Slaughtering the animals releases the methane in their bodys into the atmosphere, there have been many ivestigations into this and it's been proved pretty conclusively.timlxq said:
Is it better for the environment if I choose to be a vegetarian?
- Thread starter jockslap
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The only diet that I can see adversly affectin the planet, would be if everyone went to strict vegetarianism. Think about all the chemicals they use to keep bugs off the plants etc.
If they had to increase the amount of crops, they'd have to increase the use of the chemicals. When they do that, the watershed becomes saturated, making drinking water unfit for consumption (think well water) and then we have to spend more money, resources, and fuel building places that can clean the water.
Also, growing too much vegetation for the use of cultivating it (I think the term is overfarming?) strips the soil of it's natural resources like vitamins and minerals. These are the things that make vegetables healthy to begin with.
You can see where i'm going with all of this...
Eat meat.
If they had to increase the amount of crops, they'd have to increase the use of the chemicals. When they do that, the watershed becomes saturated, making drinking water unfit for consumption (think well water) and then we have to spend more money, resources, and fuel building places that can clean the water.
Also, growing too much vegetation for the use of cultivating it (I think the term is overfarming?) strips the soil of it's natural resources like vitamins and minerals. These are the things that make vegetables healthy to begin with.
You can see where i'm going with all of this...
Eat meat.
I came very close to becoming a vegetarian after reading Fast Food Nation... I think it was 5 years ago. I decided against it mainly on the grounds that meat is delicious, but I cut back my fast food eating.
Is it going to make a physical difference in the world whether or not you eat meat? No. One person changes nothing. Is it going to make a symbolic difference to you and to those around you? Possibly. I am not opposed to the killing and eating of animals, but I am opposed to the killing and eating of animals that are mistreated. I think that it a worthy battle to fight.
Is it going to make a physical difference in the world whether or not you eat meat? No. One person changes nothing. Is it going to make a symbolic difference to you and to those around you? Possibly. I am not opposed to the killing and eating of animals, but I am opposed to the killing and eating of animals that are mistreated. I think that it a worthy battle to fight.
Before I begin, no. I'm not a vegetarian. I just have a rule that I will not eat a "Cute" animal.
It's also just plain wasteful. How do most animals grown for meat eat? Why, they eat entire fields of grain/etc. You could've fed many more people with the produce of land. Produce wasted to feed giant land mammals.
It's also just plain wasteful. How do most animals grown for meat eat? Why, they eat entire fields of grain/etc. You could've fed many more people with the produce of land. Produce wasted to feed giant land mammals.
No, being a vegetarian is in fact worse for the environment.
Because human beings, as omnivores, require protein, you will not be able to survive without it.
This means you require a source of protein other than meat.
The most common substitute is tofu.
Which requires warm temperatures, lots of rainfall, and rich soil to grow.
The best source of such conditions being a rainforest.
So, in essence, to grow soy beans to produce tofu for vegetarians in a cost effective manner, people are simply cutting down the rainforests and replanting them with soy beans.
So no, eating meat is better for the environment.
Also, all animals produce methane. They don't contain it.
Because human beings, as omnivores, require protein, you will not be able to survive without it.
This means you require a source of protein other than meat.
The most common substitute is tofu.
Which requires warm temperatures, lots of rainfall, and rich soil to grow.
The best source of such conditions being a rainforest.
So, in essence, to grow soy beans to produce tofu for vegetarians in a cost effective manner, people are simply cutting down the rainforests and replanting them with soy beans.
So no, eating meat is better for the environment.
Also, all animals produce methane. They don't contain it.
Cows produce a ton of methane which does adversely affect the environment, and anyone who says otherwise has absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Sourcey [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/methane-cow.htm]
But will one person going veggie help? No, that's way too small of movement to have an impact. Would everyone going veggie help? You bet it would, but not everyone is willing to do that because they're too busy justifying what they're doing so that they can continue eating meat. By continuing to eat meat you're still being part of the problem. Sure, the meat industry isn't dying out because little old you stopped eating meat, but as more people do it, it does have an impact. You can say that it makes no difference what you do by the time it's in the store, but by continuing to purchase the meat and support the industry, guess how much you're doing to solve anything? Absolutely fucking nothing.
But will one person going veggie help? No, that's way too small of movement to have an impact. Would everyone going veggie help? You bet it would, but not everyone is willing to do that because they're too busy justifying what they're doing so that they can continue eating meat. By continuing to eat meat you're still being part of the problem. Sure, the meat industry isn't dying out because little old you stopped eating meat, but as more people do it, it does have an impact. You can say that it makes no difference what you do by the time it's in the store, but by continuing to purchase the meat and support the industry, guess how much you're doing to solve anything? Absolutely fucking nothing.
First of all, humans actually aren't meant to eat animals, our body doesn't even digest meat, it literally rots in out stomach for about a week before it breaks down enough for our system to handle it. The average human body has an extra 7-10 pounds of rotting meat in our systems at any given time.
