With Climate Change on individuals minds and livestock farming in trouble for greenhouse gas emission, many individuals see vegetarianism as a positive step. A research advises that offering a greater vegetarian selection should be a way to lure meat eaters into selecting more veggie meals.

Livestock farming gets a bad rap for its contribution to greenhouse gases, which trap heat and contribute to global warming. In the United States, agriculture contributes 9% of gas emissions to the atmosphere, much of which is down to livestock. By passing gas, ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, pass methane into the atmosphere. Methane is 25 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and concentration have more than doubled in the last 200 years.

So, lowering methane levels in the atmosphere could have and important positive impact on the environment, which is why vegetarianism seems like a viable solution.

A new research from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom shows that the solution as adding more vegetarian options to menus. The paper appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research observed at the sales information over 94,000 meals in three unnamed Cambridge College cafeterias over a year. It discovered that by doubling vegetarian choice to 2 out of 4 of the meal options available, the sales of vegetarian meals increased by 40.8% to 78.8%.

This research is significant because high eat diets are incompatible with a safe climate, so we need to find effective simple, non-controversial approaches to get us all to eat more plant based food.

Meat eaters might also order veggie options

The Cambridge study members discovered that the biggest meat eaters- those who had consistently chosen fish or meat before the second vegetarian option became available- were the one who opted for a vegetarian meal in the largest numbers.

Not only did that but having a vegetarian lunch not make it any more possible that the traditional meat eaters would compensate by having a meaty dinner.

The research which observed at diners daily meal choices through payments made on university cards ran through two canteens. The canteens varied their range from no vegetarian dishes at all to days when 75% of options were vegetarian.

A third canteen offered lunchtime menus that shifted every 2 weeks from one veggie option to two. Investigators concluded that upping the proportion of vegetarian meals had the most important effect on those who ordinarily chose more meat.

The response was striking, says Garnett. It seems obvious in hindsight, and a number of commentators have asked, Why is this science? Isnt this obvious? I would say yes and no. If we had discovered no effect which could also seem obvious.

She continues, I find it fascinating that by responding, people are implicitly acknowledging that our food environments can have a strong influence on what we eat and other health behaviors.

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An Increase in Variety of Vegetarian Food could Tempt Carnivores to Stay Away From Meat. - DailyHealthTalks