How much meat do you eat?

[lanya]

Recently I've noticed in my circles that pretty much everyone is cutting back on meat due to environmental/ climate reasons.

Most people I know aren't vegetarian, but are more aware/ more careful about the amount they eat, e.g. only once or twice per week.

I am wondering whether this is the case generally across the UK, or if most people are carrying on as normal?

YABU: We are eating the same amount of meat as we always have.
YANBU: We have reduced our meat intake over the last few years for climate reasons.

Disclaimer: This isn't any kind of brag or meant to be condescending - I'm just curious.

I don't get the chicken over red meat thing. Just basic free range chicken is expensive compared with beef.

Health I expect @Kalevala . OH asked for less red meat.

For health reasons you'd want to go organic with chicken to avoid the nasties. That would be expensive twice a week.

I eat at least one meat product every day, if not more.

I've dabbled in a few things like "meat-free Mondays" over the years, but they've never stuck. I just like meat!

Also, I'm from a family of beef and lamb farmers. They'd never forgive me if I went veggie!

True but I expect most people wanting to up white meat just buy more from where they usually get their meat ie a supermarket.

I have changed my diet over the last year to cut out red meat entirely - but not for environmental reasons, because I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. So I don't eat pork or beef any more at all, never eaten lamb as I don't like it.

I have increased my intake of salmon for the same reasons, eat as much chicken as I ever did.

I’m not a vegan but I became one for a few years after visiting a farm. I started eating meat again for health reasons but don’t think about what I’m eating or it puts me off. It disturbs me when someone can say what a cute lamb like you have and then send them off to slaughter.

@OneLemonOrca I know two sets of sheep farmers that won't eat their own lamb meat and a farmer's daughter who won't eat lamb/mutton at all because "the meat smells just like the lambs". The farmers I know try to not get too attached to their animals. OH and I know we couldn't rear an animal for meat. It's not uncommon for people starting out to name their first lot of animals and then never do it again. I'm with you, saying "how cute, yum yum" seems incongruous.

No meat for the last 40 years for animal cruelty reasons - it was not very fashionable then and my mum was outraged! Couldn't eat it now even if I wanted to, the thought of it makes me feel ill.

Yes most people get more than enough protein in their diet in the West without eating animals. We don't actually need that much.

None! Vegan household. I have never once eaten meat or fish in my lifetime and my mum has been veggie since she was a teen in the 60s.

I just don't see how cheap supermarket chicken could be considered healthy if the animal isn't? Why would people want to eat a sick animal?

That's the business I'm afraid. Not a lot of room for sentimentality in farming.

However we personally don't have our livestock for slaughter. Ours are for wool, milk and their shit is used both towards the fertiliser that goes on the crops and the biogas that powers the borehole along with the solar power and when we can afford it a wind turbine so we can be completely free from the diesel generator.

They live their lives in their fields and shelters and the lambs and kids grow up with their mothers and they all just live their lives. No tail removals, no separating parent and child. They are actually very happy and friendly and love coming up for chin scratches.

We'll be adding a couple of cows when we can afford it and their calves will also grow up with them.

I am post menopause, gym 3 times a week, sea swimming, walk to work. Have never felt protein deficient as a veggie. No need for protein shakes or powders, just tofu, beans, lentils, eggs, cheese. Normal food. I am very suspicious of the current obsession with protein.

Yes most vegetarians seem to be suspicious for some reason. I’m saying it’s an individual thing. So everyone can go off and do their own research. If you feel great then that’s working for you. Though I don’t know how you would feel ‘protein deficient’.

Protein helps you feel full and offsets the muscle loss we can experience on peri. For that reason I personally make sure I get a decent amount. What someone else needs will be completely different.

DH and I are both carnivore for the last 5 years.

Nothing but meat, fish, eggs and saturated animal fat like tallow, lard and butter.

We've both had coronary artery calcium scans done last year and both are zero soft and hard plaque.

We've never been healthier.

Interesting!

I do personally believe the ‘harms’ of red meat (good quality) and full fat produce like butter, lard and dairy have been overstated. In fact I don’t think they are harmful at all.

I do believe it’s UPFs that are causing the most damage to our health.

We eat very little meat - once a week or less. We eat salmon or other oily fish at least once a week but the rest of our meals are vegetarian.

My diet is 99% plant based, except for an odd cup of tea with milk when I am visiting people who don't have non-dairy milk. It's worked very well for me health wise - no acidity after years of suffering, no hormonal imbalances, better energy levels, clearer skin. Only downside of having to get B12 shots regularly to maintain levels.

I have reduced the amount of meat I eat but for health, cost and quality reasons rather than climate.

I've always tended towards a lot of veg in my diet anyway, and grow as much of it myself as I can.

I think reducing food waste is more important than reducing meat intake as a general rule.

I also echo some other posters - I believe in proper butter, decent red meat, including fish as well as white meat, but having a good mix of basic foods rather than overly processed food as much as possible.

I would love to go vegetarian (for environmental and welfare reasons) and have been thinking about it for a long time. However, I only feel like I get enough protein when I eat a meat based meal. If I don't, I can feel shaky and unwell, and very hungry. I also have terrible gut issues when I eat lentils/chickpeas etc. Any advice gratefully received!

I eat loads of meat. Our whole household does. Rare to have an evening meal without meat or fish in some form. I often eat vegetarian or vegan when out though, I just lack the imagination to cook decent non meat meals at home. We eat more turkey and chicken than red meat but have beef mince usually once a week in a bolognese or similar.

I 'm sure you are right, but I think a lot of people don't think about that or what might be pumped into those animals and some don't care. Those on a tight budget that can pick up cheapish meat may well do so. You can see from this thread that there is a mindset from some that a meat diet is best and maybe even superior to other diets.

We have farm shops and good butchers around us, but that's not the same for everyone and it seems to be getting rarer. You can tell by looking at it that it is better quality than flaccid supermarket chicken (or other meat). Reliably informed it tastes better too!

I dread to think what's in fast food chicken or how they are reared.

This is one of the most common yet ridiculous arguments against reducing meat/dairy consumption. They won’t exist because we won’t be breeding them at the insane rate that we are doing. I’m fairly certain not existing is better than the lives that most have.
I'm also fairly certain that all farmed meat is cruel to the animals who live their whole lives in a way that is totally out of their control and often against their natural instincts. Not to mention the distress of transportation, removal of babies from mothers and finally slaughter. maybe meat is not so cruel if you are talking about hunting and the animal is living their natural life until the moment of death.