How to Eat Meat Sustainably Without Compromising on Flavor or Planetary Health

A person who is concerned about the environment may wonder if eating meat is good for the environment or not. Not many people know that food production affects the environment, as the process uses the land and water. This is why consuming foods which take up lesser resources and do not significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions are said to be good for the planet.

Foods that are derived from plants are considered more eco-friendly than animal products, such as meat. Vegetarian or vegan diets are often labeled as sustainable.

However, there are other things to consider when one evaluates the environmental impact of meat. There can be other ways to eat meat in a more sustainable way that one is not aware of, such as eating less of it and not completely giving it up.

In this article we will discuss the significance of meat’s environmental footprint and also talk about tips for eating meat in an eco-friendly manner.

Raising animals for food requires large quantities of water and land and also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through manure, animal feed and methane expelled through burping.

The fact is livestock is responsible for about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions that contributes to climate change and moreover raising livestock industrially leads to soil erosion, deforestation, air pollution and freshwater contamination. ⁽¹⁾

Beef is known to have an increased environmental impact than pork, dairy, eggs, fish or chicken; however, the footprint of these foods differs depending on how they are produced. ⁽²⁾

Foods that are whole and minimally processed, such as plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and olive oil have lowest environmental impacts. ⁽²⁾

However, it is difficult to compare every type of plant and animal product. There are some plant foods, such as highly processed items or certain nuts that have increased environmental impacts than other plant-based foods.

The scale of meat production is also an important factor, when trying to gauge the meat’s ecological impact, as there are many variables in the debate regarding the role of livestock in climate change.

There are lot of resources which go into meat industry and it also contributes to a lot of climate change than plant foods. However, there are some meat production methods that are more sustainable than others.

Beef is also thought to be the worse for the environment in all the meats; however, there are few studies which tell us otherwise.

A good example would be there is efficient production of beef in the United States when compared to other countries. This is thanks to the new development in feed additives and better breeding that helps the farmers use lesser cattle to feed more people and thus reduce the negative environmental effect. ^{(3, 4)}

Making changes to the diet of the dairy cows to include a specific type of seaweed has shown to improve the digestion in the cows and cut down on the methane emissions by about 60%. This reduction in beef cattle from seaweed supplements can be around 80%. ⁽⁵⁾

Present research tells us that the American beef production contributes to about 3.7% of national greenhouse gas emissions and below 0.5% of emissions worldwide. The complete agriculture industry consists of 10% of American emissions and the transportation industry comprises of about 29%.⁽⁵⁾

So, it can be clearly seen that good and proper cattle management leads to lot of benefits to the environment. Even though the beef cattle production releases more greenhouse gases than pork, poultry or dairy, majority of the American cattle is raised on land which is not suitable for growing vegetables and other plant foods. So, making use of such land to raise meat is considered an efficient way to feed people. ⁽⁶⁾ Moreover, beef and other meats have numerous health benefits with them being rich in in protein and having lot of vital micronutrients.

There are many communities in America and all over the world who rely on livestock for jobs as well as nutrition. Also, there may be some individuals for whom nutritionally sufficient plant-based diets are not easily accessible and if they reduce their meat consumption, then it can cause harm to their livelihoods and nutrition. For some people, consumption of meat can also be an important part of their tradition or culture.

In the end, we can confidently conclude that well-managed cattle help in keeping the land and soil healthy. The use of correct grazing techniques helps in increasing the resilience of the land to floods and also holds carbon within the soil instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Correct grazing techniques consist of grazing cows on long grasses and preventing soil degradation with their hooves and overgrazing resulting in healthy, long roots of the grass that are equipped to handle sequester carbon and water in the ground and thus benefitting the environment.⁽⁷⁾

Grazing cows also can help in preventing wildfires by reducing the amount of grass present to catch fire.⁽⁸⁾

All kinds of food production will affect the environment in some way and it depends on the manner in which it is produced. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) which are also known as feedlots can have lot of negative environmental effect. ⁽⁹⁾

Animals present in CAFOs are not allowed to graze and are kept in close quarters. This leads to contamination of their manure, the surrounding water, land and air and moreover the crowded manner in which they are kept acts as a good a breeding ground for infection and disease that easily can spread to humans. ⁽¹⁰⁾

Grass-fed, pasture-raised, grass-finished, and meat and animal products are considered more eco-friendly than meat raised in feedlots or CAFOs.

Meat and meat products affect the environment more than plant foods. Meat production requires large amounts of land and other resources, however, there are some techniques in raising animals that when incorporated help in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

It is a complicated debate when it comes to assessing the environmental impact of meat. There are a few environmental advocates which recommend in completely shunning animal products and meat to combat climate change and many who support retaining the animal products in eco-friendly diets.

Overall, it can be safely said that consumption of whole, minimally processed plant foods is the way to go and these include vegetables fruits, legumes and whole grains. It is recommended to cut down on the overall meat intake and consume sustainably raised animal products.

Some ways to incorporate meat in a eco-friendly and environmentally conscious diet are:

Always check the label before buying any sort of meat product and restrict or avoid products that come from feedlot or CAFO.

If you can’t make out from the label if the meat comes from pasture-raised or grass-fed sources, then it is likely from a CAFOs.

The overall impact on the local ecosystem from pasture-raised or grass-fed cows is much lower.

It is beneficial to consume meat in small amounts, such as in the form of side dish or as a garnish, as this will help in cutting down on the overall meat intake.

Cook meals that are primarily comprised of plant foods but also have small amounts of meat, such as eating salads with beans as the primary source of protein with some slices of chicken or you can eat stir-fries with lot of vegetables and grains with small quantity of beef in it.

You can purchase a package of sustainably raised meat from local farms that offer meat shares which you can pick up each week, month, or quarter.

Don’t force yourself to cut out meat all at once. Some helpful ways to eat less meat without completely eliminating it from your diet and benefit the environment are:

• Meatless Monday is an international movement which encourages individuals to go meat-free on Mondays to reduce their meat intake.
• Plan ahead and prepare plant-based lunches.
• Try eating meat only for dinner.
• Take one serving of meat and spread it out to use it in multiple recipes.
• Meat can be added in small quantities to many vegetarian recipes as a garnish or as a side dish.
• One can also make vegetarian burger patties with whole grain, beans, and a small amount of meat. You can also change your favorite taco recipe using half meat and half mushrooms in it.
• Cooking the remaining meat in a bean-based chili is a good way to incorporate meat in your diet in a sustainable manner that is good for the environment.
• Concentrate on adding new plant derived foods in your diet. If you are finding it difficult to cut down on your meat intake for any reason then focus on trying different new vegetarian foods.
• There are various recipes to be found online where meat is replaced with plant food without compromising on the taste, such as lentils can also be used to make “meatloaf” which is meat-free.

Like any type of food, meat also needs resources to produce. It usually has bigger environmental footprint when compared to plant foods, still the entire picture is not that simple.

Meat produced from animals that are raised in CAFOs affect water, soil, air, surrounding communities and cause increased global warming than compared to meat taken from animals that are grass-fed and pasture-raised. On the other hand, farming of plant foods is thought to be more eco-friendly.

If you want to follow a diet that is eco-friendly while not giving up on the meat consumption, then you can try to control the portion of meat dishes and eat it along with minimally processed and whole plant foods. When buying meat, read the label carefully and always go for grass-fed, pasture-raised or sustainably raised options that are good for the environment.

References: