### What is a plant-based diet?

A plant-based diet can be flexible. The goal is to avoid meat, poultry, and seafood, and limit egg and dairy products, but you can choose to still eat those foods occasionally. However you slice it, almost all animal products have a higher carbon footprint than plants. Animals eat a lot of feed, and that feed requires water, fertilizer, and land to grow. It’s more efficient to go directly to the source and get our energy from plants.

[Project Drawdown](https://drawdown.org/news/insights/the-powerful-role-of-household-actions-in-solving-climate-change) has ranked plant-rich diets as the highest-impact climate action for households and individuals:

### Getting started

Going plant-based is a lifestyle change, not just a diet. For most people, transitioning to plant-based food is a very gradual process. Starting with small, incremental changes is the best recipe for your success. Maybe this week you start experimenting with a couple of plant-based meals, and maybe the week after you try seitan or tempeh for the first time. It's important that you find what works for you, not stress about following a rigid diet to a tee.

### Explore guide actions

Check out the actions for the **Go plant-based** guide below:

## Learn the impact of animal proteins

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## Learn about plant-based nutrition

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## Find and save plant-based recipes

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## Find plant-based eateries near you

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## Substitute meat for a plant-based alternative, for one meal

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## Create a plant-based summer meal

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## Swap cow milk for a plant-based alternative

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## Try meat-free Mondays

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## Replace meat and dairy snacks

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## Prioritize fruits and veggies over meat

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## Cut out red meat from your diet

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## Cut out all meat from your diet

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## 🗓️ Progress tracker: Plant-based diet

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