I have a beef with beef

By Madison Lambert, Stony Brook University Student (English and Journalism)

Full disclaimer, I am not a vegetarian. 

Well, not yet anyway. I do my best to steer clear of meat when a vegetarian or vegan option is present, but I have still eaten meat a handful of times in the last few months. Growing up in a household where breakfast was bacon, lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich and dinner was green beans and chicken, it's been a long road to eliminate the amount of meat in my diet. But unlike many Americans, the illusion that meat, specifically red meat, is an essential and necessary part of a healthy diet is something I can recognize as just plain wrong.

The former food pyramid stacked meat at a whopping 2-3 servings a day, in line with dairy products. New food guidelines recognize a range of protein and calcium sources, including those that are plant-based and better for our health and the planet. Image: ©USDA

The sheer number of animals slaughtered is enough to make many people sympathize with them, but not enough to attempt to cut it from their diets. Like any regime, food takes time and a routine to set into place. If you wanted to lose weight, you wouldn’t eat ice cream every day, no matter how much you enjoyed it. You would push yourself to not eat it in order to see results. This same mindset can apply to meat, especially beef. But why aren't people taking the steps to do this? 

Via Upsplash|©Amber Kipp

Let me try to put it into perspective... 

In short, beef production is playing a role in the demise of the planet. Compared to other animal products, beef is responsible for producing 60 kilograms of greenhouse gas emission per kilogram of meat produced: more than double other animal products like lamb, and triple poultry. On top of that, 30% of the world’s grain consumption is used for plumping up cattle, limiting what could be used to directly feed people. 

I know though how hard the switch can be after being told by public health and farm industry campaigns that meat is great and healthy for you; I’m still in the transition stage too. But controlling our consumption of red meat, even if you feel you can't get rid of it completely, can have a positive impact on the planet. 

Not to mention, the vegetarian and vegan options for meat are only improving. Brands like Morning Star, Beyond and Impossible are just a few that I have felt provided the craving for red meat without having the guilt on your back. With the right seasoning and condiments, you can satisfy that chicken nugget or Quarter-Pounder craving while saving money, saving the animals and saving the planet. 

These options, while also satisfying your meat craving, can have tremendous impacts on your health too. Red meat has been found to contain dangerous compounds classified as level 1 carcinogens, which are also found in cigarettes and alcohol. Red meat also has the possibility of greatly increasing cholesterol if consumed often, which can lead to heart disease and death. 

People often complain that vegetarian and vegan options are “too expensive” to buy, yet replacing one red meat meal with a vegetarian or vegan opinion can actually save you more than $746 a year. Plus, if it's expenses that worry you most, you should know the price of meat is expected to skyrocket in the next year. 

I could show you all the videos and images of cows being hung by their feet and slaughtered alive for a “better taste.” Or I could show you thousands of pigs shoved into a cage no bigger than your bathroom feeding on ground up plastic and feces in order to make them bigger to produce more meat. 

But instead, I will tell you that you have a say in the planet’s future. You can educate yourself and others on the harms the meat industry is causing to the one planet we have. You can show your friends those pictures. All I can do is encourage it and ask you to help.