Comments on: Meat – Is it Bad for the Planet?

By: Deanna

Deanna — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:26:51 +0000

I get my bison from a small ranch in North Dakota, no hormones or antibiotics! It’s leaner than beef, and they’re easier on the environment than cows. GO BISON!

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:40:50 +0000

For those who think that there are other things that need to be addressed first know that The Poo from these animals are Their biggest pollution problem?

Its poisoning our fish, our wetlands,Oceans, and our Crops!…
Meat is NOT green…I dont care what you WANT to think, for humans to maintain life on this planet people need to be willing to cut there consumption…not having to give it up fully But to know that Eating meat daily IS killing our planet!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:19:03 +0000

I came across this while working on a paper for a class. I am exploring the idea of going green and trying to decide if it is possible. One article that I found talked about looking at all of the aspects before considering what you are doing to be “green”. My family owns and operates a fairly large hog operation and I have been raising a few head of market beef for the past 8 years. And to say the least this “blog” kinda irritated me! I would say that while some of your facts may be true you should probably look into some of them a little more. The state DNR keeps a close eye on all farmers and now a days you have to go through a course in order to spread manure. If you are found to have contaminated the water you will be heavaly fined! I don’t think all the blame can be put on the farmers. What about the people who live around the lake and have to have their perfact lawn with no weeds. And to make sure they don’t have any weeds they double up the recipe of chemicals and spray that on their lawn and then they turn their sprinklers on and it runs into the lake/ river. Also if exporting and importing animals is so bad for the enviornment why do we do it? I’m sure the U.S. would be perfactly fine if we didn’t import animals. And if exporting food is so bad why don’t we just keep our corn here to feed our beef because if we export it it will be bad for the enviornment. We could also use our corn and soybeans to make ethanol and soy diesels which is better for the enviornment than oil we have imported.
Above I read that some people were unhappy about the way animals are treated. I would like to know if they have ever spent time working with these animals? You can’t treat them like a little puppy dog. They are not going to follow you around when you are trying to get them to move. I know that it is not nesassary to beat them with a rod, a hand slap is not going to kill them. Most people dealing with the animals know what they are doing. It turns bad when you get some big headed authority coming into a plant and shutting down the plant for 14 hours just becuase one pig was shot because it didn’t die on the kill line. Remember the plant was shut down 14 hours on a 90 degree summer day! Approximately 20 trucks (each truck holds around 170 pigs) had to sit outside until the plant was reopened. Now what was inhumane there?! I think there are things that need to be looked at harder before saying that meat is bad!

By: Cara

Cara — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:41:39 +0000

My husband and I went vegetarian three years ago. We slowly started to eliminate meat 4 years ago and haven’t looked back. We feel great and are loving the money we are saving. We have decided to raise our daughter vegetarian until she can make her own decision. The book, “Becoming a Vegetarian” is a must read if you would like some hard data on how to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients you need.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:02:56 +0000

While I am not advocating a meat-at-every-meal diet, humans most certainly are designed to eat animal products of some sort. There is NO other natural source of Vitamin B12 and we need that. I hope the vegans are taking their supplements!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:02:21 +0000

Although you are right about avoiding meat, be careful of promoting soy – it is NOT the health food we’ve been led to believe it is. See mercola.com for explanation.

By: Carla

Carla — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:37:26 +0000

From Linda #22
“For those who have said they have had health issues on a vegan diet, it may because you were eating too much processed junk foods instead of fresh fruits and veggies. Also, you could try blue-green algae to fill in what some may be missing. ”

Actually, I was a raw vegan (no junk food there!), ate tons of organic fruits and veggies, spriluna, wheat grass, blue/green algae and so on. There were the problems I developed in nine months:
-hair loss
-Candida (I guess from all of the fruit) I was always HUNGRY so fruit seemed to be the best way to go.
-gray teeth (I could never explain that one)
- arrhythmia
-low blood pressure
-horrible mood swings
-very painful and heavy periods
-Eventually no periods and tons of ovarian cysts. I have PCOS anyway so that diet just make it worse.

Once I got off that diet, most of the symptoms vanished in weeks, some of them days. Now I am very healthy, excellent cholesterol, no more Candida (had to do a few cleanses) no ovarian cysts, no insulin resistance; I can go on.

