Diet for an Increasingly Small and Polluted Planet.

Way back in 1971, Francis Moore Lappe’ penned “Diet for a Small Planet. “ and many of us took note and began a lifestyle change that not only improved our own health but also the health of our planet. Obviously many more did not make any such modifications and we have the results pretty much as you see it before us today.
One of the quotes in her book is all the more resounding today as she states that eating a grain fed, meat centred diet is like driving a gas guzzling Cadillac.
A detailed study way back in 1978 produced figures showing that the value of raw materials consumed to produce food from livestock is greater than the value of all oil, gas, and coal consumed in the country.
Interestingly, because cattle are ruminants they don’t need to consume protein such as grain or soybeans to produce protein . Ruminants can digest and use large amount of fibrous grass which we can not digest. In fact they do much better on this natural type of diet. Rather than allowing cattle to graze on otherwise useless food (for our immediate use) we have turned cattle into protein sinks. For every 16 pounds of grain and soy fed to beef cattle we get 1 pound of meat back. Another way of stating this is that it requires 35kcal of fossil fuel to produce one kcal of beef and only 2.2 kcal to produce one kcal of plant protein.
Poultry also has become user of harvested crops. Rather than being allowed a normal life of scratching around in the barnyard for worms and bugs and scraps from the kitchen they are raised in solitary confinement, and fed nothing but constructed food from grain.
Hogs as well, rather than being used to clean up plants that we can‘t use, as they do in other countries are fed grain.
All told the results are that, the sixteen pounds of grain needed for a one pound gain on a beef animal has 21 times more calories, eight times more protein, and three times more fat than that one pound of hamburger . Seems like a bit of a waste don’t you think for a world with our problems?
Livestock other than cattle are a little better at converting grain to protein. Hogs use 6 pounds of grain to make one pound of meat. Turkeys use 4 pounds, chickens use three pounds to make meat or eggs and it requires about two pounds to make a litre of milk.
The other aspect to all of this is that we can eat our way to a healthier planet. The production, processing, and delivery of food has the largest impact of any industry on our planet. Since the production of food is the biggest energy draw it is also the best place to institute meaningful change . The first and easiest step is to reduce the number of steps required to produce food. One recent report noted that for every 10 calories of fossil fuel used we currently derive back 1 calorie. Eating foods that are plant based, are local ,are raw, and organic is not only healthier for you, it is essential for the planet to survive. We use far less water to produce this food than producing and consuming meat.
Where we spend our money for food determines which industries thrive and which industries fizzle. The large corporations that produce ”food’ with pesticides, herbicides, and /or in the lab is suicide. It has gone beyond simply avoiding hamburgers for awhile because you heard about the destruction of old growth forests along the Amazon, and thus a major part of our air generation system. Lend your support to local small eco friendly companies rather than filling you body with unsustainable nutrient deplete filler. This truly is a situation that we can eat our way out of. You will feel better, look better and be doing better .

You can reach Jane at janeriley_cpt@yahoo.ca or 250-586-7311 for any fitness, nutrition, health or wellness questions or interests.




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