• Question: is it better to eat meat or be a vegetarian as you get more protein?

    Asked by anon-176083 to Ali, Jenny, Mark, Paul, Simran, Stephen on 11 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Ali Hill

      Ali Hill answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      The problem isn’t that there’s less protein in a vegetarian diet. It’s to do with what the protein is made up of. Protein’s made up of lots of building blocks called amino acids. The pattern of amino acids in meat is exactly the same as we need as humans. In vegetarian food it could be missing one. So that’s why as a vegetarian you need to make sure that you have different protein types together. Beans on toast is a perfect example of a meal that gives you the right amount of amino acids at the right level.

    • Photo: Mark Kirkwood

      Mark Kirkwood answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      Great question!

      Ali has answered the human side of things, but I would also add that being vegetarian is better for the PLANET, because raising the animals for food produces a lot more waste and CO2, the gas that adds to global warming.

      But, if you just can’t do without meat (I’m like that!) then eating LESS meat will also help lower the amounts of CO2 getting into the atmosphere.

      There are also lab grown meats coming out soon, so you can eat a burger without having to hurt all those poor cows!

    • Photo: Jenny Shepperson

      Jenny Shepperson answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      There are lots of vegetarian options these days, so it’s probably much easier now to make sure you get all of the nutrients that you need eating a vegetarian diet. I’m don’t work in nutrition, but from the sustainability side, eating a mainly plant based diet is more environmentally friendly! This doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat meat (I still do), but reducing the amount you eat means you reduce your environmental footprint. Eating locally produced food is also a great way to be more environmentally friendly, like using a local veg box scheme – and eating wonky vegetables can help reduce food waste!

    • Photo: Simran Chopra

      Simran Chopra answered on 12 Jun 2018:

      Hello!

      It is a misconception that there is not enough protein in the plant kingdom. I agree with Ali that as a vegetarian you need to make sure that you eat different food types to get enough. You can eat lentils, chickpeas, chia seeds, peas, beans, tofu, oats etc. to give you the protein you need. You can also include milk products in your diet.

      Being a vegetarian is healthier and good for the planet as well as Mark and Jenny suggested.

    • Photo: Stephen MacKenzie

      Stephen MacKenzie answered on 12 Jun 2018:

      Hi just to add to the great answers given here, being vegetarian or as close to it as possible is most definitely better for the environment. In fact the most up to date thinking on this issue is that your choice whether to eat meat or not is most likely the single most important that you make for your impact on the environment. For most people that means more important than the decisions they take around how much they fly or whether they own a car etc. There are strong cultural reasons why meany of us (including myself) find it very difficult to give up meat completely, but that is the reality

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