...to think cutting beef out of our diet is a good idea?

[KlingybunFistelvase]

And that even the most committed of meat eaters would be happy enough to cut out beef if they could eat moderate amounts of other meat?

www.collective-evolution.com/2016/08/06/leonardo-dicaprio-calls-for-a-ban-on-beef/

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/21/giving-up-beef-reduce-carbon-footprint-more-than-cars?client=safari

Except quorn tastes like shit so that's a bit of a drawback

Livia how would you actually starve? Honestly that's a ludicrous statement unless you have a ton of fruit allergies.

I stopped eating beef when mad cow disease was at its peak in the mid '90s and I haven't eaten it since. I used to love a medium rare steak and was partial to the Burger King Whopper and I can still remember the taste of them.
I was thinking of going back to eating beef but then I read some research that showed that the red element in meat, called haem, can be carcinogenic. Then World Cancer Research advised that red meat consumption is associated with bowel cancer, so that put me off! My dad died of bowel cancer and my GP told me that I have an elevated risk of it, so I prefer not to further increase the risk by eating beef or other red meats or any processed meat products.
I am not vegetarian though; I still eat poultry and fish.

It's not allergies, I just don't eat a lot of things - I don't eat meat every day but I wouldn't be able to eat enough non animal products

We're vegan, I think it's really unhelpful to ram it down others' throats though. Like giving up smoking or drinking, or wanting someone to eat more healthily, it has to come from that person - the more you force it, the more that person digs their heels in.

We don't eat almonds either, or quinoa, because I find the production methods unethical. Really like both of them, but almonds are incredibly water hungry, and the quinoa boom has wrecked the locals diets.

And no, a mushroom is a mushroom. It's definitely no substitute for a steak.

Many places such as Wales can only grow grass

Bit of a sweeping statement we do grow quite a bit in Wales....!

You are quite right though that there are many places (in England, Scotland AND Wales) where only grass will grow. Ever.

Eating meat is selfish, arrogant and ignorant. Here are some facts, if anyone is interested: www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

Eating meat is what we do, we are omnivores.
We are lucky enough to live in a temperate rain forest so not much problem with water supply. We have cleared a bit too much of the forest, mainly for grazing purposes. We could change subsidies and policies to correct this, and still produce a fair amount of meat.
People like eating meat, they are not just going to stop, that is unrealistic.
A huge and successful experiment was carried out during and after the war on how to feed people efficiently. The health of the nation did improve.
Should we cut beef out of our diet? No
Should we limit the amount of meat in our diets? Very probably
Should we aim at sustainable balanced diets? Yes
Is 15-20 bananas a day a sensible meat replacement? No

Why would anyone want to eat quorn?? gavomits

Quorn isn't a natural food, it's a highly processed sludge (which contains eggs) and at least 2 people I know at work can't touch it with a barge pole because it makes them throw up. It's like eating margarine for "ethical reasons". Why have something so highly processed and full of dodgy ingredients than butter which is basically shaken up cream with a bit of salt added.

It's ALL about getting balance in your diet.

You can call yourself a vegetarian but eat egg, deep fried chips and beans everyday. Yes you may think you are better than me but It's not going to do you any good in the long term medically.

As my dear mum said "If nature intended me to be a vegan I'd have at least 2 stomachs and it would be sociably acceptable to fart in public" (saying that in jest BTW)

Wow, that's a long old thread! Thanks all for the comments. I actually tend to agree with pestilence and not Leo. I don't think we need a ban on beef / other meat, but we definitely need some sort of restriction imho. Vast quantities of shit cheap meat and dairy filling up supermarkets is completely unsustainable. I also agree with the pps who mentioned quinoa, soy and palm oil. I believe we could all consume a lot less and actually most people wouldn't even mind all that much if it was for the greater good.

bring back pottage

I would never preach at a vegan unless they start on me first, after that though they get it with both barrels.

Please, please don't bash Leonardo DiCaprio on the basis of the attached links alone. Instead, take one hour and forty minutes of your time to watch the documentary "Before the Flood", which should, in my opinion, be compulsory viewing in all schools. The link is here m.youtube.com/watch?v=8v1kU7Rc9c4.

I'm about as far away from a celeb junkie as you can get, but this man's heart is in the right place. He may not be an expert, but he is collaborating with people who are experts and we would all do well to listen to what they are saying.

As for Richard Branson complaining about agriculture as a cause of global warming.............. (runs out of things to say).

Before the flood was a good doc :)
And afaik, dicaprio is a vegetarian (or at least he was)

I'm still not gonna give up beef though

It's funny how meat eaters say they don't want to be preached to and judged by vegans but I was quickly judged to be a militant vegan when I'm not at all. As I said previously I barely bring up being vegan but if it's so much as mentioned I'm deemed to be be preachy and judgemental. All this while there are numerous advertisements all the time trying to get people to by meat (mac Donald's/ fast food chains/supermarkets etc) and that's ok?
All Leonardo is trying to do is make people aware that there's something in the world that's causing massive amounts of pollution and trying to stop it, hardly a bad thing is it? Just because aeroplanes etc also cause pollution doesn't mean that we're not allowed to also bring up that so do other things, mass agriculture being one of them.

Nut free, why do you keep dogs? Keeping dogs is incredibly environmentally unfriendly.

.KlingyBunFistelvase What sort of restriction?

Ration cards? I can just see any elected government trying that.

Taxation? Apart from it being wrong to tax food (it has rarely been done since 1846) that would allow the rich to eat as much meat as they like but put it beyond the reach of the poorest.

So what have you in mind?

He's been seen eating meat in steakhouses apparently. I don't care what he eats but I care that he thinks he's entitled to tell people what to do just because he's a (not terribly good) actor

Oh and with the number of air miles he clocks up, he's not in a position to tell people about their environmental impact.

I'm cynical but this is all to raise his profile/make money directly or indirectly - that's fine but dressing it up as an environmental conscience is a little distasteful

So if it was a vegan who lived as minimalist and ethically as possible but who wasn't famous and nobody knew you would be more inclined to listen? I doubt it, you would just say they're a militant vegan so why should I listen to them, can't win either way.

I haven't used the words 'militant vegan' at any point. I just think that suggesting people give up meat is patronising. Everyone is aware that they don't HAVE to eat meat, they don't need to be told that.

There are a lot of things that I don't approve of for environmental reasons but I wouldn't dream of telling someone how to live their life.

I think the point is that we don't need to be told what to do by someone who is peddling their own agenda - that includes famous actors and non famous vegans!

Not really telling you how to live your life just making a suggestion.

Lives, why don't you reserve judgment until after you've watched the documentary?