Almond Milk or Oat Milk? 

Coconut Milk

Coconut sounds like a vacation drink: It looks like something a caveman (or woman) would have loved. Hearty, romantic, with a beautiful tree to call home! But the story is nothing short of sweatshop conditions, in countries with poor populations where pickers get paid less than a dollar a day.

There is now so much pressure to meet global demand for coconuts, farmers take shortcuts and even force monkeys into cruel labor practices, according to a PETA report that shows how the animals are chained to posts and forced to scale trees to shake loose the coconuts (an animal abuse story that has garnered international attention). “The coconut [trade] is an absolute tragedy and it makes me really sad,” says Isaac Emery, a food sustainability consultant. Cooking with coconut oil may be a luxury, but people endured difficult conditions to bring it to store shelves.

Meanwhile, in order to grow coconut trees, the rainforest is being cut down in favor of these rows and rows of trees, which offer little to the biodiversity of the planet. According to an investigation by The New York Times, between 2007 to 2014 rainforests in Indonesia were clearcut at the rate of three acres per minute to make way for coconut palm trees. To avoid supporting unsustainable practices, choose coconut products that are certified Fair Trade.

Rice Milk

Rice milk is known to be a cheap alternative to its nut milk cousins. But it comes with a tradeoff since rice offers little in the way of nutrition or environmental benefits, compared with other vegan milk. Rice soaks up water, and it also produces more greenhouse gas emissions than any other plant milk, the Oxford study found. Plus, the swampy paddies also release methane into the air, and allow bacteria to grow and then get released into the atmosphere. Rice is one of the worst polluters when it comes to water.

Hazelnut Milk

The harmless hazelnut, a chocolate lovers’ dream, is coming on strong. Like all nuts, hazelnuts grow on trees, and all trees—all plants, in fact—use the energy of sunlight. They take carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground and they release oxygen back into the atmosphere (photosynthesis!). So, hazelnuts are environmentally superior to almonds since they get pollinated by wind rather than bees. Hazelnuts come from moist environments, like the Pacific Northwest, where water is more plentiful than in arid California.

Hemp Milk and Flax Milk

Hemp and flax haven’t enjoyed the star turn of oat and almond, but they deserve more credit than they’re given for needing little water, creating major protein-packed milk and a high fiber count. They’re considered “niche crops” since they are grown in relatively small numbers. Seeds, in general, take less to grow than nuts and deliver healthy fats, minerals, and nutrients ounce per ounce.

Soy Milk

Soy wins for sustainability and also its protein content. And after being misunderstood as a plant-based phytoestrogen that women avoided because they worried it could promote the risk of breast cancer, the latest studies show the reverse is true: That soy appears to have some protective value when eaten in moderation. Recent studies have instead found that a moderate amount of soy is healthy, and actually may keep hormones in check.

The primary environmental drawback to soy milk is that soybeans are grown in massive quantities around the world to feed livestock for meat and dairy production. Large swaths of rainforest in the Amazon have been burned to make way for soy farms. The workaround for this is to simply do a little research and read the carton to find soy milk that is made from organic soybeans grown in the US or Canada.

Oat Milk

When the latest Swedish invasion came to the states several years ago, in the form of Oatly, no one could have anticipated the love affair that was about to ensue. Oat milk is not only high in protein but tastes like the real thing. And growing oats is — at least as of now —r elatively low-impact on the environment. Oats are healthy for you and the environment. And known as a low-input crop, which, when grown in rotation, oats create crop diversity and reduce soil erosion and help lower the risk of plant diseases. The mighty oat is actually a hero grain.

As sales of oat milk in the US have grown from $4.4 million in 2017 to $29 million in 2019, placing it first ahead of almond milk as the fastest-growing non-dairy milk, oats could one day become more of a commodity. But for now, there are enough oats to keep us on Oatly for years to come.

Roundup Alert: Oats are usually grown in mass-produced industrial aggri-operations, where farmers spray them with the Monstanto glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup before harvesting. Roundup, as you are probably aware, has been linked to cancer in some high-profile cases where jurors awarded huge sums to plaintiffs. Still, farmers know the famous cases, each litigated in the public eye, but they continue to use the chemical for its effectiveness. Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018 is contesting that the active ingredient of Roundup — glyphosate — does not cause cancer in humans.

So how much of this glyphosate really is in that bowl of oatmeal or your oat milk latte? A recent study by the Environmental Working Group tested for glyphosate and found that it was in all the foods it tested containing conventionally grown oats—and even in one-third of products made with organic oats. However, the popular Oatly brand oat milk company maintains that its oats are certified glyphosate-free.

Pistachio Milk

A latecomer to the party, pistachio milk is enjoying a moment in the spotlight. That’s because the rich little nuts make a convincing milk-like pour that is a great addition to your coffee, and froths up like real cream when making a latte. We tried Tache, and Elmhurst also makes pistachio milk.

As for health, pistachios are popular not only because they are packed with protein and fiber, (6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per ounce), but they contain micronutrients and must-have essential vitamins and minerals that include Calcium and zinc, which make this nut milk well worth the 92 calories in a cup.

If you are choosing your non-dairy milk simply based on which plant-based milk is best for the environment, you need to know that pistachios require half as much water to grow as almonds, and are on a par with oats as environmentally friendly crops.

Pea Milk

Pea protein milk uses less water than other milk alternatives and generates lower greenhouse gas emissions than most non-dairy milks do. One reason: Peas require 85 percent less water to grow than almonds and they can utilize nitrogen in the air and make plant cells, which means they require less fertilizer than other types of plants, and fertilizer has a large carbon footprint. The founder of Ripple Pea Milk, Adam Lowry, said recently: “Peas are much better [than alternatives] on a water and carbon basis.”

