Suzy Amis Cameron and her husband, film director James Cameron are environmental activists who advocate for a plant-based lifestyle. Like Lilly Singh, who recently used her late night talk show monologue to discuss how eating meatless can save animals and the planet, Cameron spoke about the powerful benefits of a plant-based lifestyle on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.

When asked by Oprah “What change do you hope to see happen in the world?,” Cameron said something happens when you go plant-based. She mentioned there are health benefits and that our taste buds change, and we have “clarity and energy.” She continued, “I think it takes you to a level of being more open and more awake, and being more conscious on every level.”

Cameron’s book, OMD: The Simple, Plant-Based Program to Save Your Health, Save Your Waistline, and Save the Planet, is based on the premise that one meal a day can save the planet. She explained this to Oprah, as seen in the clip below:

Cameron explained the reason she, at the very least, encourages people to eat just one plant-based meal a day if they aren’t changing their entire lifestyle. She says, “Changing one of your meals a day to a plant-based meal saves 200,000 gallons of water and the carbon equivalent of driving from Los Angeles to New York.” Similarly, one can also save 50,033 gallons of water a year by not consuming dairy and 162,486 gallons of water a year by ditching burgers, bacon, and nuggets — that’s enough water for 445 people!

Not only does eating plant-based conserve water, but it also reduces your carbon footprint as Cameron also mentions. Something not mentioned by her is that eating plant-based also saves the lives of animals!

Oprah and Cameron also discussed Muse School, the sustainable school founded by Cameron.

Muse School is the first K-12 school in the country to be 100 percent solar powered, zero-waste, with a 100 percent organic plant-based lunch program. In the school, people are informed and educated about getting the right nutrients, amount of protein, calcium, essential fatty acids, etc. It’s a great way of teaching future generations the important of a plant-based lifestyle, and more importantly, how to do it right in a way that’s healthy!

Cameron also mentioned that the documentary Forks Over Knives was her wake-up call to transition to a plant-based diet. If you’d like to watch similar documentaries, check out our list of last year’s Must-Watch Health, Food & Animal Documentaries.

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