Download Beef vs Beans: Your food choices can save your planet

ANIMAL FOODS ARE
HARD ON OUR
PLANET!
“OUR DIET MATTERS
MORE THAN OUR
CARS”
IF WE ALL EAT MEAT, WE’LL NEED MORE PLANETS
NUTRITIONALLY, LARGE AMOUNTS OF ANIMAL
FOODS ARE HARD ON OUR HEALTH TOO
• Those who eat the
largest quantities of
red meat are 40%
more likely to have
CVD, DM2, cancer
• Antibiotics in animal
production have
helped create
superbugs
PROTEIN IS IMPORTANT IN
GROWTH AND IN HEALING
BUT IS PLENTIFUL IN U.S.
FOOD SUPPLY. MEAT IS
HEAVILY MARKETED
OUR “MICROBIOME”
LOVES BEANS FOR
THEIR FIBER!
ANIMAL FOODS
HAVE ZERO FIBER
AND I RECOMMEND
BEANS FOR THEIR
COST. NUTRITION IS
NOT TOO EXPENSIVE!
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
• Environmental pros for animal foods
• Some land is not suited to grow plants
• Animal products are more sustainable than flesh foods
• Manure is great fertilizer
• A small amount of animal food “complements the proteins
in plant foods and magnifies the iron”
• Nutrition pros for a small amount of animal foods
• Phytates in grain-heavy diets lead to anemia
• Bioavailabillity of some nutrients==
• Retinyl esters, B12, zinc, iron
• In healing bioavailability becomes vital
MORE NUTRITIONAL FACTORS…
• Fish is promoted by nutrition science but not by me
• Vegans:
• Nutrition? It’s possible to have inadequate vegan
diets
• Social? It’s hard to eat with vegans
• Religion? Compassion? Indians ate animals and
honored their spirits
• Some land doesn’t grow plants well
Summary:
Beef vs
Beans
FOOD CHOICES ARE A SHORT-TERM DECISION
WITH A LONG-TERM IMPACT.
THOMAS JEFFERSON:
MY RECOMMENDATION FOR THE PUBLIC FOR LONGTERM HEALTH: EAT LITTLE OR NO ANIMAL FLESH,
ESPECIALLY RED MEAT, TO IMPROVE
* HEALTH: WEIGHT, HEART, ANTIOXIDANTS AND FIBER
* ECONOMY: MICRO- AND MACRO EXPENSE
* ENVIRONMENT:: WATER, ENERGY, AIR, LAND, TRANSPORTATION
BUT MEAT IS ONLY HALF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM!
Agriculture is the biggest contributor to climate change
Dr Dariush Mozaffarian: Tufts University: Our food system is the leading cause
of environmental impact on the planet. How we grow our food accounts for
70% of water use, 90% of tropical deforestation, immense challenges to the
oceans and fish stock, and as much greenhouse gas emissions as all of the
world’s transportation—cars, trucks, buses, planes, trains and ships—
combined.
The Harvard School of Public Health: Agriculture alone is responsible for up to
30% of global greenhouse gas emission—with almost half caused by
livestock production alone
Veggies, fruits and nuts currently account for only 2% of U.S. crop acreage. By
contrast, nearly 60% is devoted to cereal grains and seeds grown primarily
for the production of edible oils. The greatest uses of corn and soybeans
include fuel (ethanol and biodiesel), livestock feed and ingredients such as
high-fructose corn syrup. Only 10% of grains grown in the U.S. are for direct
consumption by humans.
WATER:
•
•
•
•
•
contamination and wastage:
Fracking pollutes and endangers our
water for the future
Our Midwest drought is serious, but
California’s is worse
Farmers in southwest KS grow thirsty
corn with our future water
Internationally there is a trend toward
PRIVATIZING water
Climate change will impact agriculture
massively
SOLUTIONS ARE PERSONAL & SOCIETAL
Change farming:
Land Institute Salina KS: roots so deep
that annual plowing will be obsolete
Farm Bill subsidizes wrong foods
Community & urban gardens
And food practices::
40% of all food is discarded
somewhere between field to fridge
And packaging
Less is better.
PERSONAL & SOCIETAL RECOMMENDATIONS
ENJOY FOOD
AVOID PACKAGED and PROCESSED FOODS
PROMOTE FRESH, SEASONAL FOOD
COOK, GARDEN, COMPOST
EAT MORE FRUITS, VEGGIES AND WHOLE GRAINS
RESPECT FOOD and NUTRITION
AND CHANGE THE WORLD