A new survey reveals Americans are eating less red meat. And that’s a good thing, doctors and nutritionsts say. But the red meat abstainers may be doing so for the ‘wrong’ reasons. Nevertheless, environmental and sustainability advocates should be happy…
It seems environment sustainability advocates are winning an undeclared messaging war with health and wellness boosters. But a new study by a team from the University of Southern California (USC) also reveals an overwhelming majority of Americans still include red meat in their diets.
Slowly evolving…
The study suggests that Americans’ attitudes toward red meat are slowly evolving toward healthier options including plant-based proteins. But there’s still a long way to go. And the reasons for the gradual shift are not the ones the experts expected or hoped.
What they did
The researchers analysed data gathered from a group of more than 7,500 adults 18 and older as part of the Understanding America Study.
They specifically wanted to know who was eating red meat. But more to the point, who wasn’t eating it, and why…
What they found
Overall, only 12 percent of Americans reported they no longer eat red meat. That was a lower figure than some folks hoped to see..
Of those who self-identified as red meat abstainers a majority…
- were female
- were 65 years of age or older
- had a college degree
- had an annual income of $60,000 or less
- had voted for Democrats or Independents (vs. Republicans),
- and self-identified as non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or Asian (vs. non-Hispanic whites).
Health concerns not associated with red meat
When asked to choose their top two overall concerns of the past year, the non red-meat eaters were equally likely to choose ‘environment and climate change’ or ‘health/healthcare’.
However, folks who said they didn’t eat red meat were more likely to choose ‘environmental con-cerns’ than ‘health concerns’ as their leading major concern.
The takeaway
“People may be more familiar with the environmental benefits of not eating red meat than with the potential health benefits,” says study Lead Author Dr.Patrycja Sleboda, assistant professor of psy-chology at Baruch College in New York City.
The authors suggest that public awareness of the environmental impacts of eating red meat may be increasing due to rising a greater general awareness of climate change concerns. Global warning is many times more likely to come up in news reports and on social media than red meat health con-cerns.
Nevertheless, an abstract of the study report underlines that: “Red meat production is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water usage, according to the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Production of meat and dairy foods contributes to between 72 and 78 percent of global food-related greenhouse gas emissions, and 15 percent of total global emissions.
The researchers suggest that, “the lack of a significant association between health concerns and red-meat eating may reflect a lack of clear dietary recommendations in the United States.”
My take
I, too, was surprised that folks who don’t eat red meat were more influenced by environment con-cerns than the risk red meat production and consumption poses to their own health and wellness.
We could all do well to be more mindful that, as the abstract points out: ” Studies have shown that high levels of both unprocessed red and processed meat have been associated with elevated risk for colorectal, stomach, and pancreatic cancers.” And that the American Cancer Society recom-mends ‘limiting red and processed meat’, while the American Heart Association suggests people eat more plant-based proteins and meatless meals.”
~ Maggie J.