As someone who consumes red meat I’m not going to pretend I’m not a massive hypocrite for writing this article in the first place. Nor am I going to tell you all about my personal diet, because you probably have enough friends talking about their vegan diets already. But I do want to talk about why it’s still so hard to stop eating meat despite KNOWING how bad it is for climate change, deforestation, animal rights, water scarcity and my own personal health.

Why is eating meat bad?

If you don’t know how bad consuming meat is for you, the World Health Organization made a statement that suggests consuming more than 50 grams of processed red meats a day can lead to an 18 percent increase in chances of developing colorectal cancer.

So, how much is 50 grams of processed meat?

It’s about two slices of bologna, bacon, or roast beef. Check out this slideshow for the visuals.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is a part of WHO, the increased risk of cancer linked to processed meats actually has more to do with smoked meats, and the cooking process than the way the meat is otherwise processed.

IARC says the research is new, and it was conducted primarily in the last year. Further research is needed to understand the role between methods of processing, cooking and the link to cancer. But they did have enough research to make two major decisions.

Research from IARC led to WHO categorizing red meat as Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans) and processed meats as a Group 1 (definitely carcinogenic to humans). The placement of processed meats alongside asbestos and smoking is scary.

Does this mean the world will start seeing anti-salami campaigns?

I don’t know, and I don’t think putting a lot of money into a scare campaign is the right answer. But I also don’t have the answer on how to get the world to cut down on meat consumption, when I have trouble passing up a BLT sandwich.

However, I do know the world would be an incredibly cleaner, healthier, more sustainable place if everyone stopped eating meat. Cutting down on red meat consumption, even a little, is one of the best things you can do to prevent climate change. And becoming a vegan IS the best thing you can do according to Stockholm International Water Institute.

How much water can you save by “blocking out the bologna?”

Cutting down on just one kilo of beef saves 15,000 litres of water. And replacing a roast chicken with a hearty veggie chili or bean stew (which has similar protein levels) saves 4,325 litres of water.

I know this, and you know this now, too. But it’s not easy to balance getting the protein and nutrients you need when meat seems cheaper, quicker and more accessible for breakfast, lunch and dinner than healthier options.

For the record, it doesn’t have to be any of these things.

With global packaging, production and supermarket expansion, in addition to growing economies in developing countries, meat is more accessible to people living all over the world. And reducing meat consumption is hard to do worldwide, especially as emerging economies consume more of it.

The global processed meat market is projected to reach $800 billion (USD) by 2018. And meat consumption in BOTH developing countries and developed countries steadily increased between the 1960s and 2000s.

So I’m asking any converted carnivores out there for advice as to what works when you’re trying to cut out the kielbasa?

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