10 Health and Environmental Reasons You Should Not Eat Beef

The beef industry wreaked havoc across the world even before fast food. Nevertheless, with the rise of hamburgers under heat lamps, the entire approach to beef production changed. It got dirtier, more impersonal, and even more destructive.

While cattle, unlike factory-farmed pigs and chickens, are often kept on ranches for part of their life, cattle ranches are steadily causing the deforestation of important wild places like the Amazonian jungle. Plus, cattle still spend some of their days being fattened up in feed lots before being slaughtered which, of course, is a brutal scene.

But, even if that isn’t enough to discourage the consumption of beef, there are tons of health consequences linked to regular red meat consumption. Despite tons of ad money and farm subsidies spent to convince the masses otherwise, eating beef is not a healthy choice, certainly not the healthiest choice.

Source: The Doctors/YouTube

1. Antibiotics & Drug-Resistant Bacteria

As the production of beef has been ramped up more and more to meet the demand caused by fast food burger joints on every corner seemingly everywhere in the world, beef producers have had to feed their cows antibiotics to keep them alive while in cramped feed lots.

This large-scale, blanket use of antibiotics creates new, drug-resistant bacteria strains that put us all at greater risk. If these bacteria get into our systems and make us sick, we no longer have remedies ready.

2. Cancer

Loads of research have found that red meat and processed meat to cancer. These meats are amongst the most carcinogenic foods, along with sugar and packaged foods, we can eat. Beef is strongly linked to colon cancer.

3. Type 2 Diabetes

Processed meat and beef cooked at high temperatures and/or on open flames have been found to increase a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes. Lots of beef is also processed, such as bologna, cured meat, and sausages. Then, it’s barbecued, often slathered in sugary sauce.

4. Heart Disease & High Cholesterol

People who eat red meat regularly are found to be at much more risk for heart disease and high cholesterol levels. For this reason, the National Institute of Health suggests a diet that either eliminates red meat or heavily restricts beef consumption.

5. Inflammation & Arthritis

Time and time again, medical professionals and researchers have pointed to processed meats and red meats as being major contributors to inflammation and pain from arthritis. This is due to high levels of saturated fats. Some studies have even shown that beef and other red meats can cause early onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

6. Factory Farmed Outbreaks

The beef industry, and in particular the big ag version of it, has been linked to several outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, and mad cow disease, to limit the list. When animals are congregated in unhealthy crowds, kept standing in each other’s feces, and slaughtered together, cross-contamination is a serious problem should any animals be ill of health. It happens all the time.

7. Hormones Added

Cattle in the US, specifically, are feed growth hormones to make them larger—ready for slaughter—faster. This has worked against US beef producers because many countries won’t allow hormone-added beef.

While proponents of the beef industry have claimed that all hormones are naturally occurring, it doesn’t account for the fact that adding heavy doses of hormones to an animal to make it grow faster is not natural.

These unnaturally high levels of hormones in the meat are worthy of concern.

Source: Vox/YouTube

8. Environment Destruction

It’s important to remember that, when the beef industry destroys or pollutes the environment, that dilapidated environment causes health issues for us, too. Fresh water sources are contaminated, global oxygen levels are depleted, and greenhouse gases are increased.

We need to drink, we need to breathe, and we need the atmosphere to be healthy.

9. Resource Consumption

Feeding and watering cattle and other factory-farmed animals requires a lot of resources. Grains are grown to feed the animals. Fresh water is used to grow the food as well as feed the cattle. Lots and lots of land is cleared, fenced, and ruined to both grow cattle feed and grow cattle.

It’s a hugely inefficient means of feeding humans. The beef produced when doing so is causing health issues that the plant-based food grown for the animals wouldn’t if humans ate it.

10. Water Pollution

Factory farms cause serious water pollution problems. The high concentrations of feces get washed into freshwater streams, creeks, rivers, and lakes. Furthermore, clearing land to put cattle on means that rain runoff can more easily carry contaminants to these water sources.

Water will continue to become more and more precious, and we will still need to drink adequate amounts of it to be healthy.

So, then, the question may be: why would you eat beef? It’s a pretty hard sell for those looking for healthy meals and a healthy place to live.

Related Content:

• Ground Beef Linked to Salmonella Outbreak in US
• Beef vs. Plant-Based Burgers: Digestive Differences and Impact on Gut Microbiota
• Here’s Why Grass-Fed Beef is Just as Bad for the Environment as Grain-Fed
• Clearing the Air: Big Beef’s Climate Misinformation Campaign
• All About the Extremely Unhealthy, Uncool, and Environmentally Damaging Bacon Craze

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Adopt-a-Pet: Visit WildWatchers, a watchdog platform specifically designed for animal, earth, and wildlife warriors to actively give back, rescue, and protect animals and the planet.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!