Protein is one of the most important nutrients. It’s essential to stay healthy and to maintain our body composition. In this chart, we have collected the data to indicate how does a daily average dose of protein impacts the environment. The daily suggested intake according to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound.

Reference: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987

The averages for adults are:

• 56 grams per day for the average man
• 46 grams per day for the average woman

The actual amount of protein intake needs differs from person to person depending on age, muscle mass, and state of health.

Source: https://www.nap.edu/read/10490/chapter/1

What does this mean?

Depending on where the cows are raised and what they feed on, the difference between eating beef meat or eating nuts with the exact same amount of protein that’s needed for our body can be vast. As much as 177 times more CO2 emission.

What should I eat?

As a general rule of thumb, the less meat and dairy products and the more vegetables and nuts. A plant-based diet has a major impact in reducing your carbon footprint. A solely beef-based diet could generate 6,460 kg (6.5 tonnes!) of CO2 emissions in a single year compared to a plant-based diet that would have 36.5 kg of CO2 in the same time range. These are two extremes to highlight the differences.