click to enlarge

Reducing your beef (or all meat, for that matter) consumption could make quite an impact on not only your health, but also on the environment.

Beef contains high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat, as well as chemicals and growth hormones. Many scientific studies have linked the consumption of red meat to heart disease, stroke, and breast and colon cancer.

According to the National Research Council, beef has the highest levels of herbicides of any food food sold in the US. This is obviously due to all of the pesticides used on the corn and soybeans that is then used for cattle feed. The NRC says that beef rates as second highest on the list of foods that pose the greatest risk of cancer due to pesticide contamination (tomatoes being the highest on the list). Their studies also show that over 95% of all cattle in the US are receiving growth hormones and other pharmaceuticals, many of those then showing up in the cuts of beef we buy at the grocery store.

So, you're saying to yourself, "Why not just start eating all grass fed beef that hasn't been given hormones?" That'd be a greener approach, but not the greenest option.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with cows producing high levels of methane - a greenhouse gas that's 1,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide. According to a report done by the McSpotlight organization:

"The grain-fed cattle complex is now a significant factor in the generation of three major gases -- carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide -- that are responsible for global warming. The burning of the world's forests for cattle pasture has released billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The world's 1.3 billion cattle and other ruminant livestock emit 60 million tons of methane through their digestive systems directly into the atmosphere each year. Moreover, to produce feed crops for cattle requires the use of petro-chemical fertilizers which emit vast amounts of nitrous oxide. These gases are building up in the atmosphere, blocking heat from escaping the planet, and could cause a global climate change of cataclysmic proportions in the next century."

Carbon emissions from the raising and production of livestock are estimated at about 78.5 million tons yearly, and, based on recent changes in livestock populations, methane emissions from cattle are increasing at a rate of about 0.1 percent per year. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations studies show:

"These estimates of trends in emissions, particularly for cattle, are likely to be underestimates for two main reasons: (1) emissions per head are likely increasing in many regions as feed intake per head increases with increases in production levels per head (e.g., milk production per head and growth rate per head); and (2) increased reliance on confined animal production systems is leading to increased reliance on liquid-based manure management facilities (which have higher methane emissions per head)."

The production of beef products also takes a toll on the world's water supply, with the water footprint being at 2500-5000 gallons (meaning: it takes that much water to raise a pound of beef, whether it's grass-fed or not).

Some groups, like Viva!, an animal rights group in England, say we should start phasing out meat eating because it could have a far greater effect on reducing emissions than other global warming campaigns, like changing to low-energy light bulbs or taking public transportation. "The answer is for people to move toward a plant-based diet if they're serious about global warming," said Justin Kerswell, a spokesman for Viva!. Other organizations, like Meatless Monday and Meat Free Monday (started by Paul McCartney) suggest we start by cutting meat out of our diet one day a week, for health and environmental benefits.

I'm not saying we should stop eating beef (or meat, in general) altogether but we should become more aware of the effects it has on us and the planet. If everyone would cut down on their consumption of beef, we could cut down on tons of carbon emissions each year and possibly prevent some of the aforementioned causes of death attributed to it. Hey, Paul McCartney is doing it, so it must be cool.

On a last note, if you really want to try to make yourself not eat beef as much (or at all) anymore, read this article from PETA about the mistreatment of cattle and watch the video (not for animal lovers or the faint of heart).

Resources:

"A vegetarian diet reduces the diner's carbon footprint" (NY Times)

"The carbon footprint of meat..." (The Times Online UK)

"From Lettuce to Beef: What's the water footprint of your food?" (TreeHugger)

"Are You Confusing 'Greener' with 'Green'?" (Planet Green)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The National Research Council

GoVeg.com (PETA)

The McSpotlight Organization