Secondly, what SmilingKitsune said is correct, killing cows produces a LOT of Methane into our air, the top methane producers are slaughter farms and garbage dumps.
Raising cows is also difficult, they pollute the land win their excess (poop and peepee, kiddies) and if it is not properly cared for, then it seeps through the ground and into water sources. Now, that takes alot of excretion to happen, but thankfully, mass cow farms have more then enough cattle to speed up the process. This isn't a problem, if only the farmers could properly clean up the farmland, but it is just too hard with so many cows and land, so it is often done not to standard, or not at all.
Just a random fact, if every one had 1 day a week that they didn't eat meat products, it would be the same as if around 15 million cars weren't running for that day.
I'm not a vegetarian, so please don't start saying I am, I just eat organically grown food. Less pollution, no chemicals used, and I never liked the fact that my cows were beefed up on steroids anyways.
Secondly, what SmilingKitsune said is correct, killing cows produces a LOT of Methane into our air, the top methane producers are slaughter farms and garbage dumps.
Raising cows is also difficult, they pollute the land win their excess (poop and peepee, kiddies) and if it is not properly cared for, then it seeps through the ground and into water sources. Now, that takes alot of excretion to happen, but thankfully, mass cow farms have more then enough cattle to speed up the process. This isn't a problem, if only the farmers could properly clean up the farmland, but it is just too hard with so many cows and land, so it is often done not to standard, or not at all.
Just a random fact, if every one had 1 day a week that they didn't eat meat products, it would be the same as if around 15 million cars weren't running for that day.
I'm not a vegetarian, so please don't start saying I am, I just eat organically grown food. Less pollution, no chemicals used, and I never liked the fact that my cows were beefed up on steroids anyways.
(plus it can have health issues if you dont find substitudes)
Soybeans have grown all across Asia for centuries, they don't need a rainforest to grow.... and have you ever heard of a green house? Where they are given an artificial environment to grow. The land needed to raise cows,or most other animal food products, is enormous, MUCH larger then a soy bean farm.Finnboghi said:
And soybeans can be used for a lot more then tofu as well, it can be an alternative to milk (though I only like the chocolate flavored soy milk) meat substitute, jelly, or even just eaten plain.
S
No. Long answer: No, and it's not actually a healthier lifestyle like everyone says. DON'T BELIEVE THE COMMUNIST LIES! SAVE THE CHEERLEADER, SAVE THE WORLD!
Sorry about that. I'm all jacked up on peach soda.
Sorry about that. I'm all jacked up on peach soda.
True, I cannot argue that our teeth are not designed to eat meat AND vegetation, and I'm not going to make up some lie about how our teeth evolved or some crap, but as I said, we cannot digest meat as well as any other carnivorous or omnivorous animal, and we can get anything else our body needs from other sources. Heck, just eating spinach instead of regular lettuce is a big step,as it adds protien and that small amount of magnesium we need in our diets, which is most of what meat accounts for.Snor said:
Quorn is also an excellent meat substitutue which does not requires rainforse to be grown. Additionally, do you know what most cattle are fed? Soy. If you really beleive soy bean growth is destroying the rainforest you should stop eating beef. Most meat substitutes also require much less fresh water than meat production.Finnboghi said:
Also, who cares if it's 'natural' to eat meat? you think it's 'natural' to sit on a chair in a house?
Finally, a lot of people have said that one person changing their diet won't help but neither does one person voting however millions of people still do that.
Soy beans actually have more health risks than benefits. For one, prolonged consumption blocks intake of key minerals like iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium. They also contain other antinutrients that block uptake of enzymes needed for protein digestion, cause gastric distress and lead to chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. Soy also cause your red blood cells to clump together, making it harder for your body to absorb oxygen and maintain good cardiac health. It's also being researched wether it can cause breast cancer in women, and lead to developmental abnormalities in infants.bikeninja said:
The harmfull stuff in soy is present in all beans. But in far lower amounts.
You would have to eat a LOT of soy to gain health problems by it, just as if you eat a lot of anything it will cause problems. I never said "STOP EATING MEAT! ONLY EAT SOY! SOY IS THE GOD FRUIT!" or any such nonsense.
Humans are not supposed to have a lot of meat anyways, it causes plenty of health problems too. I am not advocating that everyone cuts meat out of their diet, just cut back. 2-4 servings a day is more then enough meat for the human body.(the average porkchop or steak constitutes as 2 servings usually) But cutting back and using available alternatives helps your body a lot.
Humans are not supposed to have a lot of meat anyways, it causes plenty of health problems too. I am not advocating that everyone cuts meat out of their diet, just cut back. 2-4 servings a day is more then enough meat for the human body.(the average porkchop or steak constitutes as 2 servings usually) But cutting back and using available alternatives helps your body a lot.