Can Eating Less Meat Save the Planet and Your Health?

by WiredBerries Editors — November 23, 2007

Dr. Robert Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health says that a diet shift away from heavy meat consumption would benefit the body and environment. Because, he says, it takes much more energy and land to produce meat than fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Recent studies support that argument. Last year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that the meat sector of the global economy is responsible for at least 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions! Similar calculations were made in a study in September in the medical journal Lancet.

Studies have shown eating a lot of red meat is linked to a higher risk for colon cancer and a wide range of other ailments. The average American man eats 1.6 times as much meat as the government recommends, Lawrence said.

Many people have a false conception that they need to eat lots of meat to get enough protein, but nutritionists say that isn't the case. Whether you eat little or no meat, you can still find plenty of ways to get enough protein in your diet says Dr. Rajesh Vishwanathan. He says believing diets need to be high in animal protein is a "very common misconception in America." Vishwanathan explains that "a varied vegetarian diet with a balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates, and adequate calorie intake provides more than enough protein."