Why Quitting Meat Can Help Our Environment

While meat eaters are typically scratching their heads in confusion as to how anyone could give up meat, there's an environmental component to it that ought to be known. Meat consumption has gone way up per person. In fact, over the past 50 years, it's gone from 48 pounds per person in 1961 to 88 pounds per person in 2007. In the US, it's more than double the global average, coming in at over 264 pounds per person. Meat prices have gone down, making it more accessible to everyone, and we've taken full advantage. Are you thinking ... so what? Now's the time to listen up. All this consumption is terrible for the environment, as meat is an extremely intensive product to create. The more meat we eat, the more we kick sustainability in the face. Now's the time to cut back quite a bit on meat. Here are three reasons why being vegetarian (at least most of the time) is in the environment's best interest. 1. Animal agriculture makes for a thirsty planet. It takes a hefty amount of water to produce meat. Animal feed crops alone use up to 56 percent of the water in the US, and it takes about 2,500 gallons of water to create just one pound of beef. 2. Is it getting hot in here, or is it just meat? Meat agriculture produces an incredible amount of greenhouse gases ... even more so than all the exhaust emissions combined, which includes cars, trucks and boats. Red meat is the biggest offender. 3. From sea to empty sea. Meat is also problematic for our oceans. Animal agriculture also involves growing pesticides to feed the animals, which ends up running into streams and oceans. This is essentially poison to fish and other marine life, as it ends up creating dead zones. Were you aware of these facts on the detriments of meat agriculture on our environment? For some great ideas on how to boost your vegetable consumption, check out the BodyRock Meal Plan. While many of the meals found in the plan contain lean, animal-based proteins, they are easily adaptable to vegetarian options. Let us show you that eating a plant-based diet doesn't mean giving up on taste! Source: Elite Daily