Humans have eaten meat since the dawn of time. As omnivores, we've always consumed meat, fruits, vegetables, and even grains. However, the human race's diet is changing, and that change is accelerating. More and more people are going "meat-lite", opting out of eating meat and going vegetarian, or even becoming entirely vegan. The future might just be largely meat-free. 

The Simplicity of Going Veg-Based

Before we dive into the ethicality and sustainability of meat-eating, let's address one of the single most common reasons people are going vegetarian today. It's easier to do than ever before. We have access to farmers' markets, lots of fresh fruit and veg at the grocery store, and meal kits also offer veggie combinations. 

Because it's so much easier to do, more people are acting on their desire to reduce their personal meat consumption. Quite a few reasons exist for going meat-free or meat-lite, too. Compassion for animals is one of the top reasons, but others include health reasons, environmental protection, and more.

Is meat-eating actually bad, though? The truth is that there are pros and cons to eating meat, and only you can decide if the pros outweigh the cons.

The Pros and Cons of Eating Meat

Eating meat comes with both benefits and drawbacks. In this section, we'll look at both so you can make an informed decision regarding your dietary choices.

Pros

• Meat includes complete proteins, which are important to a balanced diet. However, you can obtain complete proteins from plants simply by "eating the rainbow".

• Meat includes plenty of vitamins and minerals, particularly heme iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. However, you can obtain all three of these nutrients without eating meat when you plan your diet carefully.

Cons

• Meat-eating, particularly of chargrilled, well-done, and processed meats, has been linked to a dramatically increased risk of cancer.

• Meat is the flesh of an animal, which inherently means killing that animal to eat it. More and more people find this unethical at best.

• Red meat is high in saturated fat, which can clog arteries and lead to serious health complications.

• Meat is often high in bad cholesterol, which can affect cardiovascular health.

• Processed meat and other meat cooked at high temperatures develop harmful compounds that can lead to health problems, including stomach cancer.

Is Meat-Eating Really Unethical?

More and more people find eating meat to be unethical. Why? To harvest meat, you must slaughter animals. 

Modern research has proved that animals are capable of feeling pain and suffering, that they have emotions, that they experience fear, and even suffer from the loss of their companions in the same ways that humans do. That alone calls into question the ethicality of eating animals when human survival is not in question and when those animals are far removed from the natural food web.

There's also the question of whether or not the animals we eat enjoy lives worth living. The old idea of animals raised on farms, where they're free to be their true selves, enjoy lounging in the sun or shade, or grazing on fresh, green grass is outdated. Today, our food comes from animals mostly raised in CAFOs - concentrated animal feeding operations. They're packed together so tightly that they're covered in each other's waste. They stand on dirt or mud without a blade of grass in sight. Antibiotics must be given with food to prevent massive infections from occurring.

How Sustainable Is Our Meat Production?

There is also the question of whether or not meat production is sustainable. As we have moved away from the family-farm model of raising animals and deeper into the industrialized food system, sustainability has plummeted. As our meat consumption has skyrocketed, waste production has as well. Water usage has spiked, deforestation is growing at record rates, and fossil fuel use is also rising. Ultimately, meat production is not sustainable. 

What Does the Future Hold?

The future of meat is definitely in question, as it should be. As more of us grapple with the question of whether it's right to eat animals in the first place, we also realize the incredible environmental impact created by the meat and dairy industry. The damage to the planet is accelerating, as well, and a meat-lite or even meat-free future may arrive sooner than you think.