For many of us, a meal doesn’t feel complete unless it includes some type of meat, especially beef and other types of red meat. Unfortunately, the production of red meat from livestock (cattle, pigs, goats and sheep) produces about 15 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations. At 40 percent of livestock emissions, beef is by far the largest contributor. The emissions come from the animals themselves (as methane), and also during feed production, deforestation to provide land for grazing (which also reduces the planet’s ability to absorb carbon), transportation and other management activities.
The good news is that by changing production and consumption habits, we can quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from beef and other livestock. In fact, in the United States, we reduced our diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent between 2005 and 2014, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. We did it by eating 19 percent less beef per capita. That’s the equivalent of removing the annual tailpipe emissions of 39 million cars — just by eating fewer cheeseburgers and steaks.
Aside from environmental impact, beef is also expensive. On average, beef steak is often more expensive per pound compared to pork chop or chicken breast, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you’d like to help out and contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions while also taking a bite out of your food expenditure, consider a few easy ways to eat less beef.
[See: 20 Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store.]
1. Go meatless on Mondays. Why stop at red meat when you can eliminate all emissions from animal protein in your diet for a day? While Meatless Mondays may trace back to rationing and World War I, the phenomenon picked up steam in the mid-2000s as part of a public health campaign to reduce illnesses related to meat consumption. For recipes and lots more, do a web search on “meatless Monday.”
2. Make beef a special occasion treat. You can keep beef in your diet and reduce your consumption by setting it aside for special occasions or celebratory meals. You won’t have to settle for cheaper pieces of beef to include in midweek or everyday meals while sticking to your grocery budget. Instead, you can save up your beef consumption for finer cuts every once in a while.
[Read: How to Save Money By Going Vegetarian.]
3. Check out international cuisines for satisfying non-beef entree ideas. Expand your culinary horizons and help reduce greenhouse gases at the same time. People around the world get by just fine on little or no beef or meat and have for centuries. They do so with inventive, rich and satisfying meals focused on poultry, fish and pork and with truly vegetarian dishes based on beans, grains and veggies.
4. Explore non-meat protein sources. Related to the above, make an effort to become familiar with non-meat proteins featured in many of the world’s cuisines. From garbanzo beans to quinoa, there’s a world of meatless proteins to try out. We often think of these as side dishes or salads, but a quick web search will turn up plenty of main dish recipes to try. For example, garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas, are the base of the Indian staple chana masala and the Mediterranean staple falafel. The same affordable ingredient yields two wonderfully diverse and delicious dishes.
5. Commit to learning a new recipe every month. Improve your cooking skills and broaden your diet with the help of a great cookbook and a commitment to using it. Just be sure to skip the beef recipes. For maximum greenhouse gas impact, commit to learning one new poultry (or vegetarian) recipe per month. How many ways can you cook a chicken? There’s only one way to find out.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
6. Work the internet to find new recipe ideas. There’s no shortage of ideas and recipes available online, as long as you’re willing to seek them out. Ask your friends on social media for their favorite non-beef recipes. Visit internet forums such as the subreddit r/VegRecipes. If you’re a visual person, try Pinterest to see what stimulates your palate.
7. Organize a veggie potluck. If you have a regular dinner club or potluck you attend, make one of your evenings beef-free or vegetarian. You’ll taste (and perhaps borrow) a bunch of new low greenhouse gas emitting dishes, and you’ll learn one or two in the process. The extra motivation of the potluck setting may help you to seek out the most interesting and challenging recipes. For an extra dollop of potluck bragging rights, calculate the carbon footprint of your dish, too, at foodemissions.com.
8. Skip the beef when you dine out. At lunch choose the turkey sandwich instead of the roast beef. For dinner choose the pork chop over the steak. You’ll enjoy the convenience and satisfaction of a restaurant meal while still reducing your contribution to greenhouse gases. As a bonus, in many cases the non-beef option will be cheaper, too, especially at dinner time.
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8 Ways to Eat Less Beef (and Save the Planet) originally appeared on usnews.com
