Do meat alternatives help the environment?

The ups and downs of lab-grown and plant-based meat

The farming and production of all forms of meat generate a great deal of CO2, not to mention increased land and water use and pollution resulting from cattle raising. Raising cattle is also a major component in the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Considering these environmental costs, adopting a plant-based diet is one of the best things you can do for the planet.

I’ve written before about reducing or eliminating meat from our diets, even including a recipe or two for a vegan meal in this newsletter. But when I talk to folks about vegan or vegetarian diets, most folks seem a bit wary of giving up what they already eat. It’s hard for them to consider lunch or dinner without that pork chop or chicken breast.

My wife and I eat a lot of beans for our protein. I think this is a bit foreign for a number of folks. They want something to eat that, if it isn’t meat, at least resembles meat in some way. So I thought I’d look into substitutes for the standard meat diet.

Meat is not all bad

A lot of folks, particularly those involved in cattle ranching and meat packing will wax over the good things about eating meat, while critics will tell you all about the disservice you’re doing to your health when you eat a hamburger or munch on some chicken wings. They both make good points. Animal proteins are rich in the amino acids required by the human body. Meats also contain vitamins such as B12, and minerals like iron and zinc. At the same time, meat-rich diets have excessive amounts of saturated fats and can lead to cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Relying on a plant-based diet also has its ups and downs. Some folks eat legumes (beans) for much of their protein, yet legumes are deficient some important amino acids and particularly those containing sulphur, which are essential for proper functioning of the immune system. The up side is that plant proteins are associated with dietary fiber and antioxidants, both essential for health. Legumes are also high in carbohydrates, which could affect people prone to diabetes.

Meat from labs

Lab-grown meat has been approved for sale in the U.S. and other countries and offers some advantages over meat processed in slaughterhouses. Although it has the aura of Frankenburgers, meat from labs could be less “processed” than its barnyard counterpart because the production of lab meat reduces or eliminates hormones and antibiotics commonly used in livestock. There are fewer public health concerns with lab-grown meat, as the filth of a barnyard has no chance of infecting the faux meat with E. coli or other pathogens.