An Argument on Why Americans Should Become Reducitarians:
Why Americans Should Eat Less Meat
An argument for why all Americans should eat less meat. Spoiler: there are environmental and health benefits that make it worth it.
Actor and longtime environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio claims
“raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.”
He is not wrong, we are in the midst of a movement to prevent and reverse the damage we have done to our environment. For years, many have been putting in the effort to shorten their showers, to get energy-efficient light bulbs, and now to move towards using electric cars. While all of these actions do play a small part in preventing further damage to our environment there is a powerful way to reverse the effects. Americans can eat less meat to reverse some of the damage to the environment. The impact that animal agriculture has on the environment is not often discussed but should be. The impact that eating meat has on our health is also not a topic that is discussed often. Nutrition Researcher, Neal Barnard states, “The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined.” Americans take a lot of precautions to prevent developing health issues but continue to eat meat despite the negative health effects. In order to minimize the impact of animal agriculture and combat the negative effects that our growing livestock industry has on our planet and our bodies, Americans should eat less meat.
The hard to swallow truth about eating meat is how the meat got to you in the first place. We know that these farm animals must be slaughtered in order to end up on our plate, however, we try to forget this daily. Many would acknowledge that killing these animals seems morally wrong but believe that it is okay since meat has been a part of our diets for centuries. The killing of these factory farm animals is not the only harm caused to them during this process. There is little to no regulation on the living conditions of these animals or how they are transported or handled. As a result of this, many of these animals on factory farms aren’t treated as living things. Factory animals are deprived of food and water for long periods of time during transport and handled as objects when they arrive at factory farms for slaughter. David DeGrazia, author of Animal Rights: A Very Short Introduction and professor of philosophy, argues that factory farming is unethical because it causes unnecessary harm to animals. DeGrazia states
“Unusual circumstance aside--say, where one is starving and lacks alternatives--we do not need to eat meat to survive or even to be healthy” (DeGrazia).
This argument is irrefutable and an essential reason why Americans should eat less meat. The less meat that we consume collectively, the less of a need there will be for unnecessary harm to factory farm animals.
Americans should cut back on meat because of the negative effects it has on their health. Americans know that meat is a great source of protein in their diet. Americans also know that the leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease. What many Americans don’t know is that red meat contributes to the risk of heart disease. High levels of saturated fat in red meat is known to contribute to heart disease. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a dietary byproduct, is formed during digestion and has been proven to contribute to heart disease as well. At the Cleveland Clinic, a study was led by Dr. Stanley L. Hazen to determine if TMAO levels were affected by red meat. Over 100 healthy men and women were involved in this study. Each participant ate one of three diets for a month that consisted of either red meat, white meat, or a non-meat protein source. Those who were on the red meat diet had TMAO levels that were three times higher than that of the other participants (Eat Red Meat Daily). Dr. Neal Brenard comments on a similar study stating that it provides "clear evidence that if you do reduce red meat that your risk of stroke, diabetes, heart attack and cancer not only goes down, but that it's statistically significant" (Miller). These studies show the negative health impacts that eating meat has. They confirm that meat consumption in the U.S. should be minimized to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and strokes.
A person’s choice of whether or not to eat meat directly affects their own health, but collectively America’s meat consumption has a much bigger impact than that. Animal agriculture is the farming of animals to maximize animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs. This process has a greater impact on our environment than imaginable. Founders of the Plant Power Task Force, Suzy and James Cameron write, “Raising livestock for meat, eggs and milk generates 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the second highest source of emissions and greater than all transportation combined. It also uses about 70% of agricultural land, and is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution” (Cameron). While it is important to recycle and take the bus instead of driving when possible, scientists suggest that eating less meat is the best thing an individual can do for the Earth. Dicaprio agrees "Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate" (Sapia). For years, we have made efforts to move towards electric cars and solar power, but what if this effort was put towards reducing America’s meat consumption. The impact that meat consumption in America has is outrageous. If the U.S. could cut their meat consumption in half, it would be like reducing the number of cars on the road by nearly 10% (Figure 1). Therefore, these sources clarify that reducing meat consumption is necessary to help our planet.
We must cut back on meat to reduce the impact to our environment. There have been other suggestions for tackling the climate crisis that target the meat industry. For example, The Union of Concerned Scientists published a report in 2012 that said that the amount of land it takes to produce a ton of beef is three times as much land that it takes to produce a ton of poultry or pork. They suggest "shifting consumption from beef toward pork and especially poultry would be a good way to reduce the pressure for more land" (Roquemore et al., 2). The Humane Society International explains why this might not be all that beneficial. The Humane Society International states that "In Brazil, these high levels of geographical concentration can be seen in the pork and poultry industries. For example, in 1992, 78% of Brazil's hen population resided in only 5% of the country's area: in 2001, this number grew to 85%, while occupying the same total land area. Over the same time period, Brazil's pig population rose from 45% to 56% on only 5% of the country's area. This geographical concentration of farm animal production can cause significant air and water pollution" (Humane Society International, 2). While the idea of decreasing the amount of beef eaten might be helpful to decrease the amount of deforestation, it doesn't do anything to help greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, it could worsen conditions in some areas due to the consolidation of livestock to smaller areas. That's why it is important to reduce the country's consumption of all types of meat, not just red meat.
Americans must reduce their consumption of meat in order to reduce the negative effects of eating meat. Several innocent animals can be saved, we can reduce our risk of health effects like heart disease, and combat the climate crisis. Eating less meat decreases the risk of health issues like heart disease. These are a few of the many positive effects of decreasing meat consumption. It’s time we begin to reverse the effects eating meat has had on our bodies and our planet. Begin by trying "Meatless Mondays" or ordering a vegetarian dish you've never tried at your favorite restaurant. Adapting to these practices can reduce your risk of diseases and reduce your carbon footprint, so why not start there?
Figure 1: Leonardo Dicaprio giving speech at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014
Figure 2: Factory Farm pigs being held in what can't even be considered cages.
Figure 3:
Types of Red Meat:
-
Pork
-
Beef
-
Bison
-
Duck
-
Horse
-
Goose
-
Goat
-
Lamb
-
Mutton
If the U.S. cut their meat consumption in half, the impact would be the same as taking 1 out of every 10 cars off the road.
Figure 4: 10% of cars being taken off the roads.
Figure 5: 5 Benefits of Meatless Mondays!