Pea milk may be one of the most sustainable options for your non-dairy milk choices, due to its low water requirements and the fact that it needs less fertilizer than any other option.

Cashew Milk

Cashew Milk is most comparable to almond milk in both taste and consistency but with one main difference: Cashew milk uses a lot less water to produce than almond milk does. But cashews are hardly light on H2O: they require more water to produce than seeds and legumes. All in all, cashew milk is considered a sustainable choice since it uses minimal land to grow the plants, especially compared to other plant-based milks. The downfall of cashews is the cruel treatment of cashew pickers. Because 60 percent of cashews are grown in India and there are known human rights issues surrounding the production of cashews, some people boycott cashews due to the harsh conditions for workers, including the use of labor camps in some areas where cashews are grown and processed for milk.

Macadamia Milk

Macadamia Milk requires significantly less water to grow and produce than almond milk or dairy milk. However, the areas where macadamia nuts are commonly grown have been coping with severe water shortages and other climate-related crises, such as Australia, Hawaii and other tropical regions. Macadamia nuts are considered to be moderately sustainable due to having lower environmental damage to air, water, land, soil, and forests, as long as pesticides have not been used. Try to buy organic and non-GMO Macadamia Milk if you can!

Sesame Milk

One of the newest plant milk on the market is sesame milk, which you may not have heard of, but if you’re buying for sustainability, is a great choice. Made from sesame seeds, this dairy-free milk alternative may be the most planet-friendly non-dairy milk on the market.

Hope and Sesame, one of the few sesame milk brands now on the market, boasts that their alternative milk uses 95 percent less water than almond milk and requires 75 percent less water to produce than oat milk. Sesame plants, native to Africa and India, are drought-tolerant, as well as being self-pollinating, naturally pest-resistant, and resilient. That means they don’t require pesticides and herbicides to thrive.

Sesame milk requires just 12 liters of water to produce one liter of milk, in comparison to soy, which requires 28 liters of water for one liter of soymilk’ oat, which needs 28 liters for each liter of oat milk, and almond milk, which uses a hefty 371 liters of water per liter of almond milk., All are better than cow’s milk, which uses approximately 628 liters of water to produce one liter of cow’s milk

How to choose the most sustainable plant-based milk

• Check out the taste tests and health grades for each type of non-dairy milk and choose the one that is right for you. We rate each milk on a ten-point scale for health and a ten-point scale for taste and publish the winners on The Beet Meter.
• You can also find dairy-free sustainable brands that contain no added oils and also stay away from additives like carrageenan, which are sometimes included in your favorite plant-based milk. Here’s how to find the healthiest plant-based milk for you that contains no additional sweeteners or unwanted ingredients, from an expert.
• To make your own homemade oat milk follow this easy video tutorial. Or, to make homemade almond milk, simply take a tablespoon of almond butter from your fridge and add cold water to your blender, and blend (pulse it for two minutes, max). Remember, making your own plant-based milk at home is the most sustainable choice there is when it comes to choosing milk that’s best for the planet. No trucking or industrial production is involved, other than your own blender in your own kitchen.

Bottom Line: Plant-based milk is more environmentally sustainable than cow’s milk.

But each plant-based milk has its positives and negatives. Out of these three pea milk is the most environmentally sustainable milk since it is essentially equal to oat milk in its environmental impact. Both cashew milk and macadamia milk are significantly better than dairy milk and use less water than almond milk, but choose organic versions where pesticides are not used. Sesame milk is another environmentally-friendly choice since it uses less water.

So what are you ordering in your coffee?

Whether it’s pistachio, oat, almond, soy, or another choice, simply drink the plant milk that you like best since they are all better for the planet and animals than real dairy. For the best dairy-free creamers to add to your coffee, check out our taste test, and add your own rating to the Beet Meter for the creamer you like the best. As for the environment, as long as you’re staying away from cow’s milk, you’re ahead of the game.

Looking to cut back on dairy? Check out The Best Non-Dairy Milks.

The post You’ve Ditched Dairy. But Which Plant-Based Milk is Best for the Environment? appeared first on The Beet.

The fridges are filled with over 30 vegan products, including offerings from brands like Miyoko’s Creamery, Beyond Meat, JUST, Inc., Good Catch, and more. At the Bushwick and Bronx bodegas, you will be able to order prepared items made with the products inside the Plantega’s fridges like a breakfast sandwich made with Beyond Meat and JUST Egg. Plantega’s website notes why the company chose bodegas for its fridges to launch in, saying, “Bodegas are the bloodlines of New York City. They’re our community spaces, grocery stores, and late-night spots. We wanna be sure Plantega shows up in places where plant-based food isn’t always accessible (or affordable) to folks who deserve better.”

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These Plantega vegan fridges were created by a collective of mission-driven food advocates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and social-justice movements. The goal of this endeavor is to make plant-based foods accessible to underserved communities. Established by EFFECT Partners, as well as NYC native and vegan influencer Erick Castro, author and podcaster at Eat For The Planet Nil Zacharias, eco-hip hop pioneer D.J. Cavem, and Parfait Studio, a vegan graphic design shop.

“Bringing these plant-based products to my hometown and surrounding neighborhoods is a tremendous opportunity at just the right time. These bodegas are our lifeline, the gateway to food for so many, from nurses on the run to late-night needs. We are here to learn, but also to show how delicious, healthy, and affordable eating plant-based really is,” explained Erick Castro.

