vegetarianism

[nekrenas]

For the past couple weeks I have practiced pescetarianism. The primary reason is environmental: meat, especially beef, is highly carbon-intensive. If you want to lessen your carbon footprint, the easiest, most effective way to do so is almost certainly to reduce your meat intake

Comments

[smandal]

* Meat/dairy from grazing animals (e.g., cattle, sheep) is far more carbon intensive than that from non-grazing animals (e.g., pigs, chickens). So the utility is continuous here as well.

* I agree that one can get by on just grain, fruits and vegetables, because most grain has enough protein to subsist. Though, one must be careful to eat a variety of grains as well as beans (e.g, soy), legumes and nuts in order to obtain all essential amino acids.

But the bodies of growing children and athletes can utilize far more protein than that available through grain products. Children and athletes on vegetarian diets definitely needs beans, legumes and nuts. If they allow themselves eggs and fish it's all very convenient.

* Related to the question of animal rights, two amusing tangents* I share your puzzlement with obsessive vegetarianism. I guess it's understandable that people who are vegetarian for reasons of animal rights would feel strongly about it, but otherwise it may be about either maintaining social credibility or playing a

iron, phosphorus, B12

[smandal]

are also easier to get via meat.

Re: iron, phosphorus, B12

[smandal]

True -- meat is a staple food for mega-nutrition, for better or worse.

[nekrenas]

Indeed. In the last year or so my chicken to beef ratio increased.

[imaginedust]

I like this post a lot, and I'm kind of surprised but impressed by your experiments here.

water

[anonymous]

hey, I'm an omnivore!

I think the reduction in your water footprint is also a huge benefit.

1 litre of milk needs 800 litres of water.
1 kg of wheat needs 1100 litres of water.
1 kg of rice needs 2300 litres of water.
1 kg maize needs 900 litres of water.
1 kg of beef requires 22 thousand litres of water.

The water footprint of China is about 775 cubic meter per year per capita. Only about 3% of the Chinese water footprint falls outside China.

Japan with a footprint of 1100 cubic meter per year per capita, has about 60% of its total water footprint outside the borders of the country.

The USA water footprint is 2600 cubic meter per year per capita.

Source: UNESCO-IHE - Water Footprint

[miss_tabitha]

I'm down with the flexitarian lifestyle, and I think in a lot of ways it makes sense. One of my friends from HS eats vegetarian except for two meals a month, so she can retain the ability to digest meat - most of her objections are to modern/large scale agriculture, she's hoping one day to only eat meat that she has raised or hunted herself

[nekrenas]

I should also point out I know a lot of vegetarians who have been vegetarian for a long time and have really lost the taste for meat. That's all fair enough.

[miss_tabitha]

if you ever completely lose the taste for bacon and steak, can I smack you? <3

[quirkyfemme]

Another thing to ponder...if you like Sushi would you give up the types of sushi that are tasty but make for the least sustainable fish?

Just a thought.

[nekrenas]

I would only try to cut back, I think. To be blunt, having a few fish go extinct concerns me quite a bit less than potentially altering the climate so that the planet is unlivable for humans.

Unsustainable fishing is so annoying because, from what I understand, it's relatively easy to fix. Individual transferable quota (ITQ) markets can go a long way to making many fisheries sustainable.