I am disappointed that the Portland Press Herald has discontinued the Food & Dining columns of Avery Yale Kamila (“Natural Foodie”) and Jeff Peterson (“That Vegan Thing”).

Kamila’s columns on a wide variety of food issues were informative and well-written. She helped raise readers’ awareness of food issues centered on healthy, plant-based eating. On occasion, she offered her own delicious vegan recipes.

Peterson provided easy-to-make vegan recipes geared toward busy families who want to adopt healthier eating.

Both of them offered a welcome counterbalance to your columns featuring recipes that in all likelihood are tasty, but many of which are unhealthy, loaded with calories and high cholesterol.

Increasing numbers of people here in Maine and across the nation are adopting plant-based or vegan diets to get healthier; help reduce carbon emissions; curtail the inhumane treatment and abuse of farm animals, or all three.

There are numerous benefits to this diet. A growing body of scientific studies shows that a plant-based diet can prevent chronic diseases from developing. And when diseases like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers do develop, their effects can be reversed or reduced by sticking to a vegan diet.

Also, consuming fewer animals will have a positive effect on the environment and will reduce the number of animals that are inhumanely raised and killed for food. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. cattle emit about 5.5 million metric tons of methane gases per year into the atmosphere, which is 20 percent of U.S. methane production, adding to the acceleration of climate change.

I hope you will reverse your decision to eliminate these writers’ columns, and in the future include more articles centered on healthy vegan eating.

Faith Woodman

Bath