Our Planet Earth

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating less meat can not only improve your health, but it can also improve the health of the world.  A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women could be prevented if people decreased their intake of red meat to an average of 1 ounce per day.  The mortality rate associated with the consumption of red meat stems from various health issues, such as an increased risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers.  This particular study was done with a group of over 500,000 Americans. 

Also published with these findings was an editorial suggesting that a reduction in meat consumption would have a positive impact on the health of the planet. The focus was on the following three areas:

Water Supply - It described how raising livestock requires up to 5 times the amount of water required to grow basic food crops and how erosion and water contamination are additional side effects of livestock production.

Climate - It compares the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created by transportation versus the amount caused by livestock, with livestock producing the greatest.   

Biodiversity - It paints a picture of the significant losses of native plant and animal species due to the  expansion of grazing land and feed crops into areas heavily populated with wild life.  This has caused livestock and wildlife to interact in extremely negative ways.

Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D. plead for us to do our part and cut back on eating red meat.  We’ll experience “better personal health” and hopefully reap the benefits of a “healthier world”.

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