Meat-eating can be dangerous in surprising ways.
News of the world environment
NEWSLETTER | MARCH 29, 2024
Food Feedbacks
About a year ago, I stopped eating all meats but fish. I wanted to address a creeping cholesterol count that was getting a little too high for comfort. I was also becoming more concerned about the corporate production of meat and the impacts of animal agriculture on our planet. It was not an easy transition. I grew up in cattle country, in a ranching family, on the harsh high plains of Wyoming, where food variety is lacking and red meat is highly valued. I had to say goodbye to T-bone steaks, pork chops, hamburgers, bacon, and many other favorite foods.
But I was determined. Animal agriculture is a significant driver of climate change, with an “unsustainable” expansion backed by billions of dollars from banks around the world. And, in true human fashion, rather than cut back on meat-eating, we’re much more enthusiastic about finding ways to make it work. This includes a quest for climate-friendly beef, through things like the use of red kelp for feed or regenerative grazing techniques.
Right now, our meat-eating (and I’m including my 48 years of it), is creating a non-virtuous feedback loop. Too much meat leads to cardiovascular decline and heart disease, and these, it turns out, make heat exposure more dangerous. One study anticipates a rise in heat-related cardiovascular deaths by as much as 233 percent in the US by the middle of the century. Meat-eating is dangerous twice.
I’m happy to report that my change in diet did wonders for my health, including energy boosts and significant decreases in total cholesterol and triglycerides. It wasn’t easy, and I’ve had to give up a lot of great food. But in the end, it’s been worth it, not just for me, but for everyone else on the planet, from now to the end of time.
Just some food for thought.
Be good to yourselves, and others.
Brian Calvert
Associate Editor, Earth Island Journal
Photo by Sharon Pittaway
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