We hear that eating meat is bad for the environment. But just how big an impact does it have compared to other actions? I’ve made a lot of changes in my quest to live a greener life, but giving up meat isn’t one of them.
Today, I look at some facts about the health and environmental impacts of eating meat. I’ve also got 7 small changes I’ve made to reduce the role meat plays in my diet.
This post was originally published in June 2021 and updated in January 2023.
Meat consumption has increased
It’s true. In most western cultures, people eat too much meat.
In fact, global meat consumption has increased dramatically since the 1960s. Some of that is because the global population has increased. More people need more food, right? That’s true to a point, but this BBC article shows that meat consumption is linked to income, with wealthier countries eating more meat than poorer countries.
Who’s at the top of the list in terms of the amount of meat consumed? The United States and Australia. But, Canada, the U.K. and most of Europe aren’t far behind.
So what’s the impact of eating all that meat?
The environmental impact of eating meat
First, let’s look at the environmental impact.
According to Greenpeace, the livestock sector generates as many greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks and automobiles combined. Greenpeace further reports that millions of square kilometres of forests have been clear-cut to provide grazing space for livestock. That’s not good.
But the data on the true impact of eating meat on the environment is mixed. Skeptical Science cites a report from the World Resources Institute showing that agriculture is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions behind energy, transportation and manufacturing.
And, this article from The Guardian points out that all meat is not created equal. Beef is by far the worst offender in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
In his documentary “A Life On Our Planet”, Sir David Attenborough makes 5 suggestions to re-wild the world and reverse the damage humans have done to our environment. One of those suggestions is to return land to wilderness. We can achieve this by eating less meat. Raising plants instead of cattle increases the yield of the land.
Whichever side of the coin you choose to look at, it’s hard to deny that eating meat does have an impact on the environment. But, do we need to give it up completely?
Health impact of eating meat
In addition to the environmental impact, there’s evidence of the health benefits of a plant-based diet.
This article from Harvard provides a pretty balanced view of the advantages and disadvantages of eating meat. It states that high consumption of red and processed meats contribute to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The article goes on to say that replacing red and processed meats with nuts, seeds, fish and poultry seems to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
From a health perspective, what we eat is only part of the problem. How much we eat is a huge contributor to high levels of obesity. It’s no secret that, as portion sizes, along with our consumption of sugary drinks, fast food, and meat has increased so has the size of our waistlines.
Most health experts agree that meat and other animal proteins should form a much smaller part of our diets than they do today. In the latest version of Canada’s Food Guide, “meat and alternatives” was replaced with “protein foods” acknowledging the role that non-meat proteins play in a healthy diet.
Why I’m not giving up meat
So, the evidence suggests that eating less meat, rather than giving up meat altogether, can have a positive impact on our health and the environment.
But I’m still not ready to give up meat. There are two main reasons a vegetarian diet wouldn’t be a good choice for me.
First, my husband is a carnivore – a meat and potatoes guy. Not surprising considering he was raised on a beef farm. For him, a meal isn’t a meal unless there’s something that once flew, swam or roamed the earth on the plate. Honestly, if I were vegetarian, it would just complicate my life! And, if you’re a regular reader, you know I like to keep things simple.
Secondly, I like to eat meat. I like lots of other foods too, and I don’t need meat at every meal, but I enjoy meat. So, when it comes right down to it, I don’t really want to give it up completely.
So I’m not giving up meat and I’m okay with that choice. That said, with the environmental and health impacts in mind, I am taking steps to reduce and change the role meat plays in my diet.
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7 ways to eat less meat
Here are 7 small changes I’ve made to reduce the amount of meat in my diet. If you want to eat less meat, give some of these a try.
No meat before 5
A great place to start is limiting meat consumption to one meal a day. With the exception of the odd weekend breakfast, I avoid eating meat at breakfast and lunch.
1 or 2 meatless days a week
After cutting back meat to one meal a day, meatless days are the next logical step. I try to have at least one, and sometimes two, meatless days every week.
Reduce portion size
At the meals where I do eat meat, I eat smaller portions. This means more veggies and grains, and less meat on the plate.
Eat at restaurants with vegetarian options
We rarely eat out, preferring to make our meals at home. When we do dine out, I look for restaurants with vegetarian options. That way, my husband can have his steak and I can have a meatless dish.
Only eat meat I really like
While I like meat, I don’t like all kinds of meat. I prefer fish, beef, chicken and turkey but I’m not a big fan of pork. I especially dislike pork chops. So, when my husband eats pork chops, I usually choose a vegetarian meal.
Experiment with meatless versions of favourite dishes
Many dishes that we eat are just as good without meat. I made vegetarian chili for the first time a few years ago, and it was delicious. I haven’t made chili with meat since.
The same goes for lasagna and stir-fry. Vegetarian options taste great. Try some! I bet you won’t miss the meat.
Limit beef consumption
Finally, the statistics around beef compared to other forms of meat are eye-opening. I do enjoy a good steak in the summer and roast beef dinner in the winter. But, for health and environmental reasons, I’m limiting my beef consumption to once a week.
I’ve always said that my journey to live a more sustainable life is about progress, not perfection. Eating less meat, rather than eliminating it from my diet altogether, is consistent with that philosophy. It’s a choice I’m okay with.
