LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Scientists in the United Kingdom have found a subtle way to get people to eat more plants and less meat, by tilting menus toward plant-based options.
The new research, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, involved three separate experiments, according to The Guardian, including the first scientific online study of plant-based menu choices.
Frances Largeman-Roth, a registered dietician and author of “Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide” joined KNX In Depth to discuss how the tilted menus work.
“I think this shows that if you make the options more available and make it feel like this is just part of what we normally eat, then people are more likely to choose those options,” she said.
“It’s taking the stigma out of ordering the plant-based menu item or the vegetarian menu item, which is usually just a pasta dish or a glorified salad.”
The UK study comes at the same time that some sustainability experts say if humans are to solve the climate crisis, they will have to cut down on meat consumption.
In some instances, experts have even suggested imposing a tax on meat eaters to discourage and effectively reduce mass consumption of animal products.
Researchers in the study broke their work into three parts — a study on the impact of altering the ratio of meat and meat-free meals on menus, a study on the impact of meal sales when more meat-free options were available and an online survey of 2,205 people in the UK based on varied menu options.
In study three they found that “increasing meat-free options from 50% to 75% increased meat-free selections” and decreasing them reduced the participants’ selection of meatless items.
“There was no evidence effects were moderated by gender, socioeconomic status or usual meat consumption,” researchers concluded.
Based on their findings, some say that altering menus to have more meatless items could be the happy medium for reducing meat consumption.
“We’re in a climate crisis, we need people to eat more plants and fewer animals. So I think this is a great option for doing that,” Largeman-Roth said.
“We’re looking at the environmental impact of raising animals and it takes a lot more natural resources to raise a cow than it does to raise a crop of rice, beans, or soybeans. So in terms of dwindling reserves of water and good soil…we have to really think about the choices we’re making and if it means a little less meat on the plate and some more plants…then I think that’s what we have to do.”
So not going meatless, she said, but changing up the ratio and relying less heavily on animal products.
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