Zach Blaine and Lindsey Goubeaux
OXFORD, Miss. — One fourth of all US citizens have decided to eliminate meat from their diet, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average human consumed 217.3 lbs of red meat or poultry in 2019. This is slightly lower than the record number of 222.2 pounds of red meat and poultry in 2018.
Although Mississippi is among the top 10 states for meat consumption, there are signs that some longtime meat eaters are also increasingly open to alternatives.
The trend has sparked movements within the fast food industry as well. Burger King released their vegetarian hamburger option in October 2019.
“This year (2020) specifically, we have not been able to keep them in stock. They are a very popular item that sell out very quickly… they go like hot cakes!” General Manager, Natasha Herds, of Burger King in Oxford said.
People have chosen to live vegetarian lifestyles for hundreds of years due to geographic location, health or personal reasons. But, with the coming of the new year, many are giving up meat for 2020 in hope to live a healthier lifestyle.
“This January I completely cut meat out of my life..I stopped eating red meat in June of 2019 after watching a documentary on how meat was processed in the body. I never knew how hard it was for our bodies to digest meat,” said fitness instructor Alexandra Watts.
An article written by Justin McCarthy, an American demographer, for the Gallup says nearly one in four Americans (23%) report eating less meat in the past year than they had previously, while the vast majority (72%) say they are eating the same amount of meat. Very few (5%) report eating more meat this year than in the past.
The human body works harder to digest meat as opposed to plant based foods. Cutting meat out of one’s diet will therefore give them more energy in their day to day life.
According to10 Reasons to Eat Less Meat by Jenny Rose Edwards, researchers from the Massachusetts general hospital found raising the consumption of animal protein in one’s diet by 10% led to a 2% higher risk of death.
Eating less meat has shown to help people be more energetic, stay slim, live longer and help the wallet out as well.
The biggest factor in reducing meat consumption is health concerns. Nine in 10 say it is a major or minor reason they are cutting back on meat according to a study done by McCarthy.
“I am very conscious of what I put in my body, as a fitness instructor I feel like I must practice what I preach and in order to do this I have to eliminate the bad and intake the good…In this short month I realized I feel much less bloated, more energetic, my skin feels better and I feel more ready and able to tackle my days,” Watts said.
Not only does the entire meat industry have an impact on the human body, it also has a direct impact with earth’s environment.
“I have grown up a vegetarian… My parents are very conscientious of their carbon footprint and have always taught me how much of an impact the meat industry has on our planet,” said Jordan Maletic, a senior at the University.
Living Foods restaurant has been an advocate for a more vegetarian diet since 2014.
“I feel like most vegetarians in Oxford tend to come to this restaurant. We’re one of the only restaurants that I know of that have a lot of vegan options, we try to cater to people that have allergies people that dont eat meat. There are surprisingly more vegetarians in Oxford than you would think,” Living foods employee Grace Jennings said.
Living Foods tries to offer a wider variety of foods to the vegetarian community in Oxford. Not only do they have many options, they try and make them as nutritious and protein rich as possible.
“We have a lot of avocado-based foods… all of our sauces are made with veganaise, which is vegan. Some of our more nutritious vegetarian supplements are; a veggie burger and a zucchini burger, these burgers are filled with protein and our zucchini is most popular,” Jennings said.
Other restaurants in Oxford such as Taco Bell and Chipotle are also offering new vegetarian options for those looking for places to eat with these accommodations. This story will continue with the success rate of these vegetarian menus all over Oxford.
Zach Blaine 