How to Be a Conscious Eater

DO A LOT LESS HARM BY PAYING A LITTLE BIT MORE.

See page 146 for which labels to look for to know you’re getting

the “better” you deserve. Or, if you have a legitimate farmers’

market or responsible butcher shop near you, or a grocery store

that has strong animal welfare standards, get your meat there.

It will likely be free of all the things that do you, animals, and

the planet harm.

EAT LOW ON THE FOOD CHAIN.

The protein sources that are most environmentally concern-

ing are ruminant forms of red meat, as described—beef, lamb,

and goat. Trading down from beef to turkey in your sandwich

can make a big difference. It’s also better for your health in

the long run. Ditto for picking tofu instead of chicken in your

Chipotle burrito or Chinese takeout—or switching your week-

end breakfast routine from bacon and waffles to scrambled

eggs and waffles. For the full comparison, check out the World

Resources Institute’s Protein Scorecard: wri.org/shiftingdiets.

EAT IT WHOLE, AND EAT THE WHOLE THING.

Whole cuts of meat are far better for your health than pro-

cessed meats. Avoid waste by eating nose to tail, which means

using every part of each animal that’s slaughtered. Buying

from your farmers’ market or other small-scale producers or

butchers—online or in your neighborhood—can help you find

those who practice whole-animal butchery.

IN THE FUTURE, CONSIDER LAB-GROWN MEAT.

“Fifty years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing

a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by grow-

ing these parts separately under a suitable medium.” This

quote from Winston Churchill in 1931 was prescient. Though

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