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Plantega is seeking to close the gap in accessibility to plant-based products, particularly in communities of color. The Plantega fridges also contain QR codes and SMS texting to assist customers in finding plant-based recipes and to help customers learn the benefits of a diet free from animal products.

“Good food is the medicine we all need right now,” Andrew Arrieta, a Plantega director from EFFECT Partners said. “Throughout the course of this summer, our team of food fighters challenged ourselves to help find better, healthier solutions that could benefit the most people. Like so many of our friends in the plant-based movement, we’ve been staring at this same data about taste and access for too long– we finally decided it was time to get some friends together and go do something about it.”

The post Bodega Fridges Full of Vegan Favorites Launch in NYC Neighborhoods appeared first on The Beet.

Oliver Zahn, Ph.D. is a graduate from Harvard University who previously worked as a data scientist for Google and Impossible Foods and recently founded food technology start-up Climax Foods. The company will be using proprietary machine learning frameworks to examine what makes animal products taste the way they do at a molecular level and then mimic those qualities by using plants. Climax Foods is going to start with making vegan alternatives to dairy cheese.

Reengineering Vegan Cheese

“Aged cheese has been a challenging category but the data-driven approach of Climax Foods has created prototypes like nothing I’ve ever tasted on or off the market,” says Leah Volger from Manta Ray Ventures.

The Climax Foods team has many years of experience in the plant-based industry, and beyond Zahn includes Caroline Love, former sales lead at JUST, Pavel Aronov, a biochemist who previously worked for Impossible Foods and Gosia Jakubasch, former Protein Functionality lead at JUST and more.

“Climax Foods is unlocking a frontier of how expressive we can be with plant-based foods. They are laying the foundation for a future where healthy, affordable, plant-based foods rival or even surpass the flavor of the animal-based foods they are replacing. Beyond being delicious, the work is crucial for the transition away from unstable animal agriculture which drives massive habitat destruction and generates more than 25 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions,” notes Tom Chi of One Ventures and co-founder of GoogleX.

Zahn, founder and CEO of Climax Foods, explained why this is such a crucial moment for plant-based, saying, “We are at a pivotal time where industrialization enabled explosive population growth and consumption of animal products. The animal agriculture industry is complex and wasteful, creating as much climate change as all modes of transportation combined, and using more than a third of the earth’s water and usable land. By speeding up food science innovation, Climax Foods is able to convert plants into equally craveable foods without environmental impact.”

The post Former Google Data Scientist Raises Millions to Make Next-Level Vegan Cheese appeared first on The Beet.

LC’s beauty liine will feature a variety of items including eyeliner, highlighter, and lip products ranging in price from $18 to $26. The brand is not only vegan and cruelty-free,. but also environmentally friendly and ethically sourced, which means the ingredients are obtained in a responsible and sustainable way.

Clean makeup brands such as Glossier and others have been an enormous hit among consumers who are concerned for the environment and want their beauty products free of to any harsh chemicals or ingredients. “Eco-friendly, vegan & cruelty-free products are as gentle on your skin as they are on the planet,” according to Lauren Conrad Beauty’s site.

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Conrad has made a career as a fashion designer and author but revealed makeup line has been years in the making and told Cosmopolitan:

“I’ve wanted to do a beauty line for a really long time—it was really just a matter of finding the right partners and the right situation. I’ve actually started and stopped this process several times, where we’d start talking to someone and sampling products and it just didn’t feel like the right partnership”

Lauren Conrad is joining a host of other celebrities such as Rihanna with Fenty Skin and Selena Gomez with Rare Beauty in creating vegan and cruelty-free beauty products. Fenty’s latest skincare debut made 100 million in the first few weeks on the market. The demand for clean, kind beauty products is rising and we are here for it.

“Our Commitment to Clean Beauty” from the site states this:

“Lauren Conrad Beauty is vegan, ethically-sourced, and gentle on both you and the environment. We are committed to learning and evolving every product in the line to ensure we offer the cleanest, most eco-friendly ingredients, and materials as research advances.”

The post Lauren Conrad Unveils New Clean Beauty That’s Vegan and Eco-Friendly appeared first on The Beet.

Brave GentleMan launched in 2010, becoming the first vegan lifestyle menswear brand in the world. When you preorder the new Revenant shoes not only do you get 20% off but the preorder system helps the company estimate the demand for the shoes, minimizing waste.

“Ethical fashion’ is not an aesthetic. It is a methodology. Brave GentleMan simply applies this method to classic menswear aesthetics. We don’t believe animals belong in the fashion production system or any industrial system for that matter,” said in the company’s manifesto.

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The materials used to create these shoes are minimally impactful, vegan, recycled, organic, and high-tech sustainable materials. The Revenant sneaker comes in a variety of color combinations including:

• Red and Gray
• Gray, Green and Neon Orange
• Navy and Neon Yellow
• Gray, Gum and Blue
• Brown and Black Stripe
• Black
• Gray and Neon Pink

Celebrities including Alan Cumming and Liam Hemsworth have been seen wearing Brave GentleMan. “Brave GentleMan does things differently. We embrace a slow-fashion production model. We resist industry-induced ‘seasons’. We invest in sustainable innovation, superior vegan materials, ethical labor and Classic styles made with quality,” as described on the company’s website.

The post Brave GentleMan Releases Shoe Made From Waste-Diverted Materials appeared first on The Beet.

