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Before I dive into this post I want to ask you to please watch Food, Inc.. Even if you have watched it before…watch it again! This is a very easy way to learn a lot in a mere 91 minutes of your life. And hopefully you will join us with a completely renewed perspective when it comes to eating meat. After watching the movie I’ve heard some people say they would never eat meat again (which we of course do), and others say they went out and had a Big Mac the very next day. So don’t take anyone else’s word for it…watch the movie and form your own opinion. And if for some strange reason you don’t watch it, at the very least please read my summary of the film.
Now I’m going to break down our thoughts about meat into two parts…
Local Meat
Not only do we like to promote eating locally raised meat, but just about anything you can buy through your local farmers will be better for you and the environment. I wrote a post a while ago about how produce, on average, travels 1500 miles from the farm to your plate. Not only do those fruits and vegetables lose nutritional value during their trek, but the by-products from all of that travel also have a very negative impact on our environment.
When it comes to industrialized meat, not only does the travel aspect take a toll on our environment, but the resources used to raise, feed, and slaughter the animals do as well. Secondly, the only way to truly know if the meat you are eating was humanely raised is to ask the farmer yourself. And even if the meat comes from an organic factory farm it doesn’t necessarily mean it was raised or fed properly. And the health of the animal directly affects the nutritional value that their products provide you.
Reducing Meat Consumption
I know I’ve said it before about our society’s sugar consumption, and I’ll say it again about meat…it is way overdone. According to Mark Bittman in his book Food Matters, “60 billion animals are raised each year for food – 10 animals for every human on earth.” He also goes on to say that this rate of industrialized meat production is causing “enormous damage to the earth, including the significant acceleration of global warming.”
Secondly, consuming meat at the alarming rate that it is being produced is not good for our health. Bittman says that our current rate of meat consumption has “stimulated a fundamental change in our diets that has contributed to our being overweight, even obese, and more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and perhaps even cancer.” Michael Pollan sings a very similar tune in regards to the effects our over consumption of meat has on our health. Learn more about his viewpoint in my post about “Becoming a ‘flexitarian.’” The moral of the story is the less meat you eat the more of something else you will eat instead, and let’s hope that turns out to be vegetables and fruit.
Our family is already vegetarian~ so this will be easy! 2 adults and 3 kids. I do have a issue though…we have dogs and cats~ any solutions for what do do with their food?
I agree that buying meat locally is best – I absolutely love the grass-fed beef from my local farmer’s market. I’ve also gotten some great chicken there as well.
But from a health standpoint, meat is not as bad as it’s been made out to be. I love ‘Food, Inc.’ – it’s the number #1 documentary that I recommend when I introduce people to eating organically. But also watch the documentary ‘Fat Head.’ You’ll learn A LOT about meat, grains, the food pyramid, and what the government has to do with food. Both films are available to watch instantly on Netflix, so if you’re going to watch ‘Food, Inc.’ there’s no reason to not watch ‘Fat Head’ as well. :)
So thankful to read this comment amidst all the others. Nourishing Traditions is a wealth of information that proves “The China Study” is a bunch of baloney. Meat is GOOD for the human body. We need fat for our muscles, which include the heart and brain. :)
Thank you for noting that meat, ethically raised, is not bad. :)
our family of five gets grass-fed beef from a local farmer and will soon be getting a hog and possibly some free range chickens from him also. i’m excited that we will be able to finally eat the majority of our meat from a local source. that said, we will do well with only beef and vegetable dishes this week except for friday…i’ve already planned on corned beef and cabbage since we wait for it to go on sale after st. pat’s day =)
I am in this week (1 adult). I have been trying to reduce my meat intake in order to reduce my cholesterol. And I’ve been trying to buy healthier meat/fish alternatives (more local, wild caught fish, etc.) It’s been difficult trying to get my family on board. Mainly because of the kids. My son is very much a meat eater and my daughter is very picky. Hubby will eat whatever I fix:) So, this is a good challenge for me this week. It will force me to be more proactive in searching for local meats and more vegetarian dishes to fix.
We already do this one! So, 2 adults + 2 kids all week.
The Bohanan family is in! Actually we’re cheating b/c we do this already. But hey, we’d like to join the crowd! Luckily in OK we have a Farmer’s Coop which makes buying local meat products simple. BUT because they are so expensive, we’ve already gotten used to only using meat once or twice a week. But I do need you to post that pork carnita taco recipe post haste!! Just thawed out the pork tenderloin I got from a local farmer and am ready to get cooking!