Where do you stand on this debate? Have you reduced the amount of meat you eat? Tell me your thoughts below.
Great post Michelle! It’s interesting how things happen in waves with people hopping on bandwagons mindlessly. I’m not a huge fan of red meat, but I eat it because I have serious anemia issues and my docs keep encouraging me to eat it. As for other forms of animal protein, they taste good and life is too short to stop eating any animal products because it worked well for someone. We are all different with different lifestyles as you so beautifully illustrated, and we should do what works best for each of us.
Thanks Shelly. I agree with you. I could possibly be mostly vegetarian but I could never be vegan. I love cheese and eggs too much for that!
I really enjoyed this as I too feel the same about meat. My dad is like your husband therefore while staying home, it can be difficult to eat less meat but when living away or travelling I tend to stick to vegetarian or vegan meals. I do enjoy meat so couldn’t give it up altogether but there are wonderful alternatives out there so I enjoy the ni meat lifestyle too but come Christmas Day – I can’t resist white pudding! I also love black pudding but am great,y reducing my meat intake and selecting vegan versions of things like Mayo and yogurt, if everyone did little thing steps then this would go a long way to helping the planet!
Thank you for shairing, more awareness is needed so very useful!
Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment, Zoe. I was inspired to write this post by a very judgmental post about eating meat on our internal social platform at work. I admire people who live a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle but it’s not for everyone. As you say, if we all took small steps, we’d be in a much better place.
Thanks for the amazing tips. Going to try these. I struggle with this as my family loves their meat and I’d be quite happy to let it go completely – but so hard when I’m the one making the meals. I’m just too tired to make myself a separate meal. If anything I’d be happy with 2 meat meals a week and the rest vegetarian or vegan. I am making more plant based meals but wish I could do more!
It is hard when your family likes to eat meat. Now that my girls are grown, I find it easier to make myself something different once or twice a week. My younger daughter, who’s still at home, joins me in eating perogies and meatless pasta dishes while my husband enjoys his meat and potatoes.
My family will not be going vegetarian any time soon; we enjoy the versatility of beef and chicken alongside our foraged wild greens and vegetables. That said, we stay clear of meat in the supermarkets and buy from local farmers who raise their animals on pesticide free grass and without growth hormones. It feels good to eat food we could go and look at.
I think there is a lot to be said for responsible farming but, given mass consumption, I can also understand why the meat industry is one of the leading in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
That’s probably why my husband likes his beef so much. Growing up, they used to eat the beef they raised on the farm.
Thank you for yet another well-researched, level-balanced blog post about what each of us can do to help lower our human impact on the amazing ecosystems which support all life on planet earth. I wonder what underlies folks like your husband’s desire/demand that he continue to eat meat every day? I think you have written about having children, yes? And maybe they will have grandchildren? Can he not bring himself to imagine the possibly horrific future for them? Is it simply that the layers of disasters (floods, fires, droughts, famines, more refugees, more wars. more new diseases) that climate change is likely to bring are too overwhelming to contemplate/process/accept? Or does the recent the analysis of cattle farming as being particularly impactful regarding climate change feel like it tarnishes his family’s agricultural history? I am truly curious why more folks don’t awaken to our current and rapidly escalating challenges. Getting back to my own situation, I’ve definitely been influenced by your great blog along with some comments by a friend to eat less meat. Once a day tops. And smaller portion sizes. I’ve also been inspired by a recent “Fresh Air” radio interview with your fellow Canadian Seth Rogen to experiment with only eating two meals per day — lunch and dinner — so that my body has more time to digest, rest and repair (apparently 16 hours of non-eating each day can bestow a variety of health benefits…) Please keep researching and writing. I will keep reading!
Thanks Will. You raise a really good point. I suppose if I have learned anything in 27 years of marriage, it’s not to waste time and energy on unwinnable battles. My husband was raised on a beef farm, eating meat every day. He will continue to do that until he takes his last breath. It’s not up for discussion. I instead focus on influencing in other areas.
I know a lot of people who only eat twice a day. This goes against how we were all raised to believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s not something I’ve ever seriously considered. When I don’t eat breakfast, I find my energy levels plummet but maybe that’s because my body isn’t used to it.
I stopped eating meat about 3/4 years ago. I’ve got used to not eating it and find I don’t miss it and, it hasn’t had a detrimental effect on my health.
My partner eats meat when we eat out!
That’s great Rachel. I honestly think I could eat even less meat than I do, but my husband wouldn’t even entertain a meatless meal.
I remember seeing a documentary and reading articles about taking bacteria from the kangaroos digestive system and introducing them to cows, to combat global warming. That was a fair few years ago now, I wonder whatever became of that idea?
I have never heard of that but it’s an interesting concept. I’ll have to do some research to see what I can find out.
I hope you can find some useful information about
I limit the amount of meat we consume here at my home as well but it isn’t something that I plan on completely cutting out. Not surprisingly, my situation is pretty similar to yours. I normally only have meat with one meal a day and I chose vegetarian dishes when I’m out.
I’ve read a lot about the harmful impacts on the environment due to how we keep livestock. I support taking small steps at home to reduce the amount of meat we use. I believe this will help lead to larger changes that will be more sustainable for the Earth.
Ha ha. Not a surprise at all that we’re aligned on this.