Limit Meat Consumption With Variety And Cooking

I first heard about the World Health Organization study early Monday morning. That's the one that said red and processed meats increases our risk of cancer.

When I'm in my grave, I'll stop eating bacon! is what I imagined all Americans said that day.

I didn't pay the media frenzy too much attention because I've seen so many studies and headlines about cancer-causing foods. And then I see them contradicted a month later. 

I listened to On Point with Tom Ashbrook on the topic and the specialists they had on the show put the study in perspective. The message behind all this? We need to cut down on our meat consumption.  

I agree. Scientists and health experts have been telling us to cut down on our meat consumption for a long time. We have too much meat and it's killing us. 

When you look around at any gas station, convenience store or office supplies store, there's a large stock of beef jerky, turkey jerky and pork jerky. There's meat everywhere and it's in everything. The last time I had a side of potato salad at a restaurant, it had bacon in it. When I ordered macaroni and cheese at a pub/grill, it had bacon in it. The gluttonous amount of meat we have here is more evident to me the more I look around and eat. 

But God forbid we have a dinner without a steak. Hell upon us without bacon. Death to our future without ground beef.

We're addicted. We don't know what a good meal is without meat. That's what I see. And I see a whole lot of people who can't cook and don't have imagination in the kitchen. Meat may be the best thing they can bring to their dinner table and without it, they have nothing. And so there's panic if we're told we have to limit our meat consumption. What are we going to put in the spaghetti? What do we roll in a tortilla? What do I eat for breakfast?!?!

I also see a whole lot of unadventurous people with limited palates. What we really need is variety. We need to taste kale in 10 different ways. We need have a variety of legumes in the pantry. We need to have a cupboard full of spices. We need to taste the world and its edible (plant) bounty to become more imaginative and skilled in the kitchen. 

With cooking knowledge, a wide palate and a little bit of an adventurous attitude, we don't need to depend on meat to be in our every meal. We wouldn't notice the meat missing if we had a delicious butternut squash curry in front of us, or a savory kale pasta, or some kimchi fried rice. 

I can make my way around the kitchen well enough. I've even heard I'm very good at cooking certain things. And I eat. I eat at all kinds of restaurants and I try different dishes and ingredients all the time. I also don't eat that much meat. I'm not a vegetarian (although I would like to be. That's something I struggle with), but half of the time, I go meatless. It's because I can cook, I have a wide palate and I'm not afraid to buy and cook new things.

So eat more variety. Try new things. Learn to appreciate how versatile vegetables can be. Learn how spices can make five different dishes out of one butternut squash. You'd be surprised and pleasantly fulfilled.