March 2009 Archives

Red Meat Blues

By Laine Bergeson / March 2009

I've been a vegetarian for over a decade, and, naturally, I think everyone else should be a vegetarian, too. But I keep my pro-veggies agenda to myself because there's nothing more annoying -- and less effective -- than a self-righteous foodie diatribe.  Strong opinions just beget equal and opposite strong opinions, and so if someone asks me about my food beliefs or for vegetarian cooking advice, I share. Otherwise, I keep quiet.

But I had to speak up this morning after reading about this new study showing that consumption of red meat and processed meats (like hot dogs and cold cuts) correlates with an overall risk of dying of any reason. Previous studies have shown a link between red meat consumption and colorectal cancer, but this study looked at overall mortality and found that it was 30 percent higher for those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of a few slices of ham or a small hamburger).

I'm often the first one in line to call broad conclusions drawn from new studies into question -- and this one is no exception. More studies probably need to be done to really solidify the link between meat and disease, and more and different factors likely need to be controlled for, but I think the mounting evidence against a red meat heavy diet is worth paying attention to. Besides, there's no evidence showing that eating slightly less red and processed meat is harmful. So why not scale back the meat we eat just a bit?

And even if time proves the link between red meat and mortality to be weaker than now believed (though I have my doubts), we know without question that heavy meat consumption is a huge drag on the environment. Many aspects of large-scale livestock production -- greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water shortages, etc. -- contribute to environmental degradation.

Eating just one less meal with meat a week will help the environment for sure and your health probably. So why not start today? T-bone-less Tuesdays, anyone?! And, of course, if you want to become a full-blown vegetarian, that sounds fine to me, too!