Need a New Year’s Resolution? Eat Less Meat

Need a New Years Resolution? Wanna do something simple that can help the environment and reduce general suffering in the world?

Eat less meat.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, 18% of Green House Gases are attributed to raising animals as food (New York Times). When you think about it, this makes sense. Vast amounts of land are cleared of trees for animal containment. These animals in turn will eat much of the food on the land and fart it out in the form of Carbon Dioxide (it’s crude but true!).

You don’t have to go 100% cold turkey into the Vegetarian Lifestyle to make a difference (or I guess I should say no turkey).

Even committing to eating less meat in your day to day life can help.

One simple thing you can do is to start having a Meatless Monday (or a Tofu Tuesday if you prefer).

Or you can commit to buying your meat from more local based, small farms at the Farmer’s Market.

Most Americans eat too much meat anyways – consuming an average of 200 pounds a year. That’s about 67 Telephone books!

Most sources say that you only need to eat 5-6 ounces of protein a day (that’s about the size of a deck of cards). Yet the average American eats twice that amount (Huffington Post). The ideal diet is composed of high amounts of fruits, veggies, whole grains and a small amount of lean meats (with a focus more on poultry and eggs than red meat). Reducing your consumption of meat (red meat in particular) can increase your lifespan, reduce your weight and improve your overall health.

You are what you eat. Would you rather be a pig or a lean bean?

HELPFUL INFOGRAPHIC

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