For decades, meat has served as the centerpiece of family meals and celebrations, symbolizing comfort and tradition. Nowadays, escalating environmental concerns and rising public health challenges have compelled researchers to ask: “How much meat can we responsibly consume?”. A recent study provides clear evidence that the answer is lower than many have assumed.

According to a research conducted by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and published in Nature Food, maintaining a weekly intake of 255 grams (about 9 ounces) of chicken or pork keeps your diet within the ecological limits that Earth can sustain over time. In the following sections, we’ll explore the study findings and what this guideline means for your meal planning.

The meat threshold: what science recommends

The DTU research team examined over 100,000 dietary variations, considering factors such as carbon emissions, water usage, land degradation, and nutritional adequacy. Their findings indicate that even modest portions of red meat—like beef and lamb—exceed sustainable ecological limits because of high resource consumption and elevated greenhouse gas emissions.

For example, consuming just one 4-ounce beef burger per week expends more resources than the planet can regenerate on a per capita basis.

Poultry and pork offer a more environmentally friendly alternative. The 255-gram weekly cap for these meats strikes a crucial balance between satisfying protein needs and preserving environmental sustainability. To illustrate, a single boneless chicken breast weighing between 6 and 8 ounces nearly exhausts your entire weekly allocation.

The primary takeaway is that, while meat remains an option, meticulous portion control is indispensable for long-term sustainability.

Making 255 grams of meat work in real life

Adhering to the 255-gram guideline calls for mindful meal planning and strategic adjustments. Consider these practical tips:

Replace beef tacos with shredded chicken tacos. Use 2 to 3 ounces of chicken per serving, reserving any remainder for another meal, and enhance the dish with hearty beans and nutrient-dense roasted vegetables.
Transform your pork stir-fry into a flexitarian-friendly dish by limiting pork to 3 ounces per serving and incorporating plant-based proteins like tofu or mushrooms.
Abstain from meat on 2 to 3 dinners each week by exploring plant-forward alternatives such as lentil pasta, chickpea curry, or grilled halloumi salads.

The goal is not complete elimination but rather achieving balance. As the leader of the study explains, incorporating modest portions of poultry, fish, or dairy can be sustainable when the remainder of your plate is plant-centric. The key is to adopt a “less meat, more variety” approach.

This research exposes a sobering truth: global food systems must evolve through comprehensive policy reforms, including eco-conscious farming subsidies, investments in regenerative agriculture, and increased accessibility to plant-based alternatives. Nonetheless, individual choices remain impactful. Even slight reductions in meat consumption can significantly diminish your overall environmental footprint.

But remember that you don’t need to eliminate meat abruptly. Instead, start by trimming portion sizes, exploring a diverse range of plant proteins, or opting for environmentally preferable choices like poultry over beef. These incremental changes, as the study illustrates, collectively contribute to maintaining nutritional balance while preserving the long-term health of our planet.