MEATING AN EARLY GRAVE: Two-thirds of Brits would ‘rather die early than give up meat’
Dr. Shireen Kassam, founder of Plant Based Health Professionals UK, says: ‘This survey highlights a real disconnect between the science and public attitudes relating to meat consumption.'
NATALIE MORRIS: 67% of people would rather reduce their life expectancy by five to 10 years than give up meat, according to a new national survey. The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of No Meat May, also found that more than half (51%) of British men and women associate a diet that contains a lot of meat with being ‘masculine’, while vegetarian (36%) and vegan (35%) diets are seen as more ‘feminine’. One third (30%) of men believe humans are meant to eat meat compared to less than a quarter (22%) of women.
More than one in 20 (6%) also said they would rather go to jail than stop eating meat, rising to 11% for those aged 25-34. While 27% of men would rather give up coffee and 19% would rather give up alcohol than meat, 18% also said they would stop eating meat if it improved their sexual performance and 35% said they would give it up if it improved their health.
For women, the health implications are the main reasons they would consider switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet. 38% said they would stop eating meat if it improved their health, 36% if it reduced their chance of developing certain cancers, and 33% if they lost a stone or more in weight. Women are also more interested in reducing their consumption of meat and animal products than men – 60% of women are either somewhat or very interested in reducing their meat intake, compared to 51% of men…
The research also found that the younger generation are more likely to eat meat to fit in; 21% of 16-34 year olds said they’ve eaten meat to fit in with friends or family, compared to just 8% of people over 65, and 20% said they’ve eaten meat to avoid appearing fussy when eating out, compared to 6% of people over 65. So, what about the environment? Although 76% of all respondents to this study said they care about the environment, just 26% said they would stop eating meat and other animal products to reduce their environmental impact…
Only 20% would give up meat for the benefit of future generations to leave behind a healthier more harmonious world for their children and grandchildren. Almost half (42%) believe boring food choices would be the biggest obstacle to going vegan, while one third (32%) say they wouldn’t know what to eat and a quarter (26%) said they wouldn’t know where to get their protein. Dr Shireen Kassam, founder of Plant Based Health Professionals UK, says: ‘This survey highlights a real disconnect between the science and public attitudes relating to meat consumption.’
‘Given that eating meat, particularly red and processed meat, is a leading risk factor for some of our commonest chronic illnesses, it is quite alarming to learn how entrenched some myths and beliefs about a vegan diet actually are. This is undoubtedly a result of decades of effective marketing and PR by the meat industry. SOURCE…
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