Do we eat too much meat?

We bang on about the importance of protein regularly. But that doesn’t mean we suggest adding a grilled chicken breast or steak to every meal.

Not only is this an unsustainable way to eat meat, but you’ll find yourself eating a huge amount of muscle meat, without much else to balance it out.

So, what’s wrong with eating chicken breasts?

Put simply, nothing. However, by choosing to only consume cuts such as chicken breasts, it solidifies the fact that we have become so removed from the source of our food. It’s become the norm to eat specific cuts of meat only, while the rest of the animal has become rather obsolete.

Meat too, can be easy to overindulge in (like sugar) and in general, people eat far more meat than our bodies necessarily require, or can digest. It’s also important to note that if food availability was an issue (as it is in many parts of the world), we would be far less inclined as a community to simply use the chicken breast or steak and throw the rest away.

With factory farming and technology meaning animals can now be grown large and quick, this has meant that demand for these specific cuts of meat has also increased as a result. But we’ve got to ask ourselves, once the breast or rib-eye is removed, what happens to the rest of the animal?

While there’s definitely a growing sense of awareness in regards to unfriendly farming practices and more of us are shopping at our local butchers (who are relatively good at getting rid of “secondary” cuts by selling beef bones for cheap and turning bits and bobs into mince), as consumers, we can and should take some responsibility too.

Our philosophy.

At IQS we eat meat mindfully and sustainably by eating nose-to-tail and stretching meat as far as possible. Yep, we can turn one chicken into 15 meals…

In an ideal world, it would be great to purchase whole animals from trusted farmers, sharing them with other families to feed us over an extended period of time. And interestingly enough, as people begin to think more and more about mindful meat consumption, this is turning out to be a popular and effective option for those that are dedicated enough! For a lot of us however, unfortunately this isn’t a viable solution, so we’re all about baby steps!

Instead, we always choose the economical cuts of meat over the more fashionable ones – this is where knowing your way around a slow cooker is key! You wouldn’t use a sirloin in your slow cooker, but rather the tougher, bonier cuts – AKA the hard-working parts of the animal. Think shanks, shoulders, brisket, cheeks, hocks and tails. Since these are the bits most folk don’t buy, they’re also cheaper, and if you’re still not convinced, we can assure you they’re much tastier. Give me falling-off-the-bone lamb shanks over flavourless steak any day!

The bottom line?

While as a whole our society consumes a lot of meat, we’re certainly not suggesting you need to give it up completely! However, if sustainability is important to you, and you’re keen to enjoy better health, it might be time to consider how you consume your meat.

Got more questions about mindful meat consumption? Let us know in the comments below.

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