Plant-Based Cheese Market to Reach $2.5 Billion by EOY

Transparency Market Research, a market intelligence company, published a report that predicted the overall growth of the vegan cheese market, expecting it to reach $2.5 billion before 2021, and increasing to $7 billion by the end of 2030.

It is well documented that dairy consumption can lead to many health risks and potentially cause a lot of illnesses. Many people find that in their effort to be healthier, plant-based milk and butter were easy to switch to, while cheese tends to be the most difficult to give up.

Better Vegan Options Will Help Consumers Switch From Dairy

With the growing cheese market, there will be a wider variety of plant-based cheeses as well as more options to choose from for personal taste preferences. The expanding variety of dairy-free alternatives will help more people to ditch dairy for good, which not only benefits consumer health but also the environment and animal welfare.

“Climate change, mounting concerns related to animal cruelty, and health are some of the leading factors that are driving the vegan movement worldwide. At present, veganism is at its peak and the trend is likely to continue in the near future,” the report says.

The key players in the market contributing to this growth include fan-favorites Violife Foods, Daiya, Kite Hill, Miyoko’s Creamery, Follow Your Heart, Parmela Creamery and Field Roast. Brands continue to surprise consumers with different innovations of nut or plant-based “cheeses” that taste just like the real thing.

For more on the best dairy-free cheeses, check out The 10 Best Dairy-Free Cheese and The Best Dairy-Free Shredded Cheese.

The post Global Vegan Cheese Market Expected to Reach $2.5 Billion by 2021 appeared first on The Beet.

Here we have 4 days worth of eating vegan or plant-based meals and snacks, that in the course of a full day of healthy eating meet or exceed the daily protein recommendation. Each of the days contains one breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack with protein values of each. If your biggest concern about trying out a plant-based (or vegan or vegetarian) diet is whether you will be able to get enough protein without animal products; after trying these meals you will realize how easy it is, and how delicious and filling the food tastes, without leaving you feeling like you need to take a nap

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These recipes can also be used as inspiration, so feel free to add ingredients to them, especially if you want to get even more of a protein kick.

For more tips and easy ideas of how to get your protein from plant-based sources, and what to shop for the next time you head to the supermarket. You’ll never need to go to the meat and dairy section again.

• The-top-20-vegetables-with-the-highest-protein-per-serving
• 15-legumes-with-the-most-protein
•  11-nuts-that-pack-the-most-protein
• The-10-highest-protein-grains-to-add-to-your-diet
• The-top-10-sources-of-plant-based-protein-according-to-a-nutritionist

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Day 1: Your Plant-Based Protein Plan

The first day starts with oatmeal and plant-based milk. This alone will start your day right with nearly 27 grams of protein and by simply adding in some pumpkin seeds or fruit you will spike that protein infusion well into the 30s. Over halfway there and it’s still early!

Lunch is a kidney bean and arugula salad, which is not only well balanced and filling but contains 23 grams of protein.

For an afternoon snack grab a handful of spicy roasted cashews with turmeric this snack will give you an extra 6 grams of protein and this recipe is also immune boosting with turmeric. Immune-boosting foods is always helpful especially during the colder months and with the current pandemic.

Dinner is a warm and cozy recipe of lentil meatballs, this meal will fill you up and packs 34 grams of protein.

On this first day, there are 90 grams of plant-based protein that tastes amazing but is surprisingly easy to reach a high level of protein. A note: You actually can get too much protein and if you are not careful you can end up gaining weight or bulking up and since this generally is not the goal of any healthy diet plan, you may want to pick and choose which meals and snacks you eat in this plan, and substitute out lighter choices to bring your protein totals more in line with the daily guidelines of 45 grams for women and 56 grams for men.

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Day 2: Your Plant-Based Protein Plan

For Breakfast, start your day with overnight chia pudding with fresh fruit and granola. It is easy to prepare the night before and quick to grab and go in the morning before work or school. This breakfast contains 15 grams of protein for a great start to the day.

Lunch is gluten-free tortillas with fresh salsa, beans and guacamole. This is easily shareable and to serve for lunch that your family and friends will love and contains 14 grams of protein.

For a sweet snack try the low-calorie vegan birthday cake protein bites, and as it says in the name they pack a lot of protein or about 5 grams of protein per ball so if you eat three of them you’re racking up 15 grams.

Dinner is a filling sweet potato and lentil tandoori curry. This dinner has a ton of flavor and has 27 grams of protein.

Your day just got you well above the goal, to 71 grams of protein if you ate all of that.

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Day 3: Your Plant-Based Protein Plan

The third day starts with a superfood smoothie with plant-based protein, this lets you start your day with a quick 17 grams of protein.

Lunch is a buddha bowl with tofu that has an easy almost 30 grams of protein. Buddha-protein-bowl

A snack of healthy oil-free beet hummus helps hold you over until dinner and contains 23 grams of protein.

The final meal of the day is curried quinoa and vegetable tacos with a garlic-tahini dressing that will finish your day off with 14 grams of protein.

This brings your daily total to 84 grams of protein, this satisfies the daily recommendation for both men and women.

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Day 4: Your Plant-Based Protein Plan

The fourth day starts with a tofu scramble with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for breakfast that contains 27 grams of protein.

Lunch is an easy everyday lentil soup that can easily be stored and kept. This soup provides 19 grams of protein.

A yummy snack of crunchy toast with fresh spinach, avocado and tomato contain 6 grams of protein.

The final dinner is a crispy tofu satay bowl that packs a ton of protein in the tofu containing 40 grams.

The grand total of protein for day four is 92 grams!

