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How & Why You Should Reduce Your Meat Consumption

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Casper Libero chapter.

If you are reading this then you are probably already interest in the animal cause. And yes, that is the main motive why society needs to rethink its meat consumption, but it is not the only one. The meat industry also has a huge impact on the environment as it is responsible for a great part of Amazon’s forest deforestation and for the emission of gases that aggravate the greenhouse effect. Also, according to the UN, in the production of 1 kilo of beef, almost 16 thousand liters of water are spent. That is enough for a person to live for 4 months!

And despite the vegan/vegetarian movement has grown a lot in the past few years, some people still see it as unreachable. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t make a difference. By reducing your meat consumption, you are already bringing significant changes to the environment, in addition to taking a step further in the fight against animal cruelty. To encourage you to follow this path, here are some tips that can make this process a lot easier: 

Go little by little

Be sure that even with the greatest willpower, breaking a daily habit won’t be easy and may lead you to quickly give up. So take one step at a time. Have you heard about the #MeatlessMonday? That’s a great start! It is also worth trying to quit one type of meat after another. First the beef, then the chicken … Choose the order you want, just try not to settle!

Discover new food

The first question that pops up into the head of someone who is thinking about giving up meat is “ But what am I going to eat?” or even “Am I going to starve?” No, you aren’t! This is the perfect moment to try new types of food. You know that vegetable that you say you don’t like but you actually never tasted? Start with it, even if it is in a pie or lasagna. After a while, you will definitely be adding a lot of new ingredients to your meals. 

Follow people who inspire you

Social media can be your best ally at  this moment. Follow people who maintain the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle to get know their day to day routine. Besides being a great incentive, it might present you several recipes to test or even give nice restaurants indications. Check out Sadia’s profile:

 Watch documentaries

Documentaries are usually a turning point when it comes to reducing meat consumption. There are plenty of them out there, both on animal exploration and on sustainability. Some of the most famous are Cowspiracy and What the Health, available on Netflix, and for the strong ones Earthlings, available on Youtube.

Were this tips helpful? So, why not start today? Give it a shot!

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The article above was edited by Laura Ferrazzano.

Like this type of content? Check Her Campus Casper Libero!

Gabriela Girardi

Casper Libero '22

Living, experiencing and writing
Giovanna Pascucci

Casper Libero '22

Estudante de Relações Públicas na Faculdade Cásper Líbero que ama animais e falar sobre séries.