Council supporting residents who want to cut down on meat
New email series for those who want to eat less meat to protect their health and the environment
We have created a new email series for people who want to improve their health and reduce their impact on the environment by eating a little less meat and more delicious plant-based meals.
Let’s stop meating like this is a free, ten-part weekly email series. It gives readers tips, nutritional information about ingredients, recipe ideas and other useful information about reducing their meat consumption.
Nationally, we are eating 17% less meat than we did a decade ago. A 2019 YouGov poll suggested around a quarter of people planned to reduce the amount of red meat they ate, with many citing health and environmental concerns. Another survey found people who reduced their meat intake saved an average of £209 a year, which could make a big difference to people’s finances as other costs rise.
We want to support people to eat a more balanced diet and reduce meat consumption as part of our health and wellbeing and climate change agendas.
Eating too much red and processed meat is linked to several serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. At the same time, just one in ten of us is getting enough fibre in our diet, which can lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of some diseases.
Cllr Tonia Craig, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Policy, said: “This email series is not about banishing meat from the kitchen, but rather balancing it out with other healthy protein sources for a more rounded diet. By eating a little less meat and having plenty of wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes, people can lower the risk of some of our most serious health conditions and enjoy a longer, healthier life.
“The Let’s stop meating like this email series is full of useful information and advice on how to do this, so I encourage people to subscribe and give it a go.”
Meat production also has a larger environmental footprint in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and land and water use when compared to other protein sources.
Cllr Rupert Kyrle, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “Scientists are saying we need to move to a more sustainable diet in order to prevent climate and ecological breakdown. For most of us, that means eating a bit less meat and eating more seasonal fruit and vegetables. This email series is about helping people to make this transition in a way that improves health, saves money and, importantly, tastes good.”
If you'd like to eat a more balanced diet to improve your health, lower your impact on the environment and save some money, subscribe today.