The cost of bacon and eggs
What does it have to do with Water use and World Hunger?
It goes deeper than reducing your risk for
heart disease.
We are becoming a global community that can grow and transport just about any kind of food. Our tech allows us to communicate ideas and information about food nearly instantly. This information sharing is challenging our choices, and teaching us how to improve our health. We now have the data to show us how our food choices can reduce the incidence of heart disease, which is the #1 killer in the U.S.
And what is even more beautiful, is that what we put on our plate can actually help feed everyone else.
Here’s a snapshot of the facts:
WATER: According to the U.S. government water report of 2016, it takes a frightening 600 gallons of water to raise one pound of beef!
1 pound Beef Uses 600 gallons of water
1 pound Wheat Uses 100 gallons of water
1 pound Corn Uses 50 gallons of water
1 pound Bread Uses 20 gallons of water
LAND: 1 acre can produce (per 2015 USDA Crop Production Summary)
250 pounds of beef
2200 pounds of dry bean
3900 pounds of peanuts
7400 pounds of rice
24,000 pounds of potatoes
24,00 pounds of carrots
HUNGER: In 2011, there were 3.1 million child deaths worldwide which were related to hunger (Worldhunger.org).
1 in 9 people were undernourished. That’s 795M of the 7.3B people in the world. (2016 United Nations report). Malnutrition not only stunts physical growth, but causes delays in brain development.
SUMMARY:
We can use our water and land resources more efficiently, by growing crops of grain and vegetables, rather than raising beef. This creates more food, which of course feeds more people. There is an undeniable volume of evidence showing that vegetarian diets are safe, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
But you don't have to be a vegetarian to make an impact.
John Robbins, a food pioneer of the 1990s, calculated that if Americans reduced their meat consumption by 10 percent, we could free up enough land and water resources to feed 60 million people. That would feed a lot of hungry mouths.
Yet in 2011, 3 million children died of hunger.
Is it too much to think that what we put on our plates is that powerful?
So, what’s on your plate?
Until next time, Eat Well!
~ Rose