According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars. You may not be able to buy an expensive electric or even hybrid car or stop commuting to work. You can on the other hand change what you eat and by doing so cut your carbon footprint by as much as 40%.To demonstrate the harmful effect of livestock farming on the climate. Here are the facts:
The livestock sector accounts for 9% of C02 in the atmosphere deriving from human-related activities.
65% of human-related nitrous oxide (by-product of manure) is from live stock farming, which has 296x the global warming potential of C02. Essentially we are turning the world to sh*t.
Live stock farming also accounts for 37% of human-induced methane, which has 23x the warming potential of C02.
Not only is livestock producing increasing amounts of harmful gases. It’s also reducing the number of natural C02 neutralisers from the Earth, as our land is deforested to create new pastures. For example:
In Latin America for 70% of the forests have now been turned over to grazing.That’s 2.71 million hectres of tropical forest every yearwhich is an area the size of Massachusetts.
Climate Change
All of this is resulting in the planet heating up at an exponential rate resulting in more extreme weather, the ice caps melting, rising sea levels and the extinction of animal and plant species. Global warming is likely to be the greatest cause of species extinction this century. A rise of 1.5°C average rise may put 20-30% of species at risk of extinction. If the planet warms by more than 2°C, most ecosystems will struggle. So we really need to get our act together in order to save the planet and to achieve this we need to prevent this increase of 1.5 degrees.
Save Yourself A Crazy Amount Of Money
I’m just going to use chicken vs chick peas in this example, as chicken was the most commonly used meat in my household. Chickpeas on the other hand, are an easy to buy/use substitute. So let’s look at how much money you can save swapping out chicken for chickpeas.
1KG of chicken will cost you around £5.94. Assuming you eat chicken 3x per week and that you eat one piece of chicken per person. This will be a weekly cost of £4.46 per person and an annual cost of £231.66.
A 250g tin of chickpeas (enough for 2 people) will cost £0.40p. If also eaten 3x per week, per person this will be a cost of £31.20 over the course of the year. Resulting in a per person saving of £200 over the year and £400 per couple! Over the course of 10 years this is a saving of £4,000!!!
Investment Returns
If you invested the £400 per year (£33.33 per month) that you’d saved, over 20 years, at an average return of 7% p/a, you would have a final balance of £17,142. That’s just from substituting chicken for chickpeas 3x per week. I feel like I’m not going to remember the chicken breast I didn’t eat but I am going to experience the £17,142 I’m able to use to enjoy myself with.
| Year | Year Deposits | Year Interest | Total Deposits | Total Interest | Balance |
| 1 | £400.00 | £17.34 | £433.33 | £17.34 | £450.67 |
| 2 | £400.00 | £46.56 | £833.33 | £63.90 | £897.23 |
| 3 | £400.00 | £77.82 | £1,233.33 | £141.72 | £1,375.04 |
| 4 | £400.00 | £111.26 | £1,633.33 | £252.98 | £1,886.31 |
| 5 | £400.00 | £147.05 | £2,033.33 | £400.03 | £2,433.36 |
| 6 | £400.00 | £185.34 | £2,433.33 | £585.38 | £3,018.70 |
| 7 | £400.00 | £226.32 | £2,833.33 | £811.69 | £3,645.02 |
| 8 | £400.00 | £270.16 | £3,233.33 | £1,081.86 | £4,315.18 |
| 9 | £400.00 | £317.07 | £3,633.33 | £1,398.93 | £5,032.25 |
| 10 | £400.00 | £367.27 | £4,033.33 | £1,766.20 | £5,799.52 |
| 11 | £400.00 | £420.98 | £4,433.33 | £2,187.17 | £6,620.50 |
| 12 | £400.00 | £478.44 | £4,833.33 | £2,665.62 | £7,498.94 |
| 13 | £400.00 | £539.94 | £5,233.32 | £3,205.55 | £8,438.88 |
| 14 | £400.00 | £605.73 | £5,633.32 | £3,811.28 | £9,444.61 |
| 15 | £400.00 | £676.13 | £6,033.32 | £4,487.42 | £10,520.74 |
| 16 | £400.00 | £751.46 | £6,433.32 | £5,238.88 | £11,672.20 |
| 17 | £400.00 | £832.06 | £6,833.32 | £6,070.94 | £12,904.27 |
| 18 | £400.00 | £918.31 | £7,233.32 | £6,989.25 | £14,222.57 |
| 19 | £400.00 | £1,010.59 | £7,633.32 | £7,999.84 | £15,633.16 |
| 20 | £400.00 | £1,109.33 | £8,033.32 | £9,109.17 | £17,142.49 |
What If I Don’t Want To Eat Chickpeas, Chickpeas, Chickpeas
