Burgers contribute to 20 per cent of Global Warming

Umm sorry. I will recycle, reduce and reuse. I will walk or use public transit. I will do without A/C. I will do all of these things but I won't do that! Gimme the cow Baby!

*groan* Yet another group of experts chime in on global warming. As much as the N.A. diet has far too much meat, the "veggimites" have yet to address the human body's need for animal-based protein.

Additionally, exactly how do they expect to convince the current global society of these findings when food commodities (wheat, corn, rice, soya) are at an all time shortage in the world?

@ KJ (momentsintime)
Umm sorry. I will recycle, reduce and reuse. I will walk or use public transit. I will do without A/C. I will do all of these things but I won't do that! Gimme the cow Baby!

I'm seconding that one, KJ! I've tried veggie burgers and they, IMHO, taste horrible!

@ Debra Myers (skyangel)
I'm seconding that one, KJ! I've tried veggie burgers and they, IMHO, taste horrible!

Have you tried veggie dogs? That is even worse!!

well but if this is what the consequences to eating non veg ones are, i'd gladly switch to veg. no problemo!

@ KJ (momentsintime)
Have you tried veggie dogs? That is even worse!!

No---I'm not a glutton for punishment!!!!!!!!!

Hee hee! Sorry, i guess veggie burgers in India are just too darn yummy!! they aren't made with tofu or soyabean... potatoes actually... maybe i could post a recipe?

@ Vinay Chand
well but if this is what the consequences to eating non veg ones are, i'd gladly switch to veg. no problemo!

Sure you would coz you and i know that veggie burgers in India are just too darn yummy!! they aren't made with tofu or soyabean... potatoes actually... maybe i could post a recipe for everyone else??

@ Aditi Chengappa
Sure you would coz you and i know that veggie burgers in India are just too darn yummy!! they aren't made with tofu or soyabean... potatoes actually... maybe i could post a recipe for everyone else??

I am sure we would all love to see such a recipe.

But it is only fair to warn you that taste is subjective and I don't suppose that beef cookery is all that developed an art in India (my niece's husband is from there and he turns pale at the mere sight of a steak).

So what seems "yummy" to a non beef eater may be only just eatable to a person raised on beef.

@ Sykos Masters
*groan* Yet another group of experts chime in on global warming. As much as the N.A. diet has far too much meat, the "veggimites" have yet to address the human body's need for animal-based protein.

Additionally, exactly how do they expect to convince the current global society of these findings when food commodities (wheat, corn, rice, soya) are at an all time shortage in the world?

Good points!

Civilization was founded on meat eating---literally. The earliest known cities in the Middle East, India, and China were all fortified hunting towns which derived as much as 90+ percent of their food from meat.

What scientist who have compared the contents of the ancient cess pits with the skeletons of the people living at the time have found is that the people were bigger and healthier than most people up until the advent of modern medicine. When the game ran out and the people were forced to fall back on vegetable foods their health took a nose dive.

@ Sykos Masters
*groan* Yet another group of experts chime in on global warming. As much as the N.A. diet has far too much meat, the "veggimites" have yet to address the human body's need for animal-based protein.

Additionally, exactly how do they expect to convince the current global society of these findings when food commodities (wheat, corn, rice, soya) are at an all time shortage in the world?

Exactly why you should try out the Indian Burger with a potato patty inside instead of ahem beef :) gonna post it now!!

I like a veggie dogs and burgers and while beef consumption may be a contributing factor to many problems, convincing people to change their eating habits is a very difficult, if not impossible task and I won't even try.

@ Bob Ewing
I like a veggie dogs and burgers and while beef consumption may be a contributing factor to many problems, convincing people to change their eating habits is a very difficult, if not impossible task and I won't even try.

When was the last time you tried the meat variety and since you don't eat meat how do you make comparisons?

Instead of worrying about the so called "20%" that comes from meat production, and banging one's head against the fact that you are not going to change enough eating habits to make any difference, shouldn't we be concentrating on the other 80% that may be susceptible to change?

