When concern for the environment rhymes with health benefits
Our consumption of proteins of animal origin is too high: this is what a study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe reveals.
First impact: the environment
Indeed, the reduction in the production of meat, dairy products and eggs would generate a reduction of 25 to 40% of greenhouse gases from agriculture , and of 40% of nitrogen emissions. The explanation for these figures is simple: it is not the animals themselves that pollute, but the production of the food necessary for their breeding. Fodder and cereals need to be sown, watered, treated and harvested throughout the animal’s breeding. Then the transport of the foodstuffs, until they end up on our plate… all this costs a significant consumption of energy and water for the planet.
Second impact: our health
Europeans eat 83g of protein per day, 60% of which is of animal origin. According to the World Health Organization, it is 70% higher than our needs. So you should consume about 25g of protein per day… or more simply, eating meat or eggs only 2 to 3 times a week would be enough…
Our culture does not help us with this change in food practices, and without counting of course the marketing of the big industrial groups of the food industry.
The effects on health depend, as always, on the way of consumption: in reasonable quantities, animal proteins are sources of energy for the body and of vitamins. But during excessive consumption, saturated fatty acids (which are contained in products of animal origin such as butter, cheeses, fatty meats, etc.) will cause weight gain and an increased risk of onset of cardiovascular diseases: myocardial infarction, arterial hypertension, stroke, etc.
So what can we eat, instead of our usual “chicken with sautéed potatoes”, or “rib steak with fries”?
One of the solutions would be to increase our own consumption of cereals . They represent an essential energy supply for the body, are less harmful to our health, and their production would no longer be used to feed an animal industry whose latest media reports are far from reassuring.
A standard menu would consist, for example, of raw vegetables, or soup, starchy foods, cooked vegetables, and would end either with fruit, or with a dairy product, or with a more gourmet note from time to time.
It is not easy to change habits, or an education received from our parents, but yet the figures must now invite us to reflect.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.