People love meat. To what extent, you may ask? Here are some facts: In the U.S., the meat and poultry industry accounted for $1.02 trillion in total economic output in 2016. In 2017, the meat industry produced about 100 billion pounds of meat, and production continues to increase at a rate of 2-3% per year. This pattern of increasing meat production is consistent throughout the globe—in Europe, Asia, and Australia especially. There is no doubt people eat a lot of meat, but being omnivores, why is it such a huge part of our diets?
Slow Food’s predictions for global meat consumption
To answer this, let’s go back to our origins. Humans did not always consume so much meat. Our ancestors—called hominids—mainly survived on fruits, leaves, seeds, and other plants. However, about 2.5 million years ago, the earth began heating up, and forests began to shrink away. This left humans to search for another food source that would give them energy. Thus, around 2 million years ago is the time when we began incorporating meat into our daily diets. Scientists now consider meat our “brain food.” According to Marta Zaraska, author of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Years Obsession With Meat, “Some scientists argue that meat is what made us human.” Considering that our brains take up 20% of our total energy, there is no doubt that a food source with lots of calories and protein would be essential for our evolving bodies.
However, meat is not irreplaceable. Any food with the same nutrients would have been able to sustain humans. Meat was simply what was available. Now, we know that there are many negative impacts of excessive meat on our health and an uncountable number of animals are being abused. With this understanding, people should be leaning away from meat, right? Wrong. Meat is now a bigger part of our lives than ever. It is a symbol for luxurious eating and holds cultural significance for many ethnicities.
Since 1960, our total red meat and poultry consumption per capita has gone up from 167.2 to 223.5 lbs. Most Americans are consuming nearly double of the protein that they need, which may seem like a positive thing due to myths surrounding high-protein diets and the weight loss and disease prevention that they offer. However, studies show that the healthiest diets are the ones that are high in carbohydrates, low in fat, and adequate in protein. Animal meat proteins are packed with saturated fats and cholesterol. As a result, people who consume excessive amounts of meat face a higher risk of death from diabetes or cancer. This is evident if you look at countries from around the world and compare them to America. The top 50 countries with the lowest diabetes rates include South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. These countries had a per capita meat consumption of 54, 87, 80, and 84 respectively. Compare this to America, which has a value of 120 kg/person and currently has diabetes as a major public health concern.
Fortunately, veganism and vegetarianism is more popular in American today than ever. Meat products are now being swapped out for plant-based proteins such as tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, quinoa, and more. These plants are also being used by brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods to replicate both the taste and texture of meat. I encourage you to try one of these brands in an effort to reduce the amount of red meat that people are consuming globally!