Eating Less Meat

There is plenty of gray area in between "full carnivore" and "vegan." Eating less meat could mean decreasing the amount of meat you eat, eating meats that are less environmentally harmful, or not eating meat at all.

Why should I reduce meat consumption?

"Nothing will improve the chance of survival on this earth as much as the step towards a vegetarian lifestyle" - Albert Einstein

Raising animals for meat contributes to environmental problems including land and energy use and abuse, water waste and pollution. There are also health benefits.

The Environment

1. Overgrazing and Erosion: When cattle and livestock overgraze, they trample and destroy plantlife and soil. In the US, 70% of land in the West is used for grazing, much of it causing irrevocable loss of habitat and native life. Because cattle pack the ground in, rainwater cannot always penetrate the ground and an area becomes barren dirt. This type of land can no longer support wildlife.

2. Deforestation: Cattle ranching is a major cause of deforestation. Forests in the tropics are commonly cut and burned so more cattle can graze. Every year, 5 million acres of rainforest are destroyed in South and Central America to create grazeland for cattle. Many animals and plants are becoming extinct due to this loss of habitat.

3. Water Pollution: Feed animals contribute over 10 times as much waste as we do in municipal solid waste (this is the waste collected by public or private garbage collectors from homes, businesses, and the government). This waste causes 16 percent of our common water quality problems. When manure runs into streams, rivers, and lakes, and oceans, it results in algae blooms. Fish and other plants die because the oxygen gets used up.

• The U.S. Department of agriculture reported that the failure of a lagoon containing hog waste in North Carolina released 25 million gallons of waste into nearby fields, streams, and a river. Almost all aquatic life within a 17-mile stretch of the river was killed.
• Fertilizers, manure, and agricultural chemicals washed from the Mississippi have created "The Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a 7,000 square mile lifeless expanse at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Recently, 30,000 fish in the Chesapeake Bay were killed by pfiesteria, a dangerous microbe known as the "cell from hell." It was unleashed on the public when poultry manure, spread on farmland, leached into the water.
• Animal manure in water is the source of giardia, which causes an sickness that results in severe digestive distress.

4. Water Waste: The production of meat is also responsible for about 18 percent of our total water consumption. It takes 408 gallons of water to produce one serving of chicken, and 600-2607 gallons of water to produce one pound of steak.

Your Health

Numerous studies link a vegetarian diet with better health, longer life spans, and a decreased risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease. Though many people are convinced that you can't get enough protein or other nutrients without eating meat, the American Dietary Association and other scientists agree that you can stay strong and healthy without any meat in your diet. In fact, excess protein has been linked to heart disease, strokes, various cancers, kidney stones, osteoporosis and late-onset diabetes.

• Studies on calcium loss have shown that as protein consumption increases, so does calcium loss. In addition, meat protein (which is higher in the sulphur-containing amino acids) causes GREATER calcium loss than the same quantity of protein in soy beans.
• In addition, a 1983 Michigan State University study found that by age 65, male vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 3%; male meat-eaters, 18%; female vegetarians, 7%; female meat-eaters 35%. This makes vegetarian protein better in fighting off osteoporosis than meat.
• 1/3 of all cancers are attributable to diet-- not meat-deprived diets!
• Meat, Dairy and Eggs are the leading cause of human-exposure to dioxin, one of the most dangerous toxins known to man. Dioxin leads to hormone disruption and other neurological problems.
• Tim Byers, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver believes "The science base is very strong that fruits and vegetables are protective for all the gastrointestinal cancers and all the smoking-related cancers." This includes cancers of the lung, colon, stomach, mouth, larynx, esophagus, and bladder. This research and assessment is also supported by The American Cancer Society, and The National Cancer Institute.
• Numerous epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that vegetarians are nearly 50 percent less likely to die from cancer than non-vegetarians.
• Consistent evidence links meat-eating with certain forms of cancer. In a study of 50,000 male health professionals, Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School concluded that "Men who eat red meat as a main dish five or more times a week have four times the risk of colon cancer of men who eat red meat less than once a month."
• Frequent red-meat eaters in the same study were also twice as likely to get prostate cancer.
• Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Studies indicate that a vegetarian diet can decrease the risk of heart disease, with one study demonstrating that a vegetarian diet with exercise could REVERSE atherosclerosis-- hardening of the arteries.

How to Eat Less Meat

Three major ways you can decrease your impact in eating meat include decreasing the amount of meat you eat, changing the meats that you eat, and/or stopping meat-eating eat altogether.

Eat Less

Think about the amount of meat that you eat, and set reduction goals. You could make an effort to replace some meat dishes with healthy, protein-rich vegetarian substitutes like Gardenburgers, soynuts, or tofu lasagna. Many vegetarian magazines, cookbooks, and weblinks provide useful tips about yummy and satisfying meatless meals.

Eat Different Meats

Many scientists and environmental groups agree that there are degrees of badness when eating meat, with cows generally ending up as the #1 worst. In terms of the amount of land use and fecal waste (and therefore water pollution) the animals produce, the Union of Concerned Scientists claims that, from worst to best are beef, chicken, and then pigs. Turkeys, sheep and other animals are at the low end, accounting for 9% of animal waste.

Furthermore, much of the rainforest land cleared for animal use becomes occupied by cows. Cows can have an extremely damaging effect on natural eco-systems, ranging from soil erosion to compaction and the release of global warming methane gases. So, if you can't bear to be without some meat in your day, go for items lower on the list. You could also switch to organic meat, which supports a decrease in pesticide and chemical fertilizer use.

Don't Eat Meat at All

Many environmental advocates support the adoption of a vegetarian diet. Eating lower on the foodchain helps to save water, and energy, decrease many forms of pollution, and enhances your health.