This one will be hard….I LOVE meat! Forget cake or cookies, I’d rather have meat! However, I recently took out the Food, Inc. video from the library for viewing and it has really made me think about where I get my meat. To this end, I am sourcing out local butchers. I have only found one so far and the price of the meat is astronomical compared to grocery store prices! I totally understand the reason, but it sure hurts the pocketbook! I guess it will give me an incentive to serve a maximum 3-4 meals containing local meat this week! I have found a place to buy local eggs and they are absolutely delicious! I really can’t believe the difference! They will be featured prominently in my menu from now on. Have a good week everyone!
Wow. This is a little harder than last week. My first thought was “Well, I’m done. I can’t do that.” Then I found myself googling local meat in my area and there are a ton of local farmers selling all kinds of meat. Then I saw the prices and again was ready to give up. Then I remembered the other part of the challenge was to have a lot less meat. I can’t picture us abiding by this rule all week but I will pledge to go buy some local meat for the first time (if possible, our farmers markets aren’t open yet)and to come up with menus that limit the meat intake to 3-4 times a week.
I am so glad this is getting people to think! Even if you change 1 or 2 meals (instead of the whole week) that would be better than nothing!
Yes, I think reducing meat consumption overall helps balance out the premium cost associated with local, ethically-raised meat. I actually punched some numbers a little while back, estimating how much the average person eating a conservative amount of meat per day (deli meat at lunch + 4 oz of animal protein at dinner)spends on conventional cheap cuts of meat per month compared with how much I spend per month on local and/or ethically-raised meat, eating only about 8-10 oz per week. I still come out way cheaper than the conservative norm!
My fam is in for the week: 2 adults, 3 kids.
Myself, hubby and daughter will be in for the week. We have our own chickens in the freezer, along with some venison and local ground beef, so we should be good to go.
1 adult, 2 kids, 1/2 of a husband (not sure what he’ll sneak at lunch). I’ll try for the whoe week. did you post the recipe for the brownies pictured?
The pictured brownies were full of white flour and sugar (i.e. not real food!) so I won’t be posting the recipe. That was one of our special weekend treats that we’ve been making with the girls. Moderation is key!
2 adults, 2 kids, whole week :)
Sorry I couldnt do it last week! Sugar/creamer in my coffee and diet soda is literally keeping me sane right now as my job is sooooo stressful this time of year! I will try it in a month or two when things settle down! For this week I (1 adult) am in all meals everyday. Hubby and 2yo son will have only local meat 2 times a day. I know it sounds like a lot but meat has not been the focal point in our meals for years. Local meat includes ground beef (my uncle raised 50 miles away), ground venisen (my hubby hunted and butchered 15 miles away), walleye and perch fish (my hubby caught 15 miles away). I will try to sneak in one meatless dinner once this week but have to have a backup meat to add when after 2 bites my hubby inspects the dish for meat and asks if there is any!
as a vegetarian, i already have reduced meat consumption (and no, i dont do fish, i consider it meat as well)
I have been hearing a lot about Food Inc. I need to see if my video shop in town has it.
If you have a Netflix subscription it’s on streaming option :)
Our public library had it
2 adults this week. I am blessed to be able to buy local beef, chicken, pork, eggs and milk. I am still drinking my coffee with homemade vanilla creamer and my water with lemon slices. It went better today. :)
I didn’t think meat would be an issue for my family, because we’ve already downsized the amount of meat we eat. But it’s not local. We’ve considered buying a quarter cow from a local farmer… but we really just don’t need that much. Even though it’s cheaper – we rarely eat red meat. What I need is local chicken! It has occured to me, and I think I will call this week – some of the smaller butchers around town to see if thier meat is locally attained.
Thanks for the mini pledges! I love how you keep coming up with new ideas and way to talk about things!
Sadly, I can’t do the whole pledge, b/c I already have all my meat and much of it isn’t local. Other than the local part though I am in, I never really liked meat much anyway! 1 adult.
I’m vegan, so I guess I’m in by default. Just me though, I doubt my family would even consider it. *sigh* :)
Watching Food Inc. is such a life-changer! We watched it over a year ago and have been on quite the food “makeover” ever since. The last book I read is titled, “The China Study”…even more eye-opening on the effects of meat protein than Food Inc. Watch for the documentary version titled “Forks Over Knives” debuting in May.
