Vegan Diet
Anna Schwietering
This Diet Could Prevent Millions of Deaths and Basically Save Our Planet
Article Summary
“This Diet Could Prevent Millions of Deaths and Basically Save Our Planet” is an article published on March 22, 2016 in Women’s Health magazine. Writer Marissa Gainsburg discusses the trend of cutting back on meat consumption and its health, environmental, and economical impacts. The article highlights a study from Oxford University that compared four diets: “the way we eat right now, a universally healthier plan (think: less mean, more produce), strict vegetarianism, and veganism” (Women’s Health). Overall, the article states, the vegan diet would have significant impact with major decreases in mortality, food-related emissions, and economic cost. Even shifting to a diet with less meat and more plants, according to the article, could possibly save lives. Gainsburg suggests rethinking the traditional dinner meal, researching ideas and recipes online, and previewing restaurant menus before going out as tips for transitioning to a diet with less mean and more plants.
Article Critique
Marissa Gainsburg is currently an assistant fitness editor for Women’s Health and has previously worked for Hearst Magazines, Conde Nast, and Orange & Blue Magazine. She has mainly worked as a freelance writer and has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida. Gainsburg’s credentials were not made available on the Women’s’ Health website, so I located her information via LinkedIn. Although she has an educational background in the sciences, she may not be qualified to evaluate diets as she does not have credentials in the field of nutrition. Women’s Health magazine is a source of many interesting articles, however, the validity of many of their health and fitness claims are not substantiated, as it is a “.com” website. Women’s Health likely is a motivational magazine, which tries to appeal to all readers, mostly today’s modern women. Women’s Health sponsored the article because shifting to a more plant based diet is a popular topic in today’s diet world. The site is not selling any products or services and does not charge a fee for access. The research source not only touches on health, but also examines environmental and economic impacts, which are also pressing, prevalent issues. The article is well written and well organized, appealing to readers interested in reading a quick summary of nutrition research. The information is based on recent scientific research from Oxford University, which investigated various diets and their impacts on health, the environment, and the economy. The conclusions from the article, most notably the title, is misleading as it is very exaggerated. It sensationalizes the research as the title is “This Diet Could Prevent Millions of Deaths and Basically Save Our Planet” and makes claims that sound too good to be true. It is problematic to draw simplistic conclusions from complex research. The article is also flawed in that it makes vegan diet recommendations based on the results form a single study.
References
Liddon, A. (2016). Oh She Glows: Recipes [Digital Images]. Retrieved from http://ohsheglows.com/
Springmann, M., Godfray, H.C.J., Rayner, M., Scarborough, P. (2016). Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1523119113