Mark Bittman: We're Eating Less Meat. Why?

NYTimes.com:

Americans eat more meat than any other population in the world; about one-sixth of the total, though we're less than one-twentieth of the population.

But that's changing.

Photo by Flickr user: soyculto

Read the whole story

Comments

[Afterschool Carl]

11:14 PM on 01/11/2012

Shut up, Bittman. We've grown weary of your constant harangue.

[the taoist]

08:33 PM on 01/11/2012

About a year ago I watched a documentary called Earthlings......if it doesn't turn you off eating meat
completely...it will make you seriously reconsider your diet...................

[rikster]

06:59 PM on 01/11/2012

it costs more to buy real good grass fed meat...

[AndrewNY2011]

06:41 PM on 01/11/2012

Even though I can't turn down a nice, rare, juicy, tender T-Bone, I can mostly live without meat. The fact that most meat comes from factory farms with terrible conditions for the animals, the presence of antibiotics and steroids in their food, and the conditions of slaughterhouses and the workers there are enough to keep me away. I had a friend who got a job with the Dept of Agriculture as an inspector at a slaughterhouse and by stories I have heard, a lot of the workers don't speak English and to practice safe food handling.

[carick]

05:06 PM on 03/13/2013

I would be just as concerned about the traces of blood, faeces and body fluids in meat. Meat is dead body parts or warmed up bits of corpse. No thanks I'll stick with the vegetables.

[LeftoftheLeft]

06:20 PM on 01/11/2012

I can explain it for myself in two words: factory farms.

[Kali03]

08:19 PM on 01/11/2012

Yup.

[FOXYROSE]

04:43 PM on 01/11/2012

Food costs have gone way up and people's pay has not. Meat just doesn't taste as good as it used to, I find it difficult to find high quality meat, but the prices are for high quality. They add a lot of water to the cuts to make them weigh more and feeding the steer corn does nothing for the taste. Population is aging and aging Americans eat less. Having said that, I eat some form of meat almost everyday - stew, grilled, braised, etc. I just don't like beans and rice or just veggies. I am a meat and potatos person and so far it hasn't harmed me and I am far from being over weight.

[bonelessfluff]

08:32 PM on 01/11/2012

I know at Albertsons (SuperValue) they add red coloring to make it look better.

[yappnmutt]

02:08 PM on 01/11/2012

people are given way too much credit for making the choices they make. therefore, the simplest explanation is the best explanation.

food costs have risen dramatically in the last 5 years and the economy has been terrible. meat is the most expensive component of a meal. eating less of it is the most decisive way to economize.

[plantbasedpunk]

01:07 PM on 01/11/2012

Mark Bittman is fantastic. I think one of the reasons why Americans eat so much meat is because they fear that plant-foods won't taste as good. That is simply not the case. And the less meat (and processed food) you eat, the more your palate changes. There was a time when I would get a hankering for pork ribs. Now, I start jonesing for sweet potato and black bean enchiladas (especially good topped with fresh cilantro and avocado, FYI).

[olitenup]

11:24 AM on 01/11/2012

I stopped eating beef because of the arrogance and greed of the cattlemen ranchers, and the abject abuse of the cattle at industrialized feed lots. It is disgusting what they put those poor cows through.

And now the chicken, turkey and pork industrial farmers want to classify people who discover farmers are abusing their animals as terrorists. Seriously. Terrorists.

If you are not abusing your animals, you have nothing to hide.

[adamben]

11:18 AM on 01/11/2012

ok, i'll comment on the article/blog. it's great that people are eating healthier! and, it is predictable that the meat industry is blaming everyone else and will build yet another death star and... oops, well they would if they could to get meat consumption back up. maybe they should concentrate on quality now that quantity is going down?

[John Shuck]

01:52 PM on 01/11/2012

We actually aren't eating healthier, just pretending like we do. Sugar is the number one diet problem.

[adamben]

04:33 PM on 01/11/2012

good point. i guess i meant healthier proteins but i would have to look at some data.

[JScott]

11:04 AM on 01/11/2012

Yup too much meat consumtion is stressful on the kidneys.

[jeffp26]

10:21 AM on 01/11/2012

Too much detail here. Seems like the HP trimmed the fat and meat and bone.