Beef vs Lentils
Key facts
- Compared
- Beef vs Lentils
- Unit
- per kg of food
- Metrics
- Greenhouse gases, Land use, Freshwater withdrawal, Protein
- Source
- Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data · USDA FoodData Central · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; lentil environmental figures use the broad other-pulses category; protein compares cooked beef with boiled lentils.
per kg of food
Source: Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data: ourworldindata.org · USDA FoodData Central: fdc.nal.usda.gov · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; lentil environmental figures use the broad other-pulses category; protein compares cooked beef with boiled lentils.
Verdict
Cooked lentils provide protein and fibre with a much smaller climate footprint.
Questions people ask
Is grass-fed beef better?
On climate, usually not. Grass-fed cattle grow slower and emit methane for longer, and they need far more land per kilogram.
Do lentils provide complete protein?
Lentils are lower in methionine, but eaten with grains across a day the amino acid profile is complete.
Related comparisons
Data: Poore & Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data · USDA FoodData Central · Beef figures describe beef-herd beef; lentil environmental figures use the broad other-pulses category; protein compares cooked beef with boiled lentils. · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.
What the comparison can and cannot tell you
Check the denominator before interpreting a difference: a kilogram of food, a serving, a calorie and a gram of protein answer different questions. Equal weights are not automatically nutritionally equivalent meals. Keep the original source's system boundaries and preparation state when comparing values.
Environmental estimates depend on farming, processing, geography and the study's assumptions. A global average is not a measurement of your own purchase. Broad patterns can guide choices, but the size or ranking of a particular difference needs the relevant study rather than a blanket claim about every animal and plant food.
- Use the same unit and the same raw or cooked state for both foods.
- Check which impacts the source includes; carbon, water and land are separate measures.
- Do not infer a medical benefit from a lower footprint.
- Balance the replacement meal with suitable protein, energy and micronutrient sources.