Eat Less, Save The World
| Wed Jul. 23, 2008 1:27 PM PDT
Yup, it's that simple. Nineteen percent of total energy used in the US is tied to producing and distributing food. Too much food. Three times more than we actually need.
Cornell researchers suggest we eat less. The average American consumes 3,747 calories a day. That's 1200-1500 calories more than recommended. It's the reason we're fat and unhealthy, while our planet is lean and unhealthy.
The problem is that American diets are larded in animals and in junk food. Both use more energy to produce than healthful staples like potatoes, rice, fruits, and veggies.
By eating less junk and less meat, the average American would have a massive impact on fuel consumption and his/her health.
The authors suggest moving towards more traditional, organic farming methods for meat and dairy. They suggest crop farmers reduce pesticides and use more manure, cover crops, and crop rotations for better energy efficiency.
Changing the way we process, package and distribute food would help too. Although apparently the single most dramatic improvement in energy use would come from you and me consuming less processed foods. On average, American food travels 1,500 miles before it gets eaten.
Try the Modern Commandments: 1) Buy local. 2) Support organic and sustainable farms. (Stop whinging about the price, you're going to buy and eat less.) 3) Eat mindfully and savor every nourishing bite.
Julia Whitty is Mother Jones' environmental correspondent, lecturer, and 2008 winner of the Kiriyama Prize and the John Burroughs Medal Award.
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Comments
What message does a church full of fat Christians send to a world who needs to see that living a life in deep communion with Jesus changes everything, including what we do with food? Does the Gospel not affect our eating habits? Should Christians even go to buffets? I've even heard that some people actually binge eat at church functions and no one says a word. We are in the midst of an epidemic of Type-II diabetes that researchers connect to poor diets but we would rather "pooh-pooh" smoking because it can lead to cancer than tell someone that going to Old Country Buffet is just as harmful.
Submitted by Fair Trade (not verified) on Thu Jul. 24, 2008 6:31 AM PDT.
So eating less and eating less meat helps us all live healthier, longer lives... and helps the rest of the planet.
To borrow from a well known sports apparel company - let's just do it.
I'm going to start by having a small healthy lunch in the sunshine; and I'm going to feel good about it!
Just came back from Cambodia. No one eats massive amounts of food there. Simple local food, cooked fresh with a bit of meat. However, I'm a fish vegetarian, so removing meat also is the best thing you can do for yourself, the planet and the animals.
Leave the pigs alone!
If you mindfully see to it that your breakfast, lunch and dinner each contain a useful amount of protein and healthy oils, the energy you obtain from these meals will last you much longer, and you'll be able to comfortably eat far fewer calories per day without any loss of energy- in fact, your energy level should become much steadier, without the need for stimulants like sugar or caffeine. This is the way towards a healthy, non-diabetic lifestyle.
Remember how your mother always harped at you to clean your plate? Not waste food? We all need to be mindful of every morsel of food, not simply the food itself but the energy required in growing it, processing it, and transporting it. Now, more than ever before, food waste is a serious environmental problem.
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