It's no secret that some meat is bad. It can be terrible for the environment, for the animals in question, and often for ourselves. And the ironic part is that we are all aware of this. There are thousands of people that would immediately stop eating meat (myself included), if only it weren't so ingrained in our diets and so delicious.

Given recent environmental catastrophes, I began looking for a way to reduce my carbon footprint and become a more responsible global citizen. I always knew that factory-produced meat was bad for the environment, but I honestly had no idea how catastrophic it actually was. Beef is particularly detrimental. For every gram of beef produced, 221 grams of carbon dioxide is emitted into the environment. Even worse, cows produce methane which traps greenhouse gases in our atmosphere 86 times longer than carbon dioxide.

In addition to its effects on the environment, beef is also terrible for animals and humans. Between the inhumane conditions that animals are kept in and the slew of antibiotics given to them (which can lead to human illness further down the line), the only appealing thing about beef is it's taste (but it sure is a good one).

Last month, I tried to go vegetarian, but found most meat substitutes to be lackluster at best. I figured that all real meat was bad and all fake meat tasted terrible. I was about to bite the bullet and go back to mass-produced meat, but then my best friend Sam told me about Paleovalley's 100% grass fed beef sticks.

Paleovalley's beef sticks are made from 100% grass fed beef raised in the United States on family-owned farms. As a result, cattle are bred through rotational grazing practices and the creation of lush, green pastures free of chemicals and pesticides. Even better, cattle are never fed any grains or given any antibiotics!

However, what really sets Paleovalley's beef sticks apart from everyone else is their natural fermentation process. While similar snack stick products use GMO corn-based citric acid to process their products, Paleovalley's beef sticks are free from GMOs, gluten, soy, and dairy. They even use old world fermentation methods, a process which adds naturally occurring probiotics to the beef sticks, to also make the snack shelf-stable without compromising the ingredients.The final product is a great source of protein (6g per servings) that will leave you feeling full in between meals.

While mass-produced meat is fatty and can lead to heart problems in the future, Paleovalley's beef sticks offer a solution: a delicious snack chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid, glutathione (the body's master antioxidant), and a whole bunch of other essential nutrients like B12 and B6.

But what good are all of these benefits if the taste isn't there. Luckily, Paleovalley's beef sticks are seasoned using organic spices for a delicious, savory flavor as opposed to competing products which are sprayed with conventional spices. Some of their delicious flavors include original, jalapeno, summer sausage, garlic summer sausage, and teriyaki. The result? A delicious snack that improves our health and helps the planet at the same time.

I absolutely loved having the savory snack delivered to my door each week. It was super convenient and the beef sticks were the perfect portable snack. Better yet, I finally didn't feel guilty about eating meat! If you're looking for ways to help the environment, but you don't know where to begin, we suggest trying out Paleovalley's beef sticks as a tasty meat substitute. After all, a small change can make a massive difference.

Update: Our friends at Paleovalley are offering a special offer to our reader! Follow this link for an exclusive offer.