Not to boil down a technical topic into something small, but...
IMO eating meat is something that is considered a societal norm, where it is the abnormal to not eat meat at all. Generally, doing things that the rest of society also does would lead to greater outcomes in terms of fitting in and following the herd.
That's not to say that doing things that society normally does won't lead to mental health impacts.
But eating food is such a social aspect of our lives that we do every day, having to consider dietary impacts each time you eat with other people would surely push my anxiety up. Especially if it was driven based on principle.
IMO eating meat is something that is considered a societal norm, where it is the abnormal to not eat meat at all. Generally, doing things that the rest of society also does would lead to greater outcomes in terms of fitting in and following the herd.
That's not to say that doing things that society normally does won't lead to mental health impacts.
But eating food is such a social aspect of our lives that we do every day, having to consider dietary impacts each time you eat with other people would surely push my anxiety up. Especially if it was driven based on principle.