I became a vegetarian about 6 months ago after doing a little reading (Food Inc, China Study, Food Revolution, Etc.) . I know your family eats meat. I do not think that eating meat is wrong, I live in Dallas and it is not super easy or cost efficient to get good meat. For me, cutting meat made more sense.
Many people react as thought they would starve to death without meat at every meal. I find my current way of eating to be very satisfying. I am sure this challenge will be and tough and touchy one with people. It will be interesting to see if fewer people choose to participate.
(PS I’d eat meat in a heartbeat if it were part of a cultural experience, such as being in Germany last summer.)
You must be reading my mind. We just bought into a CSA and I was thinking meat too. I am so glad that this is the challenge of the week. I know it will be hard because I love my meat but I am looking forward to doing it.
I watched Food Inc a few days ago, and it totally changes how you look at your store’s meat department! I found a local farm just yesterday, and will be buying most of my meat there from now on (grass fed beef, grass and whey fed pork, and pastured poultry). However, I shop in four week cycles and last week I had bought my meat for this week and the next three weeks at Meijer and Costco (though it is all organic), so I won’t be able to participate in this challenge. I just can’t throw out the pounds of chicken, beef, and pork, I already bought. But, when I start my next menu/grocery cycle in three weeks I’ll be totally switching us to local meat and eggs :)
If anyone needs a local meat source in West Michigan I went to Grassfield Cheese (besides meat and eggs they also make organic cheese!)
http://www.grassfieldscheese.com/
Also-there’s a Michigan blogger that has put together a farm ‘directory’ and she has lots of farms listed, as well as what they sell/their farming practices etc
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/gadget-wishlist/local-grand-rapids-resources/
Thanks for sharing those resources!
since you mentioned refined/artificial sweeteners at the begining of this post I was wondering how you feel about Stevia.
not a big fan…seems too “new” and as Pollan says innovation in food is bad!
Ok, I am in for this one…but I have been eating vegan so this should be no problem. Local meat is available in this area, but it is hard to find until the summer markets are open. I definately want to incorporate local meat once it is available.
I just watched Food Inc and was more horrified by the processed corn/soybean aspect. If you really want to be freaked out about factory farms you should read “Eating Animals”.
Kerri have you seen The Future of Food yet? It’s all about gmo crops and it’s unbelievable what’s happening to our crops now-this movie actually concerned me much more than Food Inc. It’s easy enough to switch to local meats (I found a source within a couple of days after watching the movie), but gmo crops spread and soon will contaminate the few farms that are trying to stay non gmo :( And we have no idea the long term affects of gmo, though some of the data coming out now and it’s very scary! And what makes it even worse, is our government refuses to mandate gmo labeling on food ugh!
2 adults and 2 children if you’re referring to dinners (this is how we normally eat, if we eat that much meat). Can only guarentee 1 adult and 2 children if lunches are included.
It includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
I watched Food Inc. for a Food and the Visual Arts class I took last semester. The accompanying book was very interesting and sparked a lot of classroom debate. It was very interesting to note that not everyone immediately jumped on the Michael Pollan et al bandwagon. So much to think about!
Oh yeah, uh… I’m in. Just one person, for the whole week. :)
Btw, doing well on the beverage challenge. My issue is diet sodas. I’ve definitely felt lethargic all. week. long. and felt the need for the caffeine boost, but I’ve stuck to my guns. It’s been unsweet tea (the negligible caffeine has zero impact on me), peppermint herbal tea, and water all week!
Did it get any better without sodas as the week came to a close?
Yes, actually! Mostly because the temptation isn’t really there on the weekends, but still! :)
I already depend less on meat in my diet (I can typically go vegetarian for a day or two without noticing), and I purchase my red meat from a local rancher, so that part will be easy. The difficult part will be when I go out to eat! Chicken is near-impossible to come by locally, and it’s too late to submit an order for chicken from my rancher for this month, but I think I do have plenty of options.
For example, I ordered a pound of skirt steak from my rancher. I’ll be hosting a dinner party on Sunday night and serving homemade beef fajitas with onions and organic peppers, and homemade whole wheat tortillas. I’m excited!
Another idea: Last night I made a pot of beans I slow-cooked in the crock pot with a ham hock I also got from my local rancher. Makes a great protein source, and the meat really just acts as a flavor enhancer! Plus, it’s CHEAP. A $3 (1 lb) local hock flavors 3 lbs of beans!
I’m doing alright on this challenge! My main problem is that my meat delivery got postponed, and when the day came, I completely forgot about it! So I have to wait for another delivery at a different time. I’ve had to throw out a lot of dinner plans and replace them with vegetarian options! Which hasn’t really been hard. Just inconvenient.
