Every March 7th is observed around the world as Plant Power Day. This is a holiday that raises awareness about the benefits of plant-based diets — both to people and to the environment. Although the definition of the term “plant-based” may mean different things to different people, the reality of the situation is that everyone should be eating more plants and fewer animal-based proteins.

Increasing vegetable intake lowers the risk of certain types of cancer, lower body weight, and a reduction in the risk of death from heart disease. It also helps the environment as growing vegetables doesn’t have the negative impacts on our air and water as raising and slaughtering animals do.

The History Of Plant Power Day

People have known about the benefits of plant-based diets for thousands of years now. In fact, some of the earliest evidence of a vegetarian diet goes back to 3,300 B.C. in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.

Vegetarianism has also been espoused by philosophers and spiritual leaders all throughout history. During the 19th century, the vegetarianism movement began to spread across Europe and the United States and was even mentioned in the poet Percy Shelly’s 1813 book, “ A Vindication of Natural Diet.”

Several vegetarian organizations would arise during this time and they further spread the news about the importance of following a vegetarian diet. As far as the history of Plant Power Day goes, however, we were able to discover that it was created by the European company known as Alpro in 2018.

This is a company that specializes in plant-based products, so it’s really no surprise that they would create a holiday that advocated for a more plant-based diet. Even so, people around the world have found meaning in this holiday and as such, its popularity continues to grow year in and year out.

Observing Plant Power Day

The most obvious way for people to observe Plant Power Day is to adopt a plant-based diet, but we understand that some people may be reluctant to just jump into this type of diet with both feet.

Besides, adopting a plant-based diet may mean different things to different people. Some people may think that it’s just adding more plants to their omnivorous primarily meat-based diet, and other people may take it to mean adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.

There’s no wrong answer as to what diet is the best, so we urge people who are still on the fence about changing their diet to do their own research. They can do so with a trip to the library or by searching for the hashtag #PlantPowerDay on social media to see what other people are doing for this holiday.