Now I’m not suggesting you should eat chick peas 3x per week for the rest of you life. What I am saying is that even switching to a tin can based product, not bought in bulk can result in a major cost saving. There are loads of other great meat substitutes you may be using already. There are many things you can use instead of meat that are inexpensive; cauliflower and lentils. Here are just a recipe ideas:
Cauliflower & red cabbage curry (cost £1.40/ serves 2 – 3 )
Lentil moussaka (cost £1-2 / serves 2 – 4)
Chickpea & spinach curry (cost £1.40 / serves 2 – 3)
Vegetable stir-fry (cost £2 / Serves 2)
Great affordable substitutes
There are also some great substitutes for meat staples such as burgers. I find the Linda McCartney products are great value for money. Take the Mozzarella burger for example, personally at times I find it tastier than an actual meat burger. There are also the pulled pork burgers (soya product), vegetarian sausages (chorizo & red pepper flavour) (soya product) &beetroot and feta Burgers. All of these are usually on offer for a £1, occasionally full price at £2. In my opinion you can still eat great food and save the planet at the same time.
There is now a mass of evidence to suggest that cutting down on meat reduces the chance of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. One study puts the likelihood of dying of diabetes or cancer as 4 times as high for those who consume more meat and dairy. In fact there is evidence that vegetarians live 8 years longer on average than meat eaters.
I’m not advocating that you or I should be 100% vegetarian. My interpretation of the data is that a balanced diet is the way forward. Look at the Japanese and their high life expectancy, which is linked to a balanced diet. The average life expectancy in Japan is 85.77 as of 2019, second in the world only to Monaco. The Japanese dietis high in grains and vegetables, with moderate abouts of animal products and soy but minimal dairy and fruit. Closer adherence to the Japanese guidance around diet had a reduced mortality rate.
Improve & Diversity Your Culinary Skills
With the above point in mind, consider how different the Japanese diet is to your own. Looking at other diets such as the Mediterranean diet which has it’s own health benefits. Now also consider how good their respective cuisines are. Learning and applying some of their recipes and cooking techniques, even if used imperfectly, add an array of flavours to your cooking. Expanding your repertoire of ingredients is a recipe for success in the kitchen. Understanding a country from the kitchen is a great way of understanding the culture and history. From my own travel experiences when I go to place it’s to experience their food so why not attempt to do it from your own kitchen?
Final Thoughts On Being A Flexitarian
Hopefully, I have highlighted the importance of being a flexitarian. Even just one day a week (e.g. meat free Mondays) can have a massive impact on the planet. I also hope I have dispelled the myth that it is expensive to go vegetarian or vegan and that you can’t eat great food when doing so. However just go clarify, I’m not advocating full blown veganism, just an awareness of what we can achieve from a balanced diet. This really is a simple way to save the planet and your money. For me there is no greater motivation to eat less meat than to save the planet and to stop irreversible damage to the world.
Even a year ago if you would have told me I would almost be vegetarian I would have laughed it off. I often have joked to my girlfriend that if she would have been a vegetarian when we met, we could never have got together. Now I find myself on the precipice of being one myself! More by accident than by design, due to finding great recipes. This is further driven by the effects of climate change and ultimately I have become a flexitarian. I have discovered this is one simple way to try to save the planet and your money at the same time.
You may have heard that eating vegetarian or vegan is expensive and that because of the smaller market for these products this pushes up the cost. However, I’m going to highlighthow much money you can save from reducing your meat consumption. Not only this but the health, culinary and cultural benefits of eating less meat.
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