The take away from this is that it is surprisingly easy for anyone to reach or even exceed the recommended daily protein intake on a plant-based or vegan diet. As long as you eat a variety of well-rounded meals and eat enough during the day you don’t need to think twice about getting enough protein.

The post How to Get Your Protein from Plant-Based Foods: 4 Days of Easy Meals appeared first on The Beet.

“Getting into the holiday spirit, I thought it would be fun to put a twist on a classic Christmas hit featuring some of my favorite Beyond Meat products,” said McGee, who produced the track. “I hope everyone enjoys the new song, in the same way, I enjoyed producing it and is inspired to try more plant-based eats this holiday season.”

In 2019, a group of professional athletes including Shaquille O’Neal, Derick Morgan, McGee, Paul, Jordan, and more joined Beyond Meat as investors and have since been in a number of the brand’s campaigns. In July 2019, Jordan helped promote the launch of the Beyond Breakfast Sandwich at a Dunkin’ Donuts location in New York City.

Earlier this year, Beyond Meat partnered with The Social Change Fund (SCF), a nonprofit founded by Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony which seeks to fight systematic racism and support critical and timely issues impacting the Black community

Eating a plant-based or vegan diet is becoming more and more popular amongst professional athletes, especially amongst NBA players and alumni including John Salley and Kyrie Irving. Earlier this year, Kyrie Irving donated 200,000 Beyond Burgers to New York’s largest hunger-relief organization, Food Bank for New York City.

20 Athletes Who Went Vegan to Get Stronger

1. Novak Djokovic: Number one tennis champion in the world

The number one tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, went plant-based more than twelve years ago to enhance his athletic performance and win more matches. In recent interviews, he has credited going vegan with helping him rise from third place in the world to first in the world because it helped clear his allergies. Before changing his diet, Djokovic had searched for cures to the breathing issues that cost him matches and focus which caused him to struggled during his most intense matches. The allergies used to make him feel like he couldn’t breathe and would be forced to retire from competitive matches as he did in Australia. “Eating meat was hard on my digestion and that took a lot of essential energy that I need for my focus, for recovery, for the next training session, and for the next match,” he said. Djokovic emphasized he does not eat foods that require a lot of digestion, especially in the morning, when he needs all of his energy for training. Instead, he starts the day with hot water and lemon, then celery juice, and some superfood supplements.

2. Tia Blanco: Professional Surfer and Beyond Meat Ambassador Read More: 20 Who Athletes Swear by a Plant-Based Diet to Boost Performance

Tia Blanco won gold at the International Surfing Association Open in 2015 and credits her success to her vegan diet. Blanco reports that a vegan diet helps her stay strong and she enjoys eating different forms of vegan protein like nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes. The professional surfer was influenced by her mother, who is a vegetarian and grew up in a veggie-forward household, Blanco has never eaten meat in her life, which made the plant-based switch much easier. And speaking of making things easier, Blanco has an Instagram cooking page called @tiasvegankitchen where she shares her favorite simple vegan recipes so all of her fans can eat like their favorite professional vegan athlete. In addition to her home-cooked meals, Blanco recently became an ambassador for vegan company Beyond Meat and now she posts Instagram stories and highlights of her favorite meatless meat recipes.

3. Steph Davis: World Leading Professional Rock Climber

Steph Davis has been vegan for 18 years now and says, “there’s nothing in my life that hasn’t become better as a result, from climbing and athletics to mental and spiritual well being.” Davis has competed on some of the most challenging verticle routes on the planet –like Concepcion (5.13), which is known to be one of the hardest pure climbs anywhere. Davis holds the third overall ascent and is the first female to ever make the ascent of the route. Davis described it as her “most technically demanding climb ever.” Davis explained why she went vegan eight years ago when she partnered with PETA. “What can we do to start making changes in a positive way? And if it just so happens that changing our lifestyle leads to environmental benefits, health benefits, economic benefits, and positive social change, then all the better. One thing I’ve learned is you don’t have to do or be anything you don’t want to be, and you can change anything in your life just by starting to do it. It’s you who chooses who and what you are, by the things you think and the things you do.” She goes on to add, “no one says you have to become a “perfect” vegan overnight. But why not start making small changes and see how it feels? I believe it’s the small choices people make that have the biggest power to change, and nothing is more simple yet also more far-reaching than changing how and what you choose to eat. We’re all here for a short time, in the end, and living a well-intentioned and compassionate life seems like what ultimately matters the most, the only real goal that I aspire to.”

4. Venus Williams: Tennis Great

Tennis champion Venus Williams swears that making the switch to veganism was one of the factors that helped to improve her performance and get over an auto-immune disease. The tennis star went vegan back in 2011 when she was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, a debilitating autoimmune disease with a range of symptoms from joint pain to swelling, numbness, burning eyes, digestive problems, and fatigue. She chose to eat plant-based to recover to her formerly healthy self, and it worked so she stuck to it. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion recovers faster on a plant-based diet now, compared to how she felt back when she ate animal protein. When you have an auto-immune disease you often feel extreme fatigue and random body aches and for Venus, a plant-based diet provides energy and helps her reduce inflammation. The Beet reported on Willaim’s diet and what she normally eats in a day to stay healthy, fit, and win more matches. Talking about her favorite dinner meal, Williams adds, “sometimes a girl just needs a donut!”

