Aside from increasing your risk of heart disease, cattle: 1) require significantly more water than other types of plant-based food (or poultry), 2) they contribute to deforestation in the Amazon (cheap imported meat for your fast food), 3) produce massive amounts of methane which is a significant driver of climate change, 4) contribute to waste run-off which pollutes our waterways, and 5) government-projects are often putting cattle grazing above protection of native wildlife on public lands.