What’s the Beef with Meat?
From the beginning of humanity, people have been eating meat as a primary source of energy and protein. As time has progressed and people have become more informed about the ethics of eating meat, many have converted to vegetarianism or veganism. Eating meat has both positive and negative effects and the controversy around it has created further awareness and discussion.
Eating meat has many benefits, particularly its effective energy and protein, which sustains the body. Protein is essential for the body to function. It strengthens our muscles, bones, and immune systems, allowing us to fight off infections. Meat also contains many nutrients, including iron and zinc, which are all crucial for our bodies’ basic functions, like transporting oxygen throughout the body, metabolizing food and breaking down fat and chemicals in the body. However, all of these benefits vary per type of meat, so the nutrition of poultry vs red meat may be substantially different.
However, despite the protein from eating meat, overall, it is a health risk and there has never been any nutritional need to eat meat. Meat is one of the most difficult foods for the human body to digest, often leading to major discomfort. Not only is meat difficult for humans to digest, but it also plays a major factor in various health issues, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and premature death. These come from the nutritional value of meat, as it is high in components such as cholesterol and fat.
On top of that, the consumption of meat is entirely unethical, as animals are raised in horrible conditions and are later tortured and killed to be eaten. Animals in livestock farms are treated as if their only value is to be used as food. They are confined in small spaces, lacking both food and space to live. As humans, it is not morally right to slaughter millions of animals for the sake of routine and diets.
Through livestock farming, the earth is being significantly affected through the deterioration of land, overuse of water, loss of biodiversity, and deforestation. Just two pounds of beef require over 50 pounds of grain and around 3,300 gallons of water. This is a major contributor to climate change. Livestock contributes to nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gases. Reducing our overall consumption of meat will reduce our damage to the earth.
Although the disadvantages of eating meat clearly outweigh its benefits, it is not mandatory for people to entirely cut meat out of their diet. It is not reasonable to entirely cut out meat from our diets, but sticking to foods that are more environmentally friendly is ideal. A sustainable diet is all about consuming foods in moderation.