5. Mike Tyson: The First Heavyweight Boxer to Hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF Titles

Mike Tyson recently said he is “in the best shape ever” thanks to his vegan diet. The boxing legend then announced he’s getting back into the rings after 15 years, to fight against Roy Jones, Jr. in California later this fall. Tyson went vegan ten years ago after dealing with health complications and in the wake of having cleaned up his life: “I was so congested from all the drugs and bad cocaine, I could hardly breathe.” Tyson said, “I had high blood pressure, was almost dying, and had arthritis.” Now, the 53-year-old powerhouse is sober, healthy, and fit. “Turning vegan helped me eliminate all those problems in my life,” and “I’m in the best shape ever.” His new trainer agrees: Watching Iron Mike’s speed during recent training sessions, observed: “He has the same power as a guy who is 21, 22-years old.”

6. Chris Paul: The NBA’s Newest Vegan Who Was Influenced by The Game Changers

Oklahoma City’s point guard Chris Paul decided to ditch meat and dairy and was asked join on as a co-executive producer for the popular documentary, The Game Changers. For breakfast, Paul enjoys oatmeal with plant-based milk and nut butter. For lunch, he fuels up with pasta or brown rice with Beyond Meat sausage, grilled vegetables, and a curry sauce. His chef told USA Today, “The main thing is, we try to keep it as light and clean as possible for his normal routine, with organic ingredients. Anything that can minimize body inflammation. Chris is always worrying about what he can and can’t eat.” So far it appears he’s getting it right. In an exclusive interview with The Beet’s Awesome Vegans columnist Elysabeth Alfano, Paul said eating a plant-based diet helps him keep up with players half his age.

7. Colin Kaepernick: Former (future?) NFL Player and Social Activist

In 2016, Kaepernick made the switch to veganism with his longtime girlfriend to recover from a series of injuries that had him down for the count. The Beet recently reported on how this dietary switch has allowed Kaepernick to stay strong and healthy. Now, he’s in the gym building muscle and looks fitter than ever. But will he be picked up? The professional football player claims that a vegan diet makes him feel “always ready” to perform his best on the field.

8. Cam Newton: New England Patriots’ Newest Quarterback is Vegan

Cam Newton just replaced Tom Brady, who also follows a mostly plant-based diet, as the New England Patriot’s QB, after having made the plant-based switch back in March 2019. The NFL Star first decided to ditch meat and dairy to recover quicker from injuries when he learned that a plant-based diet is proven to help reduce inflammation. “I’ve seen such a remarkable change in the way my body responds to the food that I eat,” Newton told PETA for his recent partnership for a new campaign called, “Built Like a Vegan,” proving that you don’t need to eat meat to be strong. Newton enjoys a meat-free burger on a pretzel bun, heavy on pickles and sauce. He adds: “People often ask, ‘How do you get your protein?’ I just say, ‘I get it in the same way you do, but it’s fresher and cleaner.’ ” Newton shares how to do it: “My advice to a person who wants to become vegan is to eat on schedule. If you can eat on a schedule, you won’t miss [a meal or crave meat] or think anything different, and you’ll be alright.”

9. Elijah Hall: American Sprinter Training for The 2021 Tokyo Olympics

Elijah Hall says about his vegan diet: “Going vegan was the best decision” he has ever made. Hall holds records in the indoor 200 meters and was training for the Tokyo this summer when it got postponed by a year due to the pandemic. Hall said “the effects that it’s having on my body are amazing. Becoming a plant-based athlete has opened many doors to my health and my training.” We predict he’ll only get faster in the next 11 months and break records, come home with golf and be the world champion in 12 months.

10. Morgan Mitchell: Omplyian Sprinter Who Won her First Title at 2014 Australian National Championships

Five-years ago, Morgan Mitchell went vegan and it made her faster, leaner and happier. Last year she was featured in the plant-based athletes documentary The Game Changers and said, “Being vegan has helped me immensely. I don’t feel sluggish like I did when I was eating meat, and my recovery from training really took off. It felt like an overall cleanse for my body, and I started seeing greater results on the track.” Now Michelle is committed for the planet as well. “Ultimately helping the environment and not contributing to animal cruelty was a big thing for me, too. That was my initial reason for going vegan, and the rest of the benefits were just added bonuses.” Mitchell describes what she eats in a day for enhanced performance and more energy to win sprints. “I like to make sure I have three different types of protein in there. I use tofu, beans, and mushrooms, along with spinach, vegan cheese, and hash browns,” she says. “I also love to add Beyond Meat for more flavor, which is a great source of plant protein as well. That usually keeps me full for the better part of the day,” she told Well + Good.

11. Lewis Hamilton: Formula One Driver Who Credits His Vegan Diet For Allowing Him to Be Victorious

“We were taught that eating animal products was good for us but we’ve been lied to for hundreds of years,” said Lewis Hamilton. The Beet reported on Hamiltion’s vegan diet quoting The New York Times that he credits his new plant-based diet with making the difference in his career. Hamilton gave up processed food and animal products for vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, because of his strong compassion for animals, for the benefit of the environment, and his own health. Hamilton isn’t the only vegan in his family. His dog Rocco is fully vegan and Hamilton says he’s “super happy” on Rocco’s very own IG post. Earlier this year, Hamilton gave up his private jet because he said it’s a big pollutant and aims to live a sustainable lifestyle. Back in February, he started a line of sustainable clothing with Tommy Hilfiger at London Fashion Week.

