Our culture’s meat-centric diet is having detrimental effects on our environment and our health. **Environment** (PETA said it best, so all quotes in this section are from their website) The meat industry is one of the largest contributors to climate change and deforestation in the world. More specifically, the land, food, water, and energy necessary to sustain these animals is depleting natural resources and raising carbon emissions. According to PETA, “it takes 683 gallons of water to produce just 1 gallon of milk. It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef, while producing 1 pound of tofu only requires 244 gallons of water. *By going vegan, one person can save approximately 219,000 gallons of water a year*,” (1). Animals on U.S. factory farms produce roughly 500 millions of (bacteria and virus filled) manure every year, which pollutes the water and air by way of runoff and factory farmers spraying liquid manure in the air (to get around water pollution limits). Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change by way of reducing the amount of trees available to store carbon, as well as releasing fossil fuels by burning the forest. Cattle-ranching accounts for *80%* of this deforestation, and PETA notes that “it takes almost 20 times less land to feed someone on a plant-based (vegan) diet than it does to feed a meat-eater since the crops are consumed directly instead of being used to feed animals.”
 **Health** Protein has long been the selling point of eating meat for good health. But now that there are other options for protein, such as meat analogue, this benefit pales in comparison to its risks. Meat is high in saturated fat, which raises cholesterol and leads to a greater risk of heart disease and stroke. It’s also pumped full of antibiotics, which “undermines the efficacy of antibiotics, and therefore the ability to safely perform transplants, joint replacements, C-sections, dialysis, and other procedures” (2), and increases inflammation. Because of this, and because fruits and vegetables are so high in crucial nutrients, vitamins and minerals, vegetarians generally have lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer and chronic diseases than meat-eaters. And increasingly, many professional athletes are choosing plant-based diets to help with recovery and energy levels. It is hard to transition, but not impossible. There are plenty of great meat (and dairy) alternatives out there (like Impossible and Beyond “meat”). Even if every person reduced their animal product consumption by just half, our planet and our health would be much better off. 1. https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is-it-better-to-be-a-vegetarian#1 2. https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/ 3. https://thebeet.com/10-reasons-to-declare-your-independence-from-meat-dairy-6-is-to-get-rid-of-dark-circles/

Although veganism has its benefits for the survival of our planet and it’s obvious impact upon the reduction of methane gas production and ammonia emissions, this unfortunately is not the answer. It is in fact, the handling of waste product and fertilizer that contributes most to dangerous greenhouse gases. Instead of inciting worldwide herbivorous action, alternative ways of obtaining sustainable farming must be sought out first such as rotational systems, permanent pasture and conservation grazing. It is however becoming all the more evident that more and more people are becoming acutely aware of the devastating impact that mass consumerism where dairy farming as an example is concerned, with 78 million of us worldwide adopting a vegetation or plant based diet last year alone (If you want to save the world, veganism isn’t the answer | Isabella Tree, 2021) but the issue does not rest with the animal but the practice and farming methods employed. If producers, arguably not all, were to alter methods then this would ultimately reduce greenhouse gas production and meat and dairy products could be sustainably farmed. Additionally, if we look at this from a hypothetical perspective, where no human being relies on meat product as part of their diet, the scales are equally tipped again. The rising demand for soya, maize and grain products again makes a devastating impact upon ecological systems and our ability to sustainably produce crops. According to data, there is only 100 harvests remaining on UK soil (Wong, 2021) and sustainability does not rest upon the shoulders of meat production as the world itself faces the looming agricultural crises that has been sold us time and again, by WWF and other Environmental charities. Plant based diets will not solve the problem in itself. Instead this produces a rising demand for crop production that requires high inputs of fertilizer, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides and instead we’re drawing out focus to and ‘demonising sustainable forms of livestock farming that can restore soils and biodiversity, and sequester carbon (Dairy | Industries | WWF, 2021). The subtraction of grazing animals has a wider impact where conservation is concerned and again disrupts the ecological balance, (Cow Manure Vanishes, so do the insects, and so do the birds that feed upon them etc..) so without this essential link in the chain, other areas would simply diminish in number and thus create further disturbance. A world wide ban on meat production or inciting plant based diets for everyone will only cause further problems for us to find solutions to. We have made the problem and it is now our ethic duty to make that right. the Guardian. 2021. If You Want To Save The World, Veganism Isn’T The Answer | Isabella Tree. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/25/veganism-intensively-farmed-meat-dairy-soya-maize> [Accessed 25 January 2021]. Wong, J., 2021. The Idea That There Are Only 100 Harvests Left Is Just A Fantasy. [online] New Scientist. Available at: <https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232291-100-the-idea-that-there-are-only-100-harvests-left-is-just-a-fantasy/> [Accessed 25 January 2021]. World Wildlife Fund. 2021. Dairy | Industries | WWF. [online] Available at: <https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/dairy> [Accessed 25 January 2021].

