One of the biggest food trends right now seems to be protein. Everyone from social media influencers to food companies to governments are telling us to eat more of it.
The new U.S. dietary recommendations are the latest to join the fray. The guidelines emphasize “protein, dairy and healthy fats,” calling for Americans to eat as much as twice the daily protein intake recommended by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine.
While some individuals require higher amounts of protein, raising the recommended levels of protein for the general public is cause for some debate. But what’s indisputable is the fact that there are many ways to meet our protein needs — and not all of them have the same impact on people and the planet.
Beef and lamb, in particular, have some of the highest environmental costs of any protein-rich food. That’s because these animals, known as ruminants, are the most resource-intensive to raise — requiring lots of land, water and feed to reach maturity, and sometimes, the conversion of natural ecosystems like forests to make way for pastures. Ruminants like cows and sheep also have unique digestive systems, where they emit a lot of planet-warming methane through belching.
Beef and lamb production result in significantly higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use and water pollution per ounce of protein than most alternatives. For example:
- Producing one kilogram of beef protein requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more GHGs than a kilogram of protein from chickpeas, beans or lentils.
- Not all meats are created equal. Poultry and pork production, for example, emit about 85% fewer GHGs than beef production per kilogram of protein. Importantly, though, shifting from beef to poultry or pork can present other tradeoffs for animal welfare.
- Cow’s milk produces roughly 3 times more emissions than other protein-rich options such as pea milk and soy milk .
Diets are personal choices. The good news is that consumers need not choose between a protein-rich diet and a planet-friendly one.
Plant-forward meals including beans, lentils, soy, nuts and seeds are great sources of protein and often other important nutrients such as fiber and iron. These ingredients are also typically more affordable than beef.
With so many good plant-based options available today, choosing less resource-intensive proteins is an easy and practical step people can take for themselves, for nature and for the climate.