I’ve always been a slightly conflicted meat lover. Don’t misunderstand, I love meat. I love the flavours, the textures, the gorgeous aromas… quite frankly everything! The conflict for me arises in how meat is raised. Like any industry, increased scale begets efficiencies that create lower costs for producer and consumer alike. While this is the natural order of things, my dilemma lies in how animals are treated.

For anyone who has read the Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan, they will have enough first hand accounts of factory farms and the dangers of a subsidized mono-crop cultures to last a lifetime.

So how do you reconcile the rights of individuals to reasonably priced meat with the rights of animals to live unfettered lives?

One possible answer to the question is to eat local, but eat less. Smaller producers typically charge more for a their product, so eating less of the good stuff helps offset the extra cost. Put your over-sized dinner plates away, and invest in a mid-sized plate. Something in between a salad or side plate and a full sized one. The next hurdle is to limit yourself to just one helping.

Here are a few other reasons for eating locally.

Community
A virtuous circle is potentially created when consumers buy from local producers. Building sustainable communities through sustainable food production at a grassroots level is the goal.

Food Security
Like a well diversified portfolio, putting all your eggs in one basket is a very risky strategy if the goal is financial security. The same is true with respect to food security. Having smaller, federally regulated, local growers actively producing the bulk of our food will minimize risk of large outbreaks of food contamination.

Health
There is something else in play that cannot be overlooked and that’s the numerous health benefits associated with eating less meat. While the connection between eating too much red meat and heart disease is not conclusive, there is a connection. Hedging your bets by cutting back on red and processed meats, and switching to legumes, grains and white meat for your protein needs is wise choice. In general, animal proteins (meat, fish, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs) are considered good sources of complete proteins. Complete proteins contain ample amounts of all essential amino acids. Though they’re technically considered a class of vegetables, legumes combined with rice are an excellent alternative to meat since they provide both fiber and together form a complete protein.

While I’m still conflicted about eating meat, I don’t think I’ll be going full-veg anytime soon. I can say with confidence that eating less meat has made noticeable improvements in my overall health and well being.