Please Don't Eat the Animals

Or at least not so many of them

There are many reasons to eat less meat or become a vegetarian and give it up altogether.

Firstly, many of the animals we eat are raised under inhumane conditions, stuffed in small spaces and slaughtered in cruel ways. The less meat we eat, the less that will happen. Plus, the obvious, every time you eat an animal you are taking a life.

Second, reducing your meat intake is just better for your health – especially fatty red meat that can lead to heart disease and has been linked to cancer. 80% of the cattle raised for meat in the U.S. are given growth hormones which leads to cancer risks in humans. Giving up meat will also reduce your risk of contact with food borne illness such as E. coli, salmonella, mad cow disease etc.

Third, is the environmental impact of raising animals for our food supply. Raising animals, especially cattle, uses more natural resources than growing most vegetable and grain crops. Raising cattle is high in water usage (one pound of meat requires up to 6,000 lbs of water), leads to 1.5 billion tons of waste each year that pollutes our groundwater, rivers and lakes and creates huge methane emissions that add to global warming.

There have been some amazing advances in soy based meat substitutes in recent years, so give a few of them a try and see if you can at least reduce your meat intake and maybe eliminate it altogether over time. If you do eat chicken, try to find free range as a less cruel alternative. If you must have some meat from time to time, try organic grass fed beef – these animals are fed pesticide free food and are not given growth hormones. It will be a little better for your health and for the environment.