Why You Should Eat Less Meat

Why Should You Eat Less Meat? (Spoiler – It’s Not Just for Your Health)

It used to be that meat was a treat. It was expensive. Now it’s affordable by more people. Some eat meat 3 times a day, every day of the week! But eating meat simply isn’t sustainable. Here’s why you should eat less meat.

If we don’t drastically reduce the amount of livestock we raise and eat, we’re not going to be able to sustain the population. In one 2018 study, which pointed out the damage that our huge meat consumption is causing, researchers recommend that western nations cut their meat consumption by 90 percent. That’s a LOT!

What’s The Problem? Why Is It Important to Eat Less Meat?

So what’s the problem with meat? Well, there are several.

Deforestation to make room for fields worsens climate change and soil erosion, livestock pollute and emit methane (a potent greenhouse gas), and huge amounts of water are needed to produce meat.

There Are Limits

We live on a finite planet. We have limited land space, limited water, a growing population and huge pollution. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization:-

• 26 percent of the planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing
• 33 percent of croplands are used for livestock feed production
• Livestock contribute seven percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions

Ethics and Animals

And then there’s the ethics to consider. Those who produce beef, chicken, pork and other meats have to be as efficient as possible.

Free-range is not efficient. There’s only so much space that’s suitable for raising livestock in a way that’s better for the animal and better for the environment.

Packing animals tightly into feedlots or huge barns, giving them antibiotics regularly, and feeding them grains (instead of their natural food) is cheaper, faster and easier.

Calories and Efficiency

Then you consider the calories. We grow crops to feed livestock, and for every 100 calories we feed them, we get about 20 calories back in edible calories. That’s a lousy return – it’s just plain inefficient.

Can We Continue To Eat Meat?

So, is there any way that we can continue to eat meat the way we do now?

Well, yes, but something’s got to give. You’ve got to either eat less meat – or have fewer people. Here are some ways to achieve this.

1. If you wipe out about two-thirds of the current human population, then the remaining one-third can continue to eat meat every day. Any volunteers for being part of the two-thirds to be wiped out?
2. If we ALL eat less meat — say a couple of times a week at most — that could make well-raised meat possible for all because meat consumption would be much lower overall. Even if you don’t want to go completely vegetarian, if you eat less meat and more fresh vegetables and fruits, it’s much healthier. But will everyone do so?
3. Or half of the world’s population could go vegetarian. Fully 50% of the whole world.
4. Or you could choose to eat lab-grown meat. It’s a concept that takes a bit of getting used to (I haven’t made up my mind about it yet). But it appears to be a low-impact way to get your meat fix, because it needs much, much less water, land and energy, and creates less pollution.

The alternatives aren’t very attractive, are they? But we need to change our habits, and also producers, transporters, retailers and consumers need to reduce food waste.

There are no easy answers, but whatever way you look at it, all of us need to eat less meat.

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Warm regards,

P.S.  Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.