Written by August 27, 2019

The Impact of The Food We Eat on The Environment & Humans: Red (meat) alert

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I took this picture in Costa Rica on the beautiful countryside

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” 
― Theodore Roosevelt

Food- a great subject but at times a touchy one. It is tied to our culture, our beliefs, and how we think about it are affected by various factors, such as where we live and how we grew up. Our behaviors around what we eat are also affected by other driven factors like how much we are willing or able to spend on food and the access to the types of foods around our home. I am not here to force any eating style on you, and I’d be a hypocrite if I did. But this post is to inform you how our eating styles impact the world.

I can’t tell you that I am vegan or even perfectly pescatarian, which is the diet I’ve aimed for over the years. Currently my main focus is avoiding beef. Here is why…

Deforestation & Land Destruction

Photo credit: climateaction.org
  • It takes 10x the amount of land to produce grain for cattle compared to poultry.
  • In Brazil, pasture land is 5x the size of cropland. In the Amazon Basin of Brazil, 75% of the deforested land had been turned into pasture in 2007- 12 years ago! Beef consumption has increased each year since 2007.
  • Beef production causes global warming through its effects on deforestation, both directly through pasture and indirectly through its use of feed and forage.
  • Ruminants, which are animals such as cattle, sheep, and deer take up 6 hectares of land to make 1 kilo (or 2.20 pounds) of protein in comparison to 3.6 hectares for pork. Veggies, such as legumes, peas, beans, reduces the area to 2.7 hectares (uscusa.org).

H2o

Las Paz Cataratas in Costa Rica
  • According to Mekonnen and Hoekstra, “Nearly one-third of the total water footprint of agriculture in the world is related to the production of animal products”. This number is from a research article in 2012- *keep in mind the amount of beef produced each year has increased so therefore it be can concluded that so has the water footprint of meat.
  • When you break it down comparing calories for beef vs crops, the water footprint for beef is 20x that of crops!

Feeding Livestock Animals over People

Photo credit: sdsoybean.org
  • Of the planet’s agricultural land, 20 % is used to produce food that is eaten by humans, while 4x that amount of land is used to feed livestock. With the amount food that livestock are eating, we could be feeding people around the world that are living in poverty who are without access to food .
  • Beef production, for example, requires 8 x more feed (in dry matter) per kilogram of meat compared to producing pig meat, and 11 times if compared to the case of chicken meat (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012).

Human Health & Economic Impacts

Photo Credit: Peter Dazeley—Getty Images
  • According to the National Institute for Health, individuals “who consumed the highest levels of both unprocessed and processed red meat had the highest risk of all-cause of mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
  • An additional serving of processed meats per day, such as hotdogs, salami, and sausages are estimated to increase the rate of cardiovascular disease by 20% (NIH, 2012).
  • Increased illness also affects costs spent on healthcare and depending on what country you live in and what type of access to healthcare you have, this can have significant economic impact on individuals and their families.
  • Nitrogen pollution caused by growing crops and raising livestock causes respiratory issues and erodes the ozone layer, which protects us from dangerous UV radiation.

Research Recommends Veganism: BUT if you do not want to go Vegan there are some many options inbetween

Image Credit: honestburgers.co.uk

So I told you that I was not here to push a dietary agenda on you, which I am not. I realize there are people on all spectrums of eating meat vs no eating meat and ultimately it is up to you to make the choice for you. My hope is that you make a more educated choice.

If you are unwilling to give up beef, consider to switching to eating meats that have less of of a negative impact on the environment, such as pork or chicken. Shifting from beef to other meats can decrease pollution from manure production, reduce fertilizer waste, and a nitrogen surplus (NPR, 2016).

Shameless Plug for Beyond Meat Burgers (or meatless “meat” options). I went camping to San Onofre a few months ago and my Surfrider crew and I opted for these. They were freaking B-O-M-B! I encourage you to try these meatless patties and also their sausage version too. I cooked them at a BBQ and no one even knew the sausages were not meat- for reals! A true dream would be for these babies to not be packed in plastic… Beyond Meat people, can you make this happen? 🙂

Thank you awesome human for reading this post and being open to increasing your consciousness and awareness of the decisions we make that impact the world.

Peace and Love,

Joanna

ACTION ALERT: Consider donating to the following organizations below to assist in combating the awful devastation going on in the Amazon:

  • Amazon Watch- Their mission:” Amazon Watch is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon’s ecological systems”. Donate here
  • Rainforest Alliance: “We work at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests. By bringing diverse allies together, we are making deep-rooted change on some of our most pressing social and environmental issues. Together, we amplify the voices of farmers and forest communities, improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and help people mitigate and adapt to climate change in bold and effective ways”. Donate here

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