Meat is the most impactful and controversial part of our diet.
In countries like the United States, our diets center around meat as the primary element of the meal, especially at dinner.
The Impact
The impact of meat varies by the type of meat with lamb and beef being the least eco-friendly.
You can see the details for various meats and other foods on the website Carbon Footprint of Food. They pulled data from the the Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eater’s Guide and the EPA’s guide to passenger vehicle emissions to show the impact. The calculations demonstrate the greenhouse gas emissions produced from the farm, in the factory, on the road, in the store, and in your home.
The impact is shown in “miles driven” which is an easy comparison. While the site shows the impact per kilogram of meat, below are some of the numbers converted to pounds.
- Beef – 28.6 miles
- Chicken – 7.3 miles
- Rice – 2.7 miles
- Vegetables – 2.25 miles
Check out the website for more information.
One Shade Greener Approach – Meatless Mondays
While I’m not here to suggest you become a vegetarian (this is a personal choice), the numbers would suggest you could make a positive impact by reducing the amount of meat consumed.
An easy way to ease into eating less meat would be to give Meatless Mondays a try. On Monday’s you plan your meals to be meatless. Just one day.
To make the shift fun and flavorful, consider purchasing a good vegetarian cookbook. My recommendation would be Vegan for Everybody by America’s Test Kitchen. The cookbook has more than 200 recipes and has great ideas for the committed vegan or those looking for something different.
Once you try meals without meat one day a week, you may find you want more meat-free meals!
My Story
In January of 2022, I started to implement Meatless Mondays. While I have tried this in years past, this year I was determined to make it stick and it has. There were two things that made all the difference.
First, “Meatless Monday” doesn’t always have to be on Monday. Some Monday’s it just wasn’t feasible to go meatless or and other Monday’s I forgot. Instead of giving up, I just went meatless another day that week.
The second was having great recipes on hand. I purchased the cookbook mentioned above early last year and it made all the difference. The recipes convinced me that a vegan/vegetarian diet could be healthy, flavorful, and allow me not feel like I was eating salad all the time.
Some of my favorite meals (shown below), come from this cookbook.
I’ve realized that having some great recipes without meat introduced me to a whole new world. I no longer think that meat (beef/pork/chicken/seafood) is a “must” ingredient for dinner.
One day a week is starting to shift to more days. I’ve also learned over the years that cooking can be a relaxing way to leave challenges of the day behind. The chopping of vegetables provides peace of mind.
Your Turn
Have you tried Meatless Monday’s?
Is there a vegan or vegetarian cookbook you recommend to others?
Are there tips you would provide for people just starting their Meatless Monday journey?