I think people need to realize that there is no one size fit all when it comes to diet and nutrition. I would never expect everyone to adhere to an omnivore, soy-free, sugar-free, high-GI fruit, corn-free, legume-free, grain and gluten free diet. But that’s what I have to do to feel, look, and be healthy.

By: Linda M

Linda M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:12:33 +0000

Thanks for the great article! I’ve been vegan 12 years and also have a bachelor’s degree in nutrition/dietetics and am raising my kids vegetarian as well. I’ve felt amazingly healthy since my diet change. It’s a very healthy way to eat as long as your not a “junk food vegan.” (There’s a lot of crappy foods that are vegan). If you eat plant-based foods you’ll do great.
For those who have said they have had health issues on a vegan diet, it may because you were eating too much processed junk foods instead of fresh fruits and veggies. Also, you could try blue-green algae to fill in what some may be missing. You don’t need to worry about protein sources; if you’re eating enough calories and a varied vegan diet you’ll be just fine. Protein is VERY overrated in our society. Animal protein causes many health problems in and of itself. Good luck to all working toward a healthy, compassionate, adn green way of life!

By: Alison

Alison — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:30:59 +0000

If you are interested in this subject I highly suggest “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. Meat is not the problem. It’s the way it’s being raised and consumed in ridiculously high quantities. Going back to small family farms that are near you is the way to go.

By: katie Russell

katie Russell — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:53:22 +0000

I justify it because I think it’s healthy. We buy local, organic, pastured meat and eggs, so they are not treated cruelly or forced to be on top of each other in cages, plus we are supporting the local economy. I have been vegetarian before, even close to vegan (not eating dairy, but still eggs) and definitely feel my best when I am eating a well rounded, traditional diet including meat, eggs and some dairy with lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains. Excluding one group doesn’t do anything for me health-wise. Most cultures eat meat and/or animal foods of some kind and people since the dawn of time have sought out protein and fat from animals. I understand that today we are over the top with it and the procedures are not as they should be on these big cattle farms, etc, this is why we buy local as much as we can.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:30:20 +0000

You know, I am with you here. I have always enjoyed a good steak and the thought of going completely vegetarian or vegan would scare me. But what scares me more is the destruction of rain forests to support the meat industry, not to mention the thousands of pounds of methane gas released into the environment! As long as there is a demand, ranchers will continue these practices. One person at a time can help with these efforts. A very excellent post!

By: Angel

Angel — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:54:37 +0000

Thanks so much for this post.
I’ve been vegetarian for over a decade, since my late teens. It was before you could even buy veggie burgers in the supermarket. It was not easy and once in a while is still not easy but I can’t imagine a day I would ever put an animals flesh to my mouth ever again.
I’m surprised no one has brought up whether it is ethical to eat an animal at all. Even if an animal was humanely treated during it’s life, I still don’t think I have the right to kill it and eat it just because I want to.
When adding in all the issues that have already been brought up, mistreatment and exploitation of workers, destruction of the rain forests, contamination of water and land, lack of food for the poor, etc.
I just can’t find a way to feel okay about eating meat.

By: julie

julie — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:26:20 +0000

There are cattle that are grass fed (even on National Forest) and they rotate the cattle on the pastures. The cattle are doing zero damage to the land. The grass is kept beautiful. The land is kept cleaner , because the ranchers love the outdoor nature and clean up after careless others who litter and destroy the landscape. The cattle are not polluting the air out there anymore than an elk, wolfe, deer or bear.
I’m not saying we should eat beef at every meal by any means, but there are ways to raise cattle in a healthy and non-polluting way. I don’t think we should lump all beef consumption into one heap.
The general portion of ranchers I have been around are some of the best people you will meet/meat . :)

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:42:37 +0000

Patricia,

There are many options for food besides grains, fruit, and sugar when you cut down on meat…legumes, nuts, seeds, seaweed, leafy greens, veggies, etc. You can also eat fruit with a low glycemic index. If you eat only carbs that wouldn’t be balanced.

