In a week where the world is still talking about Sir David Attenborough's Extinction programme, there has been some pretty amazing things happening for the future of our planet: Prince William promoting planetary protection for the future of our children, Comic Relief having their first fully plastic-free red noses, and even Boris Johnson making a statement yesterday about the importance of the climate and his plans to have all UK homes running on wind power by 2030. Seems like a good time to talk about the planetary impacts of our diets... This comes down to three major variables: i) what we eat, ii) where it comes from, and iii) how much we buy but then throw away. In this post, let’s talk about everyone’s favourite debate: should we all go veggie…..?
We've all heard that a plant-based diet is less carbon-intensive than a meat-based diet, but why? Science time! For every step up through the food chain, energy is lost. Think about the amount of energy you consume every day: on average, we are recommended to eat 2000-2500 kcal per day to maintain a healthy diet, but we don't burn all of that doing exercise. Just sitting at a computer all day still burns a lot of calories through breathing, keeping yourself warm, and even thinking. It's the same case for animals, so when we eat meat, a lot of the energy that they have previously consumed has already been lost through the animal's body maintaining itself when alive. Essentially, the amount of plant matter that we have to eat is MUCH less than the amount that the cow would have to eat to produce your beef steak.
My family are constantly pointing out to me that I don't have to be vegetarian - that I could just lower my intake of meat (which by the way, I guarantee I love as much as anyone out there - if I could be a pure carnivore I very happily would!). They tell me that everyone eating everything in moderation is the way forward. I couldn't agree more. But I'm also a realist, and I know that that isn't going to happen: no matter how much scientific evidence is presented to people about the damage caused b animal agriculture, some people just are not going to stop. So what do I do? I go fully vegetarian so that Donald Trump doesn't have to (or my beautiful kitty cat.... he's allowed to retain his carnivorous status).
BUT... sometimes treats are needed. If we all put our foot down and said "Never again", we all know how THAT turns out: sitting in the car after a hard day at work, crying into a McDonald's before binge eating steak pie.... I enjoy the flavour of meat way too much to avoid it forever, and I'm sorry but I've tried the vegan Christmas and it's just not right without turkey and pigs-in-blankets! So what do I do? I have my days off! 4 per year - New Year, Easter, Birthday and Christmas. Now I'm sure many vegetarians who read that would say that I'm not vegetarian if I eat meat 4 times a year.... but that's better than 4 times a week right?! Similarly, in all of my student houses, I've never lived in a house with all vegetarians, and generally that means that at some point during the year one of the meat-eaters will declare they're going to chuck something because they don't want it.... No way! Bonus Meat Day!
So should we all be vegetarian? Maybe not if that will make us miserable and more likely to instead buy a tonne of other high-emission foods to make up for the lack of meat in our lives. But if everyone cut down to eating meat only say once a week, that's really not such a great hardship in life, and would go so far towards improving the planet. Live the Flexitarian Life!
(P.S. If anyone ever tells you that you’re not a “real” vegetarian for eating soy or Quorn meat, they’re wrong! Just because I don’t want to eat meat for ethical reasons, doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s freaking delicious! For anyone out there feeling like they can’t eat “fake meat” or hating on those of us who do? TRY IT – IT’S GREAT!! Quorn Chicken Nuggets taste more like chicken than ones supposedly containing actual chicken!)
I have been veggie for more than 35 years and never had a day off because I don't like meat BUT I completely agree that if you want a day off from time to time its still so much better than 2,3,4,5,6 days a week! I am also a ceoliac and if I could have 4 days a year to eat gluten I would!!!!!!!! <3
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