Eat less meat
Recently, Sodexo, the provider for Seminole Dining, has started discounts on vegetarian meals as part of Meatless Monday. These discounts can be found at student favorites like Einstein Bros Bagels, Subway, Tuscan Eatery, Garnet & Go Deli, Garnet & Go Grill, JStreet Grill, the Community Table, the Den and Mein Bowl.
In 2016, Florida produced 63.2 million chickens as a part of the total U.S. production of 8.78 billion head. The total beef production as of 2017 is 93.6 million head with Florida making a contribution of 1.82 percent of the production. Meat is Florida’s top agricultural export, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
So why is eating less meat important? Cows are known as one of the major producers of greenhouse gases, producing four times more greenhouse gases than fish or chicken. But that doesn’t mean farming practices for these animals are any better. We are consuming fish at such a high level that we are depleting the ocean of its fish stores, with some estimates saying we could run out of fish by 2050.
To make just one quarter-pound hamburger it takes 6.7 pounds of grain and forage, 52.8 gallons of water, 74.5 square feet of land and 1,035 btus of fossil fuel energy. If we lessened our meat consumption and used the food we feed to animals to feed humans, we could end starvation on this planet. Frankly, the rate that we consume meat is just not sustainable, in any way.
So maybe you don’t care if most of Florida’s major cities go under water due to global warming and rising sea levels, or maybe you could care less about destroying the ocean, as long as you can have your burger or salmon, but let’s take a look at your health.
Did you know processed meats, like bacon and lunch meats have a direct link to cancer? Meat and dairy are also the main culprits of high cholesterol, affecting 55% of Americans. Meat contains higher calorie rates in proportion to vegetables, so the more meat you eat, the more calories you pile on.
The average American consumes about 222.2 pounds of meat per year. We are eating meats in record numbers and it only keeps climbing. That double quarter pounder with bacon isn't looking so good now, is it?
I get it. You want to be swole and bodybuilders consume large amounts of protein to achieve their goals, but what you are not taking into account is how humans have lived throughout all of history. Most early humans and even certain groups today are hunter-gatherers.
It took a group of men to hunt together to bring home one piece of meat. This meat was then shared with the entire village, resulting in smaller amounts of meat for everyone. This was during times when meat was actually caught or available. The majority of the time, people were eating fruit, vegetation, and nuts that they gathered. Humans were also largely nomadic, meaning they moved around and tended to get a variety of food.
In fact, obesity was not even found in humans until agriculture began and we were able to produce a set amount of foods in great numbers. According to the USDA website, 50 percent of your meal should come from plants while about 25 percent should come from protein and 25 percent come from grains.
So you’re bulking and need more protein, but that doesn’t necessarily mean meat. Many vegetables contain protein. There are professional athletes and some super muscular guys, like Liam Hemsworth, who follow vegan diets. We live in 2018. We have vegan protein powder, tofu, beans, anything we want. We don’t necessarily need meat anymore, because there are so many substitutes that are just as delicious and just as protein-packed.
So maybe you read this as another PETA-crazy trying to take away your beloved bacon or hamburger, but maybe you also read this as a wake-up call to just how detrimental overconsumption of meat can be on our health, environment and sustainability as a race. Maybe I can’t convert you to a full-time vegetarian, but eating less meat can drastically improve your health and honestly your pocket-book.
Meat is expensive! Since going vegetarian five years ago, I have saved so much money. There is a reason meat has been a luxury item throughout all of human history. But now, you can jump in on the savings too, by going meatless on Mondays on campus. Let us know some of your favorite meatless eats you try this week.