Oh, also had to start half a day late. Had an office luncheon and had some sort of dish with meat in it. Meh.
I actually think that this is one of the most important things that one can do to improve one’s health, eating local and ethically raised (read grass fed) meat that is.
However–one thing I will challenge you on is, will you include enough vegetable protein when limiting meat? I am outspoken in my belief that protein is of utmost importance in one’s diet. (I subscribe to that nutrition or metabolic typing stuff.) In coming to this conclusion I have realized that this is a real issue because factory farmed animals place a HUGE burden on the environment, from start to finish. One of the things I have tried to do in my quest to eat a more plantbased diet but maintain health is I have searched for more plant and non meat protein sources, i.e.-beans and legumes, nuts, dairy and eggs.
In trying to eat less meat many many people simply eliminate protein from their diet, but they needen’t. I don’t feel good when I eat too many grains and not enough protein. I feel spacy and light headed and endlessly hungry, and then finally sick to my stomach. So instead I add almonds to items, go nut heavy in your great granola recipe, have eggs on a salad with lunch, or eat beans with dinner. I think this has been my key to losing weight as a result of this diet.
I know you know all this stuff, but for those just starting out on this pledge, I think it worth it to say that. According to the ideology of nutritional typing, most folks don’t thrive on a low protein diet. I think it is worth it to actively look for plant based protein sources.
You are right…it is a good point to add for those that are new to this. Thank you!
My thoughts exactly. (I just found this website by the way..really liking it!) I too am a protein type and must have enough protein to balance out all of the carbs you get from veggies and fruit. I have cut way back on wheat and gluten, instead eating sprouted grain breads and quinoa. I def don’t get the “bloated” feeling you get from wheat products any more. I still find it hard sometimes to get enough protein and I eat lots of eggs, nuts and fish. Love wild caught fish! What do you do to make sure you are getting enough grams of protein a day? Also, the more you exercise the more protein you need.
100 days of Real Food…I love what you are doing! Thanks! glad I found you!
We already eat local meat. I’ve recently cut down our red meat to twice a week. The local, grass-fed meat tastes so much better!
Just me this time for one week. I know a local company for beef products and fish, but I haven’t found chicken locally in Monterey, CA area.
This one is going to be so easy! I just bought some local chicken and we have local beef in the freezer. I also have access to local pastured pork & sausage!
We’re in: family of three (2 adults and 1 child)
Well we don’t eat meat. But I can at least make sure our eggs are local :) I found a big difference in the local pasture fed chicken eggs. I realized that I’d rather have pasture fed than organic corn fed…
After watching Food Inc. I have to say that it made me want to eat pasture raised, local and preferably organic food.
The way I see it now is that it doesn’t matter how the animal dies so much as how it lives.
Turns out we ended up following along with you last week even though I didn’t sign ourselves up. Not happening this week. Two adult and two kids for the whole week! :D
My husband and I are in! I watched Food Inc. last weekend and I haven’t been able to look at chicken since. For some reason the beef realization didn’t hit me like the chicken. We aren’t huge meat eaters but I like it at least once or twice a week. I can stretch a chicken in our house! Can’t wait to meet the farmers at Atherton Market tomorrow so I can rehab my relationship with meat!
P.S. What do you do on emergency road trips? I had nothing prepared besides my homemade granola bars and had to break down at Mcdonald’s (I know, I know, don’t judge :)
I’m going to try it all week! I may have to stick to seafood though since I won’t be in town to go to my local farmers market for chicken this weekend!
Charlotte metro has alot. Not sure how fae you are. Here are a few in this area :
Baucoms best beef
Grateful growers pork
Creekside acres chicken
all have websites..baucoms does ship if i remember correctly.
We generally do this but not always the local portion due to budget however we do not do any soy products as most are overprocessed. We have cut meat consumption alot. Pasta salads with fresh veggies and homemade dressings are a great alternative and so are beans!
Good luck everyone. Family of six. Husband participates when able due to work schedule.
My daughter and I will be participating all week. My husband will be participating for the meals that he is home for. I live in a fairly rural area (Hamlet, NC) and don’t know of any local farmers that sell meat. I’ve asked on my facebook page and put in a couple phone calls to see what I can find. We do have some turkey and deer meat in the deep freeze (doesn’t get much more local or natural than that!) that we can eat if need be, at least until I can find a source.