For example simply changing one light bulb in every American house from incandescent to low energy fluorescent will save millions, if not billions, of gallons of oil used in producing electricity.

Outlawing the incandescent bulb all together would no doubt vastly out preform changing eating habits when it comes to reversing global warming but it is always the meat that the vegetarian fanatics go after.

One wonders if it is actually global warming that they are concerned with or having their dietary ideology supported.

@ lensman67
When was the last time you tried the meat variety and since you don't eat meat how do you make comparisons?

and where do I make this alleged comparison?

@ lensman67
When was the last time you tried the meat variety and since you don't eat meat how do you make comparisons?

well i eat both. I am from India, and i've eaten enough beef to last someone a lifetime. I've had lots of birds, animals, you name it! and i still think the veg burgers you get here, whether it be from Mcdonalds, Wimpy, or any other big burger chain, they always taste better. I prefer chicken everywhere else. But veggie burgers rule here! oh n i had the same chicken burger in Europe. it was horrible. guess its an acquired taste for most. but i've been eating everything else except Indian food all my life.

I wish I had known this earlier, I just ate a burger for lunch :) I think man contributes 95% of all Global Warming and nature 5%.

@ Aditi Chengappa
Exactly why you should try out the Indian Burger with a potato patty inside instead of ahem beef :) gonna post it now!!

I've actually had those Aditi and they are yummy :) But they're not at all like a burger, pork chop, or steak. Besides you can't have lamb vindaloo without the lamb!!

@ lensman67
Good points!

Civilization was founded on meat eating---literally. The earliest known cities in the Middle East, India, and China were all fortified hunting towns which derived as much as 90+ percent of their food from meat.

What scientist who have compared the contents of the ancient cess pits with the skeletons of the people living at the time have found is that the people were bigger and healthier than most people up until the advent of modern medicine. When the game ran out and the people were forced to fall back on vegetable foods their health took a nose dive.

Exactly my point Lensman (btw do you mind if I use Lens?). A "return" to plant-based diets only works if we're able to make up for the nutrients our bodies have adapted to over time. Mind you, I have serious concerns for some of my relatives descendants ... there won't be enough coffee in the world to keep them going ... lol

And I was planning to get some Checker's over the weekend...

@ Bob Ewing
I like a veggie dogs and burgers and while beef consumption may be a contributing factor to many problems, convincing people to change their eating habits is a very difficult, if not impossible task and I won't even try.

You're very right... i think this string of comments prove exactly that.. and also that lensman LOVES his burgers :P

Aditi I would like to see you post your recipe for a burger made with potatoes. It sounds interesting.

I am sure it will never replace an occasional Wendy's single with mustard and pickle only, yum, but I would like to see your recipe.

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
Aditi I would like to see you post your recipe for a burger made with potatoes. It sounds interesting.

I am sure it will never replace an occasional Wendy's single with mustard and pickle only, yum, but I would like to see your recipe.

:) I have just posted the recipe in my blog :)

@ Aditi Chengappa
:) I have just posted the recipe in my blog :)

Thank you and I will try it as it looks like it might be good.
I want to try it as a burger but since you suggest tomato, onion and ketchup on it I would have to leave off the onion and ketchup. I do not like ketchup or raw onion. I would probably put the tomato plus mayo and lettuce on it.

I will let you know how I like it, probably sometime next week. :)

look in the food section!

@ Cynthia T. [Picasso]
Thank you and I will try it as it looks like it might be good.
I want to try it as a burger but since you suggest tomato, onion and ketchup on it I would have to leave off the onion and ketchup. I do not like ketchup or raw onion. I would probably put the tomato plus mayo and lettuce on it.

I will let you know how I like it, probably sometime next week. :)

:) cool! i suggest you try the mint dip on it instead of mayo, lettuce sounds right :)

I do not enjoy burgers with beef at all. But then we all know cow farts are the #1 contributor to global warming. So, to reduce their numbers, I take one for the team and even though I hate it with all my heart, I continue having as many burgers as I can. It's a hard life, saving the world, making sacrifices. But you get by...one day at a time..

