Are Tofu Eaters Destroying the Environment?

Tofu is vile.

That's hardly the case since the protein would need to be replaced, which would mean even more farm land would be needed to replace all that protein and all those calories.

Beans and rice are a complete protein meal.
As are eggs which can certainly be sustainable, maybe people just want too much.

What about aquaponics(sp) and "wall" planting? I understand that aquaponics can be expensive, but I believe some creative people have set up units that were pretty cheap. They take up very little space, as it can be "stacked". And wall planting is upwards as well?

You know, for vegans. It just seems that if people are serious, there are alternative methods to be looked into.

Personally, I can grow a years worth of veggies, in an area less than 1/2 an acre, along with one of my protein sources: chickens. But I also preserve my own food, which people don't have time for anymore, along with not using chemicals, which means more time as well.

IDK. Too many people are just too busy for the current "easy" solutions. Or to poor. Or to urban.
No real easy answer I guess.

a reply to: Blaine91555
Just had rice and fried tofu dipped in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, salt and grated chili for lunch... I'm not going to say I enjoyed it, it's like eating a sour and spicy edible rubber that's a bit creamy on the inside... did anyone tried tofu with mayonnaise?

I understand and applaud the effort to try to find solutions by bringing the topic into discussion but why single out soy? If we take into consideration the other basic staples that both vegans and non-vegans eat- corn, wheat, rice and potatoes, most likely the environmental impact of soy will pale in comparison.

The problem is much too complex for me to comprehend and I don't have a half-baked solution to offer... maybe we are what we eat and or maybe it's better to sing in the dark than to curse it?

a reply to: amazing

Maybe you're stronger than ever because you workout six days a week.

Working out tends to...work out that way.

But in reality, you're only citing overall proteins--there is plenty that one gets naturally from meat that plant-based sources don't provide and therefore must be ingested via supplements.

Going extreme in either direction is not a good idea, because too much meat can have nasty side effects just like none at all (unless you supplement, of course). And even then, it depends on the individual's body, not some generalized idea of what should or should not be.

It's great that a vegan diet works well for you--that isn't always the case for everyone.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: amazing

Maybe you're stronger than ever because you workout six days a week.

Working out tends to...work out that way.

But in reality, you're only citing overall proteins--there is plenty that one gets naturally from meat that plant-based sources don't provide and therefore must be ingested via supplements.

Going extreme in either direction is not a good idea, because too much meat can have nasty side effects just like none at all (unless you supplement, of course). And even then, it depends on the individual's body, not some generalized idea of what should or should not be.

It's great that a vegan diet works well for you--that isn't always the case for everyone.

Agreed. You have to do what works for you. I don't tell anyone to adapt my lifestyle but I only share my experience and let you know that my lifestyle can work. There are millions of healthy humans eating meat, going Vegan, being vegetarian....

The biggest problem I see is that we let Food Industry Lobbyists control our nutrition information. And secondary is that most doctors get basically NO nutrition training. Those are big problems.

3rd would be that we go extreme...like Veganism is ruining the world. That's not true.

a reply to: amazing

We'll definitely agree that the "food pyramid" put forth by the FDA is just silly nonsense, along with a lack of basic understanding of nutrition and how it relates to the individual by doctors.

a reply to: MaxTamesSiva

Mainly I am countering the cow farts are ruining the world argument, by pointing out that a Vegan world would have similar impact on the environment, making that point moot entirely. I'm not actually singling out soy or Tofu, but using that as an example.

I don't believe there is any environmental upside to a Vegan diet.

a reply to: Blaine91555

No, the OP is so wrong it's scary. Perhaps a Google search the next time these kind of conundrums pop into one's head.

It takes an incredible amount of resources to raise animals for the slaughter as the following link touches on

www.economist.com...

Time to pick up those linda McCartney burgers from the supermarket I think.

a reply to: jamespond

So, if we remove animal protein and the high number of calories from our diets, it would not require more farming to replace that? Takes about two acres per cow and grazing land recovers itself very quickly and is easily sustainable. How many acres does it take to produce the calories and protein from one cow using only vegetables as a source?

The article in the OP is about all the environmental damage now from soybean farming. You know, taking down forests to plant soybeans.

I'm simply asking would replacing all meat consumed worldwide with vegetable substitutes not do equal environmental damage?

Are you Vegan yourself? Have you ever considered what I'm asking in an unemotional way?

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: jamespond


Are you Vegan yourself? Have you ever considered what I'm asking in an unemotional way?

You mean as oppose to your own biased stance?

From reading the replies you've posted in this thread it seems quite obvious to me that you're fed up with peopke telling you not to eat meat. Perhaps you need to ask yourself why that is. Maybe you are health or environmentally conscious and you're looking for reassurances that your own habits aren't doing any damage.

Let me answer the OP more clearly.

Oxford university scientists concluded that if everyone adopted a Vegan diet it would reduce global farmland by 75%

Here's the link

www.standard.co.uk...< br />
If you don't believe them, or you think all Oxford university scientists are vegans, I'm happy to review your own counter reasearch.

The problem with making conclusions from our own assumptions, is that often, we find ourselfs being completely wrong

a reply to: Blaine91555
Thank you for the clarification, still what ever we eat there will be a negative impact on the environment... I'm not a vegan nor a tofu defender. As much as I like tofu, I love bacon too much to join the other side.

a reply to: MaxTamesSiva

So...
Don't eat.

breathe

a reply to: Phage
That's interesting, it's like Zen fasting.

a reply to: jamespond

You seem to think I'm limiting myself to one point of view which I'm not. I'm asking questions here. If you are a Vegan activist it does make a difference in the conversation, because it would mean you don't question sources you agree with. I'm an each to their own activist; live and let live. I started asking questions based on the article I sourced at the beginning of the thread out of curiosity, so expect me to challenge things and want to read any studies presented.

The loss of land to agriculture is currently the leading cause of the mass extinction of wildlife.

That is at the end after the part about carbon footprints, which is a bit off topic here, but that part is not. That line is actually what I'm pointing out and if anyone thinks that replacing all meat protein and calories with vegetables will not require more farmland, I have this bridge.....

A slight Rant diversion; Damn, there are so many ads and so much tracking on that site it's giving my security fits. 31 trackers on Evening Standard!

Looks like it's going to cost between $15 and $50 for a way to actually read the study. That's sad. Another earlier paper is also a pay to read thing and an earlier article which I can only find a screen grab of ends with "Conservationist need to move quickly, as other actors are already laying out their ambitions for using pasture." So yes, this person is an activist. Not sure how he intends to gain control of old pastureland, but I guess that's the goal. From what I gather, mostly in Australia.

Do you by any chance know of a link to a readable version of the study I don't have to buy?