Healthier Choices – One Planet One Plate

The Research

What processed and red meat actually do to your risk

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reviewed the evidence on meat and cancer risk. The findings, in plain terms:

Processed Meat

+18% colorectal cancer risk

Per 50g eaten daily (about two slices of bacon or one hot dog). IARC classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen — the same evidence-strength category as tobacco, though not the same risk level: it causes an estimated 34,000 cancer deaths a year worldwide, versus about 1 million from smoking.

Red Meat

+17% colorectal cancer risk

Per 100g eaten daily. Red meat is classified Group 2A ("probably carcinogenic") — weaker evidence than processed meat, but still a consistent signal worth planning around.

Source: World Health Organization / IARC.

What this doesn't mean: an occasional burger or deli sandwich isn't a health crisis. Risk scales with how much and how often — which is exactly why portion size and frequency, not total elimination, are where this page focuses.

Skip This Instead

The case against processed food, specifically

A 2024 umbrella review pooling nearly 10 million participants found consistent links between ultra-processed food intake and 32 different adverse health outcomes. The strongest, most consistent associations:

Cardiovascular death — about 50% higher risk with high ultra-processed food intake.
Type 2 diabetes — about 12% higher risk.
Anxiety and mental health disorders — 48–53% higher risk.
All-cause mortality — about 21% higher risk.

Source: umbrella review of meta-analyses covered by EurekAlert / BMJ. Full citations on About & Sources.

The practical takeaway: swapping a packaged, ultra-processed item for a whole-food version of roughly the same meal — a home-made bean chili instead of a canned "meat" alternative loaded with additives, real oats instead of a sugary cereal — does more for your health than almost any other single change.

Still Eating Red Meat? Good.

Healthier red meat options

This site isn't anti-meat. It's pro-informed choice. If red meat stays on your plate, these swaps keep the flavor and cut the saturated fat, calories, and footprint that come with it:

Choose leaner cuts

Eye of round, top round & bottom round roasts/steaks
Top sirloin and top loin steak
Chuck shoulder and arm roasts
Ground beef labeled 93% or 95% lean

USDA "lean" = under 10g total fat, 4.5g saturated fat, per 3.5 oz serving. "Extra-lean" = under 5g total fat. Choose "Choice" or "Select" grade over "Prime," which carries more marbling (fat).

Watch the portion, not just the cut

A healthy serving of cooked meat is about 3 ounces — roughly the size of a deck of cards.
Treat red meat as the flavor, not the centerpiece: fill half the plate with vegetables first.
Save red meat for a few meals a week instead of a daily default — that alone gets you close to the EAT-Lancet target.
Grass-fed and pasture-raised options generally carry a lighter land footprint per animal, though portion size still matters most.

Ready to try a meatless day?

Meatless Monday is the easiest, best-studied way to shift the balance — without giving anything up permanently.

See the Health Benefits →