How much meat is too much meat? This is how the debate about meat is changing

For years they have told us that meat is a source of protein, iron and tradition. In many cultures, he is the queen of the dish. But today, between the growing public health problems and environmental urgencies, the question is no longer whether we must eat meat but how much meat is too much meat. The answer is not as simple as it seems.

The consumption map. The meat is still the protagonist on our tables, but its impact is triggered. In recent decades, its production and consumption have grown accelerated: Statista and Our World in Data They estimate that we could reach 570 million tons per year in 2030, an increase linked to global population and economic growth.

Countries such as Spain, France, the United States or Japan, consumption levels They exceed 100 kg per person a year. However, according to A study published in Nature Foodmore than 255 grams of white meat per week already calls into question the planet’s capacity to regenerate the resources that this industry requires. Red meat directly is outside any diet compatible with sustainability, according to Caroline Gebara, main author of the study.

Less is more. From medicine and nutritional science, the message is increasingly clear: reduce the consumption of meat – especially red and processed – is beneficial. According to Healthline and studies collected at MIT Press Readerits intake is related to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, colorectal cancer and general mortality.

In the Course of Integrative Oncology of the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Nutrition Professor Lourdes Vázquez explained for the voice of Galicia that the approach must be integral: “The more foods of plant origin, the better. We do not want to demonize, but the diet set.”

From Brussels, the European Union has put figures to the Council: Limit red meat to 300-500 g per week, and the prosecuted to no more than 30-150 g, depending on the country. In the Spanish case, food guides recommend from 0 to 3 weekly portions, with preference for white meats such as chicken or rabbit.

What evolution says. We know that humans have eat meat for thousands of years. What is not so clear is when he started playing a key role in our diet. ORn study commented in The Conversationwhich analyzed nitrogen isotopes in fossil teeth of Australopithecus in South Africa, suggests that these predecessors ate mostly plants. However, a opposite hypothesis, cited here in Xatakastates that during much of the Paleolithic we were hypercarnivores, hunting large mammals and developing physiological adaptations for frequent consumption of meat.

Faced with both positions, the biologist Gidon ESHEL questions the usefulness of appealing to evolution to justify modern habits. In your essay for Mit Press Reader He has affirmed: “Evolution does not prescribe our current diets. If more than two out of ten plant foods can nutritionally replace meat, then meat is not indispensable.”

Leave it at all? It is not necessarily about becoming vegetarians or vegans overnight. There are gradual alternatives, such as Pescetarianismbased on vegetables and fish, or the flexitarianisma more flexible option that does not eliminate meat, but yes It reduces its frequency and quantity, promoting the consumption of legumes, vegetables and integral cereals. They are only different approaches that show as a bridge to adapt to different personal, cultural or economic contexts.

A more conscious diet. So how much meat is too much meat? The answer is not an exact number, but an invitation to moderation. Eating less meat, better quality, accompanied by more vegetables, fruits and legumes not only improves individual health: it is a specific measure to preserve the planet.

Reducing meat consumption does not imply giving up the pleasure of eating. It means adopting a way of feeding more conscious, informed and sustainable. As concluded The study published in Nature Foodthere are many dietary combinations that allow to maintain health and take care of the environment. It is not about prohibiting, but about transforming.

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