12. Patrik Baboumian: Arguably The Strongest Man in The World

Featured in The Game Changers for his elite strength and his superhuman ability to lift a car, Patrik Baboumiam is one of the strongest men in the world and also happens to be vegan. Baboumian lifted 358 pounds in the 2009 German log lift nationals. Back in 2014, Baboumiam partnered with PETA in his campaign “Want to be Stronger” describing powering yourself with plants and how you can build muscle without eating meat. One of his 2019 PETA campaigns showed him posing with crossed arms and leaves in his mouths with the text: “The world’s strongest animals are plant-eaters: Gorillas, buffaloes, elephants and me.” Bahoumiam’s diet consists of a dairy-free shake for breakfast with 8 grams of protein and 0 carbohydrates. For lunch, he enjoys vegan sausage, falafel, low-fat oven fires, peppers, and more grilled veggies. He normally eats 250 grams of carbs and 90 grams of protein just for lunch. Dinner includes vegetables cooked potatoes, and tofu. If you want to eat like Boubanian, he reports his food diary on his blog BarBend.

13. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Former Proessional BodyBuilder, Producer, The Game Changers, and former Governor of California

Here’s a guy who has worn many hats: Bodybuilder, Terminator, California Governor, and now vegan and advocate for the plant-based lifestyle. Arnold Schwarzenegger ditched meat and dairy and has proven that you don’t need to eat animal products to be strong, healthy and reverse symptoms of heart disease. Now 73, he had a pulmonary valve replacement 1997 due to a congenital defect and underwent emergency open-heart surgery in 2018 to replace the valve again. He then changed his eating and fitness habits and now extolls the virtues of plant-based eating for the environment as well as health reasons. He is a producer of The Game Changers (a movie with many masters) and an advocate for going vegan for health, the environment and the sake of animals (he posts on IG with his pet donkey and miniature pony, both household dwelling animals). Schwarzenegger said last year: “Right now, seven million people are dying every year. That is alarming and everyone in the government has the responsibility to protect the people…. 28 percent of the greenhouse gasses come from eating meat and from raising cattle, so we can do a much better job.”

14. Scott Jurek: Named One of The Greatest Ultra-Marathoner’s Of All Time Read More: 20 Who Athletes Swear by a Plant-Based Diet to Boost Performance

Jurek is an extreme ultra-marathon runner who has won the Hardrock Hundred, the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Spartathlon, and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (you get the idea). Jurek has been vegan for almost two decades, after easing into it by cutting out meat in college, he slowly stopping seafood and finally giving up all animal products once he realized that eating this way made him feel healthier and happier. To run such an extreme amount of miles, you need to fuel your body with plant-based foods that will give you enough energy and carbohydrates to go the distance. The goal is to eat 5,000-6,000 calories of plant-based foods daily. Jurek outlined his plant-based diet in an interview with Bon Appetite. Instead of waking up to a hot cup of coffee to boost energy, he prefers to drink tea and a green smoothie with spirulina or chlorella and a host of other ingredients. He adds bananas, frozen pineapple slices, or mangoes, brown rice and pea protein, (for protein) to rebuild what’s lost in training. This is not just any smoothie.

15. Alex Morgan: USA Soccer Star, Plays for the Orlando Pride of the NWSL

Soccer star, Alex Morgan is one of the beloved members of the USA National Team that won the World Cup and has shown that the female players deserve to get equal pay as their male counterparts by the US Soccer Federation. She is also an animal rights advocate and longtime vegan, having given up meat when she decided that “it didn’t feel fair to have a dog, and yet eat meat all the time,” referring to her adorable pup Blue. Morgan aims to eat 90 grams of plant-based protein daily to stay fit and lean, especially for her workouts and on the field. Morgan admitted that breakfast was difficult because “a lot of the things I love like pancakes and French toast had dairy and eggs.” But now she enjoys oatmeal with nut butter and berries, smoothies, rice, quinoa, veggies, black beans, protein shakes, Mediterranean food, Impossible burgers, Mexican beans, and sauteed veggie burritos, she told USA Today.

16. Paul Rabil: Pro Lacrosse Player: A Vegan Diet Helped Alleviate His Sciatica

Paul Rabil who played for the Boston Cannons and the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, ditched meat and dairy after his 2019 season ended and revealed he’s now “officially” vegan on YouTube. “At first [switching to a plant-based diet] was to help solve some pain and trauma that I was going through. Over the last two years, I’ve had two herniated discs…. and that has led to a ton of shooting pain down my legs, its called sciatica,” Rabil explains the purpose of his diet switch. He adds: “I’ve tried to a lot of things; I’ve had a number of cortisone shots; I’ve done physical therapy for two years. And I reached a place where I was thinking ‘okay maybe I can solve this with nutrition because a lot of our pain stems from inflammation. Within a few weeks, I started noticing a lot of alleviation so I started focusing and doubling down more on veganism”

17. Hannah Teter: 2006 Olympic Snowboard Gold Medalist

Hannah Teter won Olympic gold and silver in the halfpipe and is also a seven-time XGames medalist. She changed her diet after watching the documentary, Earthlings when she discovered how “horrible” factory farming is. After a strict vegetarian diet, Teter liked the way she performed and believes that her diet helped her win gold at the 2006 games. She now considers herself “plant-based” and in an interview with the Huffington Post, Teter said, “I feel stronger than I’ve ever been, mentally, physically, and emotionally. My plant-based diet has opened up more doors to being an athlete. It’s a whole other level that I’m elevating to. I stopped eating animals about a year ago, and it’s a new life. I feel like a new person, a new athlete.”

