(Source)
(Someday maybe I can sell out for money, but right now I'm forced to endorse products based on quality alone....)
I have both (slightly unusual) ethical and (the usual) environmental reasons for thinking I should avoid meat, especially red meat. But I really like it. And I'm back on a low-carb diet which also narrows options.
I haven't yet tried the Impossible Burger that all the hip people are talking about. I have tried The Beyond Burger though (it's in our local Safeway) and it's darn good. It's not identical to burgers in taste and feel, but very close, and when grilled it gives you a very similar experience. I've never been satisfied with the various veggie burger alternatives, so if you're in the same camp, check it out. I don't think I'll every buy regular burger meat again for myself when I have this alternative.
Consumer Reports has a writeup here. Definitely a healthier alternative, except for the high sodium (a problem I see in a number of veggie alternative foods). Too bad they don't have a greenhouse gas emission comparison, but it's virtually certain that pea protein has far lower emissions than beef.
Not eating beef more than makes up for your use of a standard automobile.
ReplyDeleteI havent had a burger in several years, so I'm not sure what's the big deal. Last night I had a bowl of brown spaghetti noodles with sliced mushrooms and fish cooked in olive oil...that's much much tastier than a burger. And my total cholesterol was 95 last time I checked it.
ReplyDeleteWell if you like Chinese food, check out Chinese Buddist food.
ReplyDeleteIterestingly, you will frequently find dishes resembling meat or seafood
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/vegetarian-food.htm
As a follow-up to my last post
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thebuddhistchef.com/recipes/
Fernando, invite me over for that meal some time and you can lecture me on climate change all you want!
ReplyDelete(Not exactly low-carb, but I'll overlook that....)
Does it come in venison?
ReplyDeleteSome of my friends have deer hound to feed.
According to the EPA, cows are responsible for 2 - 3% of (equalized) GHG emissions in the U.S. For that we get meat, milk, leather, organic fertilizer and a host of other natural products that would need to be otherwise synthesized.
ReplyDeleteVegetable farming is responsible for 5% of U.S. GHG emissions.
Almost all U.S. cows are composed of tissue made primarily from sunshine, grass, soil, and rain. That grassland, if if not used for grazing, will generally just sit fallow. Grass which then grows on it will decompose. And produce methane and CO2.
Most grassland is not suitable for growing vegetable crops. And we do not have a shortage of vegetables anyway.
I can understand why some people have ethical qualms about eating meat. But the environmental consequences of meat production are hysterically overblown. Perhaps as a strategy to distract us from the real problem - the needless and heedless burning of fossil fuels.
Gingerbaker, do those numbers include the effects of the ~6 billion bushels of US-grown corn fed to American animals? What about other feed and Amazon deforestation caused by beef & feed production?
ReplyDeleteAnd not only is the plant based food better for the Earth and the animals, but far better for our health, and shown at:
ReplyDeleteMy previous comment didn't include the link to Dr. Greger's Nutrition Facts website, that offers peer reviewed studies showing the benefits of the vegan diet. https://nutritionfacts.org/
ReplyDeleteMarcR said:
ReplyDelete"Gingerbaker, do those numbers include the effects of the ~6 billion bushels of US-grown corn fed to American animals? What about other feed and Amazon deforestation caused by beef & feed production?"
Yes, I believe that the EPA figures take into account the carbon emissions due to feeds. No, I do not believe it counts what happens in Brazil.
Mmmmm.....corn fed deer !
ReplyDeleteWhy isnt there a carbueator conversion kit so a Prius can burn spirits of hartshorn ?
Off topic but this needs to be widely spread:
ReplyDeletehttps://tamino.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/song-for-donald/
:)
Hold the Impossible Burger on a Hot Cross Bun, and toss some more laurices on the barbie-- there's been a major breakthrough in medieval bunny studies!
ReplyDelete