I write this as someone who stopped eating meat about 25 years ago. This was for various reasons that included animal cruelty, the environment and my own health. Somehow I have managed to survive since then. I'm not a vegan or even a proper vegetarian as I still eat some fish and I like cheese and eggs. In general I am more of a pragmatist than an extremist. You may know that we keep some chickens, but just for eggs. I'm going to talk about farming, but these are more like productive pets.
I've been reading a few articles lately about alternatives to meat. This was the latest about a company called Solar Foods who have developed a way to make protein from air, water and electricity. This is groundbreaking as it could reduce the need for much of the farming industry around the world. Of course it creates a new kind of industry, but it could be one that requires far less resources and allow vast areas of land to be returned to nature. It's still early days, but NASA are very interested as it has possibilities for long space missions.
There was a dramatic report this week about the extent to which humans have wiped out other species on this planet. I make no apologies for using the Guardian as a source as they have good environment coverage and I'm aware of their political bias. There's a lot of talk about climate change, but even if we ignore that (please don't) the damage we are doing to the planet is horrific and totally unsustainable. At this rate the planet could be uninhabitable in a few generations. Farming is part of the problem with land being cleared for crops, much of which is used to feed animals. If you feed the plants directly to humans then you need far less. As well as the inefficiency of meat production there's also the inevitable animal cruelty. This is an industry that doesn't look much like the farms our kids see in books. Farmed animals far outnumber wild ones and live short lives that may be brutal too. Of course there are free range farms where the animals have a relatively good life, but to produce the vast quantities of meat at the prices people want it's mostly an industrial process that does the bare minimum for animal welfare.
I'm not going to say that everyone should give up all meat as for many it's a part of their culture, but I think we have to accept some responsibilities for our actions and consumption. Even cutting meat consumption by a few meals a week can make a difference. There are products coming to market using cultured meat that is grown from animal cells, but I don't think can be considered cruel as it doesn't even involve a brain and it's much more efficient. Even I would consider eating it. I'm actually interested to try products made from insects too.
Of course people need nutrition, but does it have to be the result of killing an animal? In some cases it seems people want to show their mastery over nature by eating it, but that seems lame to me. If there's an alternative that is indistinguishable by taste and provides equivalent nutrition then isn't that better? When it comes to things like chicken nuggets and other processed meat it's really just a protein source.
I'm not saying you can't have a steak now and then, but for your basic, daily nourishment there are lots of alternatives. I eat a lot of Quorn and soya products that take the place of meat for me. One issue is that they can be more expensive than cheap meat, but maybe mass adoption would bring the price down.
As someone who stopped eating meat ages ago I have noticed that it's much easier to find alternatives to meat now. It used to be that restaurants would offer veggie lasagne or salad as our only options and you had to really hunt in the supermarket for meat substitutes that are much more common now.
I don't expect things to change overnight as cultures change very slowly. I'd hope that some of these new technologies will see rapid development that makes them cheaper than producing meat by current methods. Then the big producers will want to switch for economic reasons.
I'm interested to hear opinions on this topic. Have you changed your diet in recent years, and if so, why? Would you eat 'synthetic' meat or insects?
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I'm been vegetarian for about 6 years. Don't really miss meat at all. You're right, there are some great meat alternatives out there.
Kudos to you, but I don't think I could do it. It is just too tasty to me. I actually eat a lot less red meat and pork than I used to, but I still eat my fair share of chicken and turkey. I will also have a burger or a steak occasionally. I am really big into grilling and bbq'ing so for me it just wouldn't be the same without meat. I do agree we all probably eat way to much of it though.
At least you are thinking about it. We need to break some habits
I do love my meat but I do try to mix up my meals and go vegetarian or pescetarian 2 or 3 days a week. Many of my meaty meals come from laziness - that is picking up a sandwich from the supermarket instead of preparing something fresh.
I wonder how much the increasing popularity of convenience meals has driven up meat consumption, if at all. I find veggie meals even more convenient and they are often quick and simple.
There's plenty of choice in veggie food everywhere these days, so I don't think there's any excuse to not try it. I don't think it does people good to eat too much meat anyway.
I love animals and too keep chickens for eggs, but I don't think I could go without meat. Of course I'm pretty selective OF my meat and here in England I love that I can use a local place that humanely and kindly raises or hunts things, like I love game and grouse and quail and pheasant. I think if an animal has had a chance to live free, it's the best part of their life before coming to my plate.
And in many ways I think of us as animals as well and our closes friend, the dog, certainly has the 'hunter' sensibility. He'd eat his own kind if he felt the need, I suppose why dog and man have been such fast friends for so long.
I do HOPE we can get better rules about how we treat our food animals, though, because if it cost more then people would naturally eat less of it and we'd only need to kill fewer etc.
I'm not sure I want to eat anything that was made in a lab, myself. And quiet honestly, I believe soy is rather bad for you in excess. I have a vegetarian Niece who has to know be on medicine for thyroid and her doctors tell her it may have been caused by an excess of soy in her diet, as she turned vegetarian at age 12, and basically most of her food was soy based. So be careful with your soy intake :)
We have to find some sort of balance. There just isn't enough 'ethical' meat for the demand. Intensive farming is doing a lot of damage.