**TL; DR – While there's been an increasing shift towards a more plant-based diet, the negative health effects where this is concerned cannot be denied. Particularly since researchers have brought to light and verified the many health risks that are associated with only eating a plant-based diet.** Luke Mintz (2019) who writes for goodfood.com informs us that going meat-free could in fact be more damaging to one's health. Apparently, early in the year of 2019 a consultancy firm, AT Kearney, anticipated that by the year 2040 animal products will become both socially and environmentally unpredictable. This means that most of our “meat” will start coming from labs – in the form of plant-based or lab-grown substitutes. Furthermore, Mintz goes on to confirm that even though an analysis by Sainsbury's has anticipated that by the year 2025 both vegetarians and vegans are set to make up one quarter of the UK population by 2025, recent studies are showing increased health risks such as: brain fog, short-term memory loss, changes in mood, difficulty sleeping, agitation, and anxiety. What’s more, researchers have also pointed out that there is an increased risk of stroke as well. According to an Oxford University study, published in the British Medical Journal, vegetarians (and vegans) have a 20% higher risk of a stroke – compared with people who eat meat regularly. This 18-year study which tracked almost 50 000 participants said that this could be due to vegetarians not having enough cholesterol in their blood. Helen Bond, a registered dietitian, notes that while this 20% sample is quite a small amount it should still be taken seriously – it equates to three more cases of stroke per 1,000 people over 10 years. Another excellent point that she highlights is that people who cut out meat completely don't always understand the overall health implications of their lifestyle choice. This is true, especially since each individual is different. Bond further elaborates by advising, "I think people shouldn't just embark on a vegan diet because it's on trend, and they're following some Instagram guru. They should delve deeper and understand that there are nutrient shortfalls." So while we do have to consider the full health (and environmental) implications, I think it’s a little unrealistic and restrictive to expect everyone to change to a completely plant-based diet. Especially based on the health risks that have been emphasized. Yes, eating a more plant-based diet has become quite a popular trend and might seem like the ideal solution, but at the end of the day I also believe that we can and should be able to comprise. Try and find more of a balanced approach. After all, eating is a personal preference and there is no “right” or “wrong" way where this is concerned, just different. Why going meat-free could damage your health https://www.goodfood.com.au/good-health/why-going-meatfree-could-damage-your-health-20190909-h1hupr [accessed February 8, 2021].

NOT AS BLACK AND WHITE AS YOU MAY THINK. All evidence of a vegan-based diet being good for you is based on faulty observational science confounded by healthy user bias. A good example showing how you can skew an observational study is while many observational studies show that eating a plant based diet is healthy, they are comparing again the general population which, as a whole is not healthy. The UK shopper study(1) showed that omnivores and vegetarians, who shopped in health food stores, had the same health outcomes. There are now randomly controlled trials showing negative effects of meat with statstical significance and the american college of cardiology recently changed their mind on its impacts after reviewing the evidence (1) There is other health issues associated with being vegan(particularly pregnant women)(2) that others have mentioned so i won't go into it any further that being said it is possible to survive on a vegan diet. Theres a lot of nutrients not available or bioavailable in plants such as heme-iron, carnosine, creatinine, zinc omega 3 (4). Even vitamin A poses problems because plants only have beta-carotene which needs to be converted(5). most the population has poor conversion and more beta-carotene you consume the less you is converted(6). Theres a lot of arguments about the environment which have some truth factory farming is bad. Factory farming of plants is equally bad. Non-factory farmed animals can have a net 0 carbon emission due to the carbon cycle(7,8) and regenerative agricultural practices such as rotational grazing which replenish the nutrients in the soil and sequesters carbon. you can even reduce this further by adding certain things into ruminants' diets such as red seaweed (9( or removing inflammatory components like corn and seeds(10) The water argument is moot because we consume the water when we eat the cow it doesnt just disappear, most of it is green water irrigation is only used in winter and dessert environments so only makes up 2% of total water in the US that is(11,12). All the net-carbon from factory farming comes from the finishing process, pesticides and food waste (mostly plants) also have a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions also but are ignored. The media likes to cherry-pick observational studies which you cant confer causality which the nutritional journals are plagued with(13) This distracts from the real issues which is the impact the health and transport sector has. (1)https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/533S/4689993 (2) https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.077 (3)https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01963568 (4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7534950/ (5)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854912/ (6)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855261/ (7)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X17310338 (8)https://blog.whiteoakpastures.com/blog/carbon-negative-grassfed-beef (9)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620308830 (10)https://www.publish.csiro.au/an/AN17433 (11)https://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report-48-WaterFootprint-AnimalProducts-Vol1_1.pdf (12)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X18305675 (13)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3884102/

While there are many positive effects of a plant based diet, both for personal and planetary health, it lacks many nutrients that one gets from eating meat. A fully plant-based diet is also a privilege, it can be costly compared to an omnivorous diet. It also erases indigenous people's often meat-based diets, especially in cases like the Inuit people who would not be able to function as meat is the main source of their nutrition due to the cold temperatures preventing the majority of agriculture. On top of that, the main issue isn't the health benefits of a plant-based diet. It's the cruelty of the meat and dairy industry, and if this was to be resolved (a relatively plausible idea), then it would be much more sustainable for the world as a whole to continue eating meat.

Make me.