Eat Less Meat for More Sustainable Living

Overconsuming Meat Hurts the Planet and Your Body

People mistakenly believe that they need protein from animal flesh to survive. This is only true if you’re stranded at the North Pole in winter with no provisions! The reality is, you should eat less meat. Animal flesh provides too much protein for the human body to process, which leads to obesity and cancer. Rampant meat consumption harms is not sustainable for your body, and it’s definitely not environmentally sustainable for the Earth.

• More than one-third of all grain in the world is used to feed livestock instead of people
• Growing massive quantities of grain for cattle requires more toxic, cancer-causing pesticides and herbicides
• Cattle take up 24 percent of the world’s land mass; massive deforestation occurs, including in the Amazon rainforest, to make room for pasture
• Overgrazing depletes rich topsoil
• A full one-half of all water consumed in the U.S. is to grow grain to feed cattle
• It takes only 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat, but it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce on pound of meat
• If water used by the U.S. meat industry weren’t subsidized by taxpayers, ground beef would cost $35 per pound.
• It takes one gallon of gasoline to produce one pound of grain-fed beef
  

Factory Farms

Many people also mistakenly believe that the cows, pigs and chickens they eat are raised on sustainable, environmentally friendly family farms. But the ugly truth is, cows, pigs and chickens come from massive factory farms, also called confined animal feeding operations. These massive operations are the polar opposite of sustainable living and being environmentally friendly.

Manure

Livestock in confined animal feeding operations produce 500 million tons of manure. This manure is not processed in an environmentally sustainable manner. It is sprayed onto croplands at rates the ground cannot absorb or stored in open-air waste lagoons. These behemoth pits leak and spill into groundwater, streams, rivers and lakes, killing wildlife and posing serious health risks to humans.

Waste

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, cow, hog and chicken waste has contaminated 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and polluted groundwater, which supplies underground drinking water aquifers, in 17 states.

Solution

Eat Less Meat to Help Conserve Natural Resources

Go Green Tips

Eat chicken, fish and vegetables instead of red meat one day per week; this will reduce the same amount of global warming and greenhouse gases as driving 1,000 miles less

Eat less meat by limiting yourself to no more than three meat meals per week.

Eat less meat, especially red meat and dairy products, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Cows produce an inordinate amount of methane gas. That’s right, cow farts exacerbate global warming and climate change! You have to remember, thousands upon thousands of cows are pent up in buildings the size of several football fields; they never venture outdoors into fresh air.

When you do eat meat, opt for organic and/or local sources. These sources are raised in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, and they contain more nutrients. If you really want to go green, go grass-fed!

Don’t forget about fish in your quest to eat less meat: It’s a lean source of protein. But don’t eat more than once per week to reduce mercury intake. Types that are harvested in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner that also provide omega-3 fatty acids are wild Alaska salmon and sardines.

Super Green Tips

Eliminate beef, pork and poultry from your Eat Less Meat Diet Strategy altogether. It’s easiest to go green in this manner gradually over time by choosing to eat less meat instead of going cold turkey. This will give your teeth time to adjust to softer textures.

Shifting to an entirely meat-free diet reduces global warming and climate change greenhouse gases the same amount as driving 8,000 miles less

Protein
When you eat less meat, it’s very, very important to remember that your body still needs protein. Ideal protein sources for the human body include beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, hummus, nut butters and the occasional fish. You should get more protein than carbs at every meal and snack.

Save the planet and your health

When you go green and eat less meat, you’re not only saving the planet, but you’re saving your health. Let’s just say that you don’t want to know what animals in confined animal feeding operations are fed. But here are some hints: stale junk food from bakery outlets; other dead animals, which causes Mad Cow Disease; and other animals’ feces. Now that’s something that will definitely make you want to eat less meat! -supergreenme