By: Juanita

Juanita — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:15:29 +0000

I love the discussions on this blog!!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:18:15 +0000

I used to be a vegetarian, but now I am on a low carbohydrate diet because after years of experimentation I find I am more healthy this way. If I eat foods that are high in carbs such as grains, fruit and of course sugar etc, then my blood sugar level goes unstable, I get food cravings, my joints are achy, my emotions are unstable, and my energy level is low.

So be careful when pressuring people to eat less meat because I recognise those symptoms in many people, and they can be relieved so easily by a change of diet instead of health debilitating pharmaceuticals.

I make sure I only eat organic meat, eggs and veg so I can be sure they have been treated properly and are GMO free. (I live in England so it is easier to keep GMO free.)

By: Cate

Cate — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 16:30:14 +0000

I’ve been a vegetarian before (5 years veg, 2 years “pescatarian”), but then during my first pregnancy, went back to eating meat because my body craved steak, of all things.
In the 3.5 years since, I haven’t always eaten the best meat. Sometimes whatever was on sale…yuck!
Now I make a conscious effort to buy locally. We go to the Farmer’s Market, where the people who “harvest” the meat have a very real relationship with their food. We also got a flock of chicken (jealous :) Tiffany?) who, if they don’t start producing soon, will be dinner! *wink*
I know the politics of eating meat. And if we want to save our planet, we need to change our relationship with ALL food, not just meat. Produce that travels 1500 miles to our kitchens isn’t helping any, either.
I live in Virginia, where I have the luxury of shopping locally. If you don’t have a Farmer’s Market around, look for a CSA (community supported agriculture, where you get produce delivered to your home or public site weekly by giving an initial investment to the farmer).
Localvorism may just save meat-lovers like me.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:50:43 +0000

I’ve really seen all sides of this issue. My brother is a militant vegan, I’ve been vegetarian on and off, my sister’s family refuses to even consider vegetarian meals. The issues here are the reasons why people should consider not eating meat or not eating meat as often as they do.

I don’t agree that we were designed to eat meat. Actually many of the closest relatives to humans do not eat meat at all. It is only the ability to hunt and cook that allowed us to eat meat safely. If we were really physically designed to eat meat we could handle weeks old raw meat. Our bodies simply cannot handle that, we would die from eating such meat. Most primitive tribes that still exist on the planet do hunt. However their weekly or monthly meat meal is nothing compared to our daily, 3 meal a day habit of having meat. Other societies only eat meat during festivals or religious ceremonies. Nothing in nature can compare to our meat eating habits.

Eating meat from sustainable and organic farms in my opinion is not a solution. For one thing it is expensive. For another it actually has a greater demand on the planet. Organic grains yield less, organic meat is raised longer. So although eating these animals does not contribute to pesticides being used to destroy the environment it contributes to more land being used for farming then needs to be and larger amounts of water being needed, more grain being needed.

There are also human rights issues with meat production. Organic or non-organic most meat production is done by low paid workers who may be illegal aliens and are paid unfairly because of that status. Of course that our farming resources are being used to produce grains for animals that we slaughter instead of for grain or other farming or to not be farmed at all.

By: Beatrice

Beatrice — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:27:26 +0000

I’m a lifelong vegetarian, and it’s information like this that makes me glad that my parents raised me vegetarian.

I have to disagree with the poster who wrote that humans are designed to be meat eaters. That’s not true at all. We were designed to be omnivores, people who eat both meat and vegetables. I think that people these days eat a significant amount more of meat than people EVER have in the past. Hunter/gatherers ate only what meat they could catch, which wasn’t necessarily every day. People who lived on farms slaughtered their pigs or cows infrequently, and consumed a basically vegetarian lifestyle the rest of the time. As research has proved, it takes so much more energy/time/resources to be a meat eater than a vegetarian.

I have plenty of vegetarian recipes if anyone would like!

By: Carla

Carla — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:51:58 +0000

For health reasons, I cannot go veg. I cannot eat soy (at all) dairy, gluten and *all* grains for the most part, and legumes. If I eliminated meat, I wouldn’t have any protein in my diet. :) Having tried to go (raw) vegan in the past and just relying on nuts for protein, my health suffered.

I stick to pastured raised eggs, and grass fed, humanely raised meat however. Factory farmed raised and slaughtered (not to mention the hormones conventional meat is given) meat is out.

Thank you for this informative post!