255 grams per week. That’s the short answer to how much meat you can eat without harming the planet. And that only applies to poultry and pork.
Beef cannot be eaten in meaningful quantities without exceeding planetary boundaries, according to an article published by a group of DTU researchers in the journal Nature Food. So says Caroline H. Gebara, postdoc at DTU Sustain and lead author of the study."
Our calculations show that even moderate amounts of red meat in one’s diet are incompatible with what the planet can regenerate of resources based on the environmental factors we looked at in the study. However, there are many other diets—including ones with meat—that are both healthy and sustainable," she says.
Vegetables aren’t so scary, are they?
Being vegan now for 6+ years seeing articles and comments about meat is dystopian as fuck. It only took me a week to go from full-blown carnivore to vegan so people struggling with this always gets me.
I’ve tried to go vegan I think three times in my life, and vegetarian a few more times than that. I struggle with concrete issues like celiac, but also vague ones like suicidal ideation and digestive issues. And then there’s also the simple economic fact that when certain meats are on sale they’re actually cheaper per gram of protein than beans.
I don’t mean to say that there are those of us who should eat meat and we therefore require a meat industry, just to explain why some of us have trouble. To the contrary, I think my issues have been exacerbated by a world that insists meat is necessary. If being vegan were the standard, I would have a greater variety of options and more affordability, and medical professionals would be both more accepting and more knowledgeable in providing me aid.
e: “Vegan” is actually incorrect here. There are problems with the honey industry, but I don’t think beekeeping is inherently unethical, and I don’t oppose symbiotic forms of animal exploitation. I don’t know what the word for that would be.
Same. It was a very easy transition.
People are gasligting you. They’re just stubborn assholes who likely think prison torture is OK because its the status quo.
Everyone is different. I was never vegan, rather considered myself plant based because I allowed both local eggs and local honey in my diet (still do) but no other animal products. Did this for many years until a coworker made a lunch of local hunted venison for a staff meal, and well, I’m mostly against the industrial farming practices, this was technically ethical hunting. This man was part of our local indigenous tribe, so I indulged as not to be rude. It was a great meal honestly. Everyone gawked I was eating meat. And I spoke often about the industrial process of meat farming to try and educate, but ultimately if these people wanted to feed their kids cheetos wrapped in bacon for breakfast, nothing I could say would change that, and its not my place to chastize.
I never understood those who chastized others for trying.
Vegans hated me because I like using local honey in spring to help with my hay fever. Which I have right now :( Nevermind I haven’t had beef in years, I eat eggs from pet hens so a vegan gonna scream at me online. Yay. That will motivate me… sure thing.
The method of education isn’t going to work, and culture tied to meat cooking is so strong. Personally, giving up cheese, tbh, was really hard. Hummus wraps were the only thing that worked for me to satiate that urge for cheese. Vegan cheeses isnt it, idk why hummus wraps worked for me but it was much harder to give up cheese than butter or meat. I had to put a lot of effort to not cave to that kind of dairy at first. And im sure others have their own hang ups as well, it can be difficult, like quitting a vice.
Cultural change is slow (historically).
To note, After a number of years, a vegan friend of mine stopped being vegan. I think he was depressed, idk, but- we went to Wendy’s. I wasnt going to get anything, but he prodded, and I fucking caved to a pub burger with bacon on a pretzel roll and… my mouth had an orgasm, I swear to god. I got three more that week, realized they really do engineer this stuff to be so addictive. I questioned myself, what thefuck was doing? I had to stop this, and cut the behavior out just as fast, only because I could identify what was happening. Not everyone can.
Idk my point other than everyones journey will be different, but shaming folks isnt the ticket to healier environmental impacts always. Like I said, certsin vegans have shamed me for still consuming eggs and honey like it wasnt hard for me to give up cheese. Like telling an alcoholic they still suck because they drink soda. Its defeating.
Vystopia is a daily struggle.
https://www.vegansociety.com/news/blog/what-vystopia
Love this! I knew it was a thing but I’ve never seen a good write up on it.
I’ve moved to eating more non-meat than meat and skipping beef at home when I do, but I have never been able to fully convert. I was a pescatarian for almost 1.5 years in my youth and that was mostly doable, but still very tough and never really got easier.
A number of the existing alternatives involve gluten which I can’t have anymore (I rather liked seitan when I had it).
I currently have a vegetable farm and, for as much of the year as I can, eat what I grow outside for veg so they’re certainly not scary.
Not “scary”. There’s just never enough of them to fill the void inside me.
That’s psychological, the important things for fullness are fat, protein, and fiber. You can get all of those through vegetables, but it’s easy to convince your brain you’re not full. I don’t automatically feel full if I don’t eat hot food, so I have to be a little aware of it on super hot days. But it’s easy enough to tally up what I’ve actually eaten vs what exercise I’ve done and that helps my body realize that it is sated.
Eat beans and starch!!