What is made is a lab now will be made in a factory tomorrow and I don't see it as much different to the heavily processed food many of us eat anyway. It is a good thing if it reduces animal cruelty and is more efficient.
Soya is just part of my diet.
It really is all so interesting and with the increase in population I am sure then just out of necessity diets shall have to change.
I greatly altered my diet about a year ago and now mainly eat veg with just protein in egg/milk/some meat form, but again I probably eat meat from what would have been one meal of my old diet spread out over the entire week now, so it is even better for my pocket book!
Carrying on as we have been in recent times is not an option. Humans have to adapt to growing populations in ways that give us a chance of survival. We only have this one planet to live on.
Good on ya mate. I've been slowly reducing my meat consumption over the last couple of years for the same reasons as yourself. Now I eat meat only a few times a month and this will be zero soon enough. I cut off bread and milk a year ago which trimmed me down and I felt better. Two months ago I experimented with milk again to see the difference. I gained a stone in weight and had constant phlegm problems. I then cut the milk again a week ago and have no phlegm and lost 2lb. Homemade almond milk for me.
Part of my reason for cutting milk was to sort out my nose and throat issues. I think I'm better off for it. I feel pretty healthy. Obviously running helps too, but at 52 I'm doing okay for my age.
If there was an alternative to meat that as you say is indistinguishable, I certainly would prefer that than having to needlessly slaughter an animal. Having said that, I have not eating anything that does compare (a few mushrooms can be close). I simply love meat too much, perhaps the way I was brought up.
I've tried quorn but think it tastes awful, they just don't have that umami taste I crave. Having said that, I don't eat meat everyday. Probably 4 to 5 times a weak and I never eat processed foods, so no nuggets for me lol.
Nice piece, I think my meat eating brain did try to block out some of the very good arguments there.
It can be a hard habit to break. I happily ate meat for about half my life, but over several years I reduced it and eventually just stopped. I don't really miss it now.
My wife and I have been going back and forth with meatless diets. It's the most moral choice, objectively.
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@steevc I have many friends who are Vegetarians and vegan. I am not, but I am, as of late reducing it and adding more veggies. Being diabetic, I cannot consume anything too high in carbs. I have really been researching more herbs and superfoods - lots to learn still. :-)
I don't eat meat that often anymore, I have the occasional sushi roll, usually salmon or tuna. Then I occasionally have chicken.
I actually tried (and still have partially) a 100% nutritionally complete meal replacement called Huel for a year, 3 meals a day. With the occasional snack. It's 100% vegan. It basically just this powder which you add to water, or milk. You can even cook it into things like cookies or pancakes or whatever you can think of that would suit it.
I had to have it with milk though, it doesn't taste nice with water. They have a bunch of natural flavourings to add to it too.
I had stomach issues for years, went to doctors, even had an ultrasound and tests for various things, but nothing was found. That all went away when I started on this. Since then I'm adamant it was meat and sugar that was causing it.
But this sounds insane. 😮
I've heard about Huel, but not tried it yet. I've pretty much given up dairy milk and have soya milk now, but I'd find it hard to give up proper cheese.
Not a fan of soy milk, but I do love almond milk. I switch between that and regular cow milk. 😊
I've heard oat milk is good. Ought to try some of the other options. I drink my coffee black these days, so just need some sort of milk for my cereal. Very rarely have moo juice.
Never tried oat milk. They have everything you can think of nowadays. haha
🐄🥛😁
I have found that almond milk that has a small amount of rice liquid added tastes the best. I particularly like the one by "rude health". I've converted a few people of soy, after they gave it a go.
Oat milk is also a fine choice.
We are eating a lot less meat than we used to, and that's mostly my fault I think.
I need more food to fuel my running, and I started craving fruit and vegetables. indeed my treat after a long run is a fresh fruit salad. (and ice cream)
It's also interesting seeing some of the top ultra runners are wining races on a vegan diet. So you can certainly go for the long haul without meat.
There is something very different about eating meat that has come from a happy and well cared for animal than something farmed in a factory.
You might compare it to the difference between eating fresh juicy fruit and eating cardboard.
We tend to try and keep out meat portions to small amounts of high quality meat, so it is a treat and we enjoy it knowing that for the meat to be this good, the animal had to have been well cared for.
I don't think I'd go fully vegetarian or vegan, but I do think that had been far too much focus on eating meat and meat products in the western world.
I also think that as more alternatives become available, then the easier it will be to dial back meat consumption.
What will we do with all of our sheep then? ;-)
The sheep farmers will have to adjust and find new opportunities.
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I appreicate this article greatly.
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*If you hover on that Swagbucks link, you'll see it's a Wildlink.
Presearch can use lots of different search engines, including DuckDuckGo :)
Have you tried Swagbucks? If so, how do they compare?
Could Swagbucks be added as a search engine option?
Right now I have it on my firefox so that when I pull a new tab, it's presearch, and if I search from url, it's swagbucks. lol Interesting ;)
Wow presearch looks cool. And I like that it has DuckDuckGo.
Could it integrate DuckDuckGo? Could it be integrated on Brave?
Not tried that as I have limited time. Most of these things will only make me cents anyway, so it's not a big deal. Steem is my main online earner.