;)

@ Aditi Chengappa
You're very right... i think this string of comments prove exactly that.. and also that lensman LOVES his burgers :P

I want my baby, baby, baby back ribs. ;o)

@ Sykos Masters
Exactly my point Lensman (btw do you mind if I use Lens?). A "return" to plant-based diets only works if we're able to make up for the nutrients our bodies have adapted to over time. Mind you, I have serious concerns for some of my relatives descendants ... there won't be enough coffee in the world to keep them going ... lol

I would love to see a study on how much oil is burned in the growing and above all shipping of vegetables. Those tractors and harvesters burn fuel by the ton.

Since vegetarians cannot eat a healthy diet without drawing on plants from a wide variety of climates I am willing to bet that a major contributor to global warming is the energy needed to fly out of season fruits and vegetables in from all over the world.

@ Bob Ewing
and where do I make this alleged comparison?

In your last article.

If the veggie type does not taste as good as the meat variety (and you have no way of knowing since you don't eat meat) why should I settle for inferior flavor?

@ lensman67
I would love to see a study on how much oil is burned in the growing and above all shipping of vegetables. Those tractors and harvesters burn fuel by the ton.

Since vegetarians cannot eat a healthy diet without drawing on plants from a wide variety of climates I am willing to bet that a major contributor to global warming is the energy needed to fly out of season fruits and vegetables in from all over the world.

Shhhhh!!! Being solely vegetarian is the only environmentally "friendly" option. Mind you, then one needs to ingest whole bottles of supplements and dietary additives to replace what has been removed from commercially available modern veg, which leads to more manufacture of those supplements, which releases more carbon ....

Shhhh!!!!

Lens,
Will this article from ScienceDirect help?

"Does the Swedish consumer's choice of food influence greenhouse gas emissions?""
Abstract
Consumer's choice of food can influence the environment. In Sweden, in common with many other countries, consumers need to be given information so they can make environmentally informed shopping choices. However, what is the most advantageous dietary choice to lower greenhouse emissions? This study investigates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production for food consumed in Sweden annually. Specifically, this study compares greenhouse gas emissions associated with a nutritionally and environmentally sustainable diet with the average consumption of food in Sweden 1999. The study concludes that the change in energy use and greenhouse gas emission associated with this change of diet is negligible. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions by changing food production processes results in more profound changes than teaching consumers to make environmentally correct choices. There is a basic need for a reduction or a replacement of the use of fossil fuels to produce and distribute our food in order to reach any significant reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases. Swedish agricultural policy does not provide ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Sweden therefore there is an immediate need to design policy instruments with the primary aim of reducing the greenhouse effect."

Consider this: Many of the technologies used in modern production agriculture were developed to reduce the use of tractors and fuel. These technologies include herbicides, fertilizers and modern tillage practices.

The outcome is mixed. Instead of repeated use of tractors and cultivators to reduce weeds and improve production efficiency we use herbicides. While we have dramatically reduced the use of fuel we know have herbicide issues to deal with.

We also use fertilizers to improve crop yields. This greatly improves the production per acre. However, many fertilizers are based on petrochemicals and we have fertilizer runoff to deal with.

The area where we may have a win-win solutions is in the use of modern tillage practices. Technological advances in equipment design and cultivation practices have dramatically reduced soil erosion and improved water quality. These practices include strip tillage and no-till planting. These practices usually reduce the need for tillage and fertilizers. However, these minimum till methods may require additional herbicides to control weeds.

A shift to organic production proposed by many will reduce the use of fertilizers and herbicides. The drawbacks are that it will require much more fuel to control weeds and more land will be required to produce the same quantity of food as farmers currently produce.

wow i do believe lensman has found his match in sundume i'm lovin this!! :D