There's no way around it: Meat production is bad for the environment. Between Fast Food Nation, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Rolling Stone's expose on pork production, the dangers of raising animals are practically a pop-culture phenomenon. Ozone-destroying methane in cow farts, overflowing toxic-pig-poo lagoons, and the cruelty of debeaked hens in battery cages—it's enough to turn anyone vegan.
Almost.
I'm a CSA-subscribing, organic-produce-buying sustainable-food fanatic, but I also can't fathom giving up meat. Bacon is just too good.
Thankfully, carnivorous consumption doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Animals can be raised sustainably on rocky or steeply sloping land that's unsuitable for crops. Farmers like Joel Salatin at Polyface Farms have integrated plant and animal raising in ingenious, eco-friendly ways.
But the fact is, to eat meat responsibly, we've all got to eat less of it. WAY less. A Cornell University study found the most efficient use of land lets everyone eat just two ounces of meat and eggs a day. Mark Bittman, in his book Food Matters and this Ted talk, says to shoot for less than a pound, per person, per week. Total.
So how can you eat well, help the earth, and stay under Bittman's limit? Here are a few options.
USE MEAT AS SEASONING
Stop thinking of meat as a main ingredient, or even an ingredient at all. To cut down, you have to use meat like you use an herb or spice—it's there to provide taste, not bulk. A tiny amount can flavor a whole dish, if you use it right.
Try chopping up a single slice of bacon and roasting with a pound or more of Brussels sprouts. Just make sure to use really good bacon—it's probably more sustainable than industrially made supermarket stuff, anyway.
Seek out dishes where a little meat is combined with a lot of other ingredients. Cut the ground beef in your favorite lasagna in half—you won't notice the difference. Or try my favorite low-meat dish, Ma Po Tofu (four ounces of pork make four servings in this recipe).
EMBRACE YOUR INNER "FLEXITARIAN"
Another important step to cutting back without cutting out is to eliminate the distinction between meat and non-meat dishes.
If you're making tacos, they don't have to be either meat-filled or vegetarian. Use half as much meat as you normally would, heat a can of black beans with some cumin, chili powder, maybe a little lime, and mix the two together. Next time you make a stir-fry, double the veggies and halve the meat, or trade some carne for tofu. Nobody will notice.
For more less-meat-but-not-no-meat ideas, try one of the dozens of flexitarian cookbooks out there.
TRY A MEAT SUBSTITUTE
This sounds like carnivore sacrilege, but a lot of these veg options aren't so bad. Frozen "chicken" nuggets make just as good a late-night snack as the real thing. And be honest: You're just gonna drown them in sauce anyway.
Tofu is probably the first meat substitute you thought of, but it doesn't resemble anything that was once an animal. Take a chance on seitan or soy crumbles—prepared correctly, both come pretty close to the texture of real meat (and they're high in protein and low in saturated fat, to boot).
GO VEG WHEN GOING OUT (SOMETIMES)
Nobody wants to cook every night, but a 12-ounce steak at your local diner kinda ruins the whole less-than-a-pound-a-week thing. Restaurant portion sizes are just absurd, especially when it comes to meat. So try a meatless option—maybe you'll find a new favorite.
Remember: You're still allowed to splurge once in a while. Don't skip the legendary burger you read about on Chowhound because it weighs more than two ounces. Just split it with your date and order the beet and goat-cheese salad, too.
WHEN YOU BUY MEAT, BUY THE RIGHT MEAT
If you're trying to eat in a sustainable way, you need to get to know your food. If your beef came from a feedlot, it's contributing to global warming a lot more than it has to. Research your sources and their methods. Ask the butcher about his suppliers, or go to the farmer's market and, as Pollan says, "shake the hand that feeds you."
Look for grass-fed, organic, or locally raised meat (if you find some that's all three, all the better). Eatwild.com and localharvest.org are great resources for finding more sustainable meat.
You can love the earth and love the steak. You just have to be thoughtful about it.
For more on how you can make your eating habits more sustainable, check out the social action campaign for Participant's Food, Inc.
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