COMPARISON ESSAY

Through the research we did, we all learned a lot about

making our meals greener, the importance of eating seasonal
and regional food, and cutting out on foods with a high carbon
footprint- especially meat.
There are certain similarities between our conclusion and
that of our Dutch peers. We both believe that eating seasonal
fruits and vegetables is beneficial for us as well as the
environment. We also agree that eating locally grown food
can help reduce the carbon footprint, as it isn’t transported
over large distances.
There are some major differences between our eating habits.
We both know that we should cut out on meat but only our
team has managed to do that, as all our members are
vegetarians and our sources of proteins are plant based. The
members of the other team eat excessive amounts of meat
every day, and their sources of proteins are animal based.
Indian culture encourages eating vegetarian food as it is
considered “satvik” which means “purifying the mental and
body lifestyle.” Indian meals have a variety of vegetarian
options. That is why 40% of Indian population prefers a
vegetarian diet. Only 2% of the population of Netherlands is
vegetarian, and so their meals have a higher carbon footprint
compared to the vegetarian meals we eat.
The other team needs to put in efforts to reduce the amount of
meat they eat as such large amount of meat can be harmful for
the body as well as the environment, in the long run.
We feel that they can learn about plant-based protein
alternatives from us. They said, “You need meat, it has a lot
of things in it that aren't vegetables”, but we rely on plant
based sources for proteins, and we do not have deficiency of
any nutrients. The daal (lentil soup) we eat daily has proteins
in abundance.
Food habits are part of the cultural inheritance, handed over
centuries. They also depend on factors like the climate and
geographical location of the country. Therefore, these habits
can be difficult to let go of. However, people from other
countries are understanding the scientific reasons behind
Indian habits like Yoga and vegetarian diet, and slowly
adopting these habits into their lifestyle. These changes are
not impossible to make, if one is willing to make an effort.