18. Nick Kyrgios: Professional Tennis Champion Ranked 40 in The World

Djokovic is not the only tour player to go plant-based. Nick Kyrgios shared that he does not eat meat anymore because of his strong compassion for animals. During the time of the Australian wildfires, the Aussie native explained: “I’ve been passionate about animal welfare for some time now. I don’t eat meat or dairy anymore. That’s not for my health, I just don’t believe in eating animals.” “I tried a vegan diet a couple of years ago but with all the travel I do, it was hard to stick to it. Since then I’ve managed to make it work, and I’ve been vegetarian for quite a while. “Seeing the footage of these animals suffering from the fires only reinforces why I’ve chosen this diet. When I see these terrible photos, I can’t comprehend eating meat.”

19. Matt Frazier: Ultra-Marathoner Credits Vegan Diet For Breaking Personal Records

Matt Frazier has run 27 ultra-marathons in his career so far and continues to write about the endurance strength of being a vegan athlete in his personal blog, which he started 11 years ago: No Meat Athlete. The Beet recently interviewed Frazier about his vegan journey and how to be a successful athlete on a plant-based diet. When asked about the first time he ditched meat Frazier replied, “I had already cut 90 minutes off my first marathon time. I was still 10 minutes away from the Boston Marathon qualifying time. I had plateaued, and I was not sure how I was going to find 10 minutes. [Plant-based eating] was what I was missing. That’s what it took. The other big noticeable difference to me [after going vegan] was I stopped getting injured. Injuries had always been a big part of my running journey. When I became vegan, it was around the time I ran three 50-milers and a 100-miler. I didn’t have any injuries. If it’s done right, [plant-based diets] can really help you recover faster.”

20. Michaela Copenhaver: Professional Rower, World Record Holder, 10,000m Indoor

Rowing is grueling. It’s known as the toughest endurance sport in the world. The world record-breaking female rower, Michaela Copenhaver went vegan in 2012 for ethical reasons, she told Great Vegan Athletes. “Initially, I just wanted to eat more vegetables. Those things are super good for you, and they’re delicious. Being vegetarian and vegan made me more conscious of how many servings I was getting a day (or not).” When she switched from vegetarian to vegan it was almost accidental: “I was traveling for a regatta in the fall of 2012. I had been vegetarian for 1.5 years already but relied pretty heavily on dairy and eggs. While I was traveling, I was bouncing from couch to couch and had no way to safely store dairy or eggs—so I decided to try a week without them. I felt great, and it wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought. I’ve been vegan ever since.” Now it’s a value system: “Once I stopped eating and using animals, I felt I could finally address a question that had been bothering me for a long time—what right do we have to exploit other creatures? Now, I understand that we have no right, and my motivations are primarily ethical.”

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An important aspect of Plant & Bean’s business model is its “ecosystem of collaborative innovation,” which brings together research institutions and food-tech companies to improve the quality and lower the cost of plant-based meat products by the use of technological development.

Plant & Bean’s Mission is to Lower Cost of Vegan Proteins

Plant & Bean has partnered with Griffith Foods, a global food production company, Gushen, a manufacturer and ingredient supplier, and research institutes Wageningen University and Singapore Institute of Technology. to develop a computer breeding technology to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the cost of peas and beans. This computational breeding technology will optimize protein extraction at a lower cost and improve texture generation. All of this will allow for focusing on improved extrusion technology to drive higher machine efficiency, lower energy use, and better plant-based meat textures.

“Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to repair what is a broken food system. Right now, 65 percent of consumers do not eat plant-based meats due to price and quality. With our two-pronged approach, we believe we are best placed to make the meaningful change required to tackle these issues,” said Edwin Bark, Plant & Beans CEO. “With our progressive global manufacturing strategy, brands will finally have the means to scale high-volume product ranges in order to lower the price-point for consumers. As regards [to] product quality, we are making huge strides in improving the taste, texture, and appearance of plant-based meat—bringing together the brightest minds in the food industry to reinvent the way we make plant-based meat at the ingredient and process level.”

Due to the expansion and growing demand for vegan and plant-based foods, Plant & Bean plans to replicate the new UK site with production facilities in the United States next year and China in 2022. This is leading to a lower cost and greater accessibility to plant-based meat alternatives.

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Starbucks Adds Oat Milk to Permanent Nationwide Menu

“Part of our aspiration to become resource-positive includes migrating toward a more environmentally friendly menu. Therefore, expanding plant-based alternatives will be a big part of the solution. The consumer demand curve is already shifting, and it’s fortunate that customers’ concern over the environment is showing up as increased demand for plant-based beverages and foods—it has inspired plant-based menu innovation at Starbucks and will continue to drive progress toward achieving our goal,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks Chief Sustainability Officer.

Starbucks has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and waste production by 50 percent by 2030. This will happen by engaging in Planet Positive Initiatives that include introducing plant-based options, expanding the use of renewable energy like solar and wind, and expanding its investment to $100 million in the Global Farmer Fund, which allows coffee growers to strengthen sustainability efforts.

“Our Planet Positive initiatives have a central role in our long-term business strategy, and directly address what our customers are asking for. We are moving toward a more circular economy, and we are doing so in a very intentional, transparent, and accountable way,” explained Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO.

The addition of oat milk to the Starbucks menu this spring will expand the variety of dairy alternatives on its menu. The Starbucks menu is constantly expanding and evolving, in June Starbucks added a vegetarian Impossible Breakfast Sandwich in the majority of its US location. In October, Starbucks began testing a fully vegan breakfast sandwich made with a mung bean-based egg alternative, a plant-based sausage patty, and dairy-free cheese on an English muffin at one location in Washington state. We hope that the success of a vegan breakfast sandwich and the addition of dairy-free milk alternatives will encourage Starbucks to create more plant-based options to be available at all of its locations worldwide.

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