Active Now

Slartibartfast
Discussion » Questions » Food and Drink » Would you become a vegetarian to end world hunger? See stats below. Shocking?

Would you become a vegetarian to end world hunger? See stats below. Shocking?

 An acre of land used to raise cattle yields 20 lbs of edible protein. That same acre could grow 356 lbs of soybeans. It takes 300 gallons of water per day to produce food for a Vegan and 4000 gallons of water a day to produce food for a meateater. Kinda staggering isn't it?

Posted - July 11, 2017

Responses


  • Then what would the animals eat if we consumed all the plants? I guess you don't understand that the animal population would explode if we didn't eat some of them, and then they would die of starvation. 
      July 11, 2017 4:20 AM MDT
    2

  • 113301
    So we are doing the animals a favor by consuming them then?  What about the humans who die of starvation Karen? There are a lot of them. Have you no pity/compassion for them? What about all the starving children in the world..who die of malnourishment?  Is your sympathy/empathy reserved  only for animals..the ones  you conveniently eat so they won't die of starvation? Strange priorities. Thank you for your reply and Happy Tuesday! :)
      July 11, 2017 4:24 AM MDT
    0

  • What is wrong with you? How did you get ANY of that from my answer? Yes I have sympathy for the starving people in the world, but me passing up a ham sandwich is not going to solve that problem. You have a nice way of twisting things around on people. There is no need to be so rude.
      July 11, 2017 4:44 AM MDT
    4

  • 16791
    Living with anaemia is hardly better than dying of starvation imo. Soybeans contain no iron. Those plants that do don't have it in a form that is easily metabolized by humans. Herbivorous animals change it into haem iron, which the only readily absorbed form of this necessary mineral.
      July 11, 2017 6:14 AM MDT
    3

  • 1713
    Well, in order to do that, you'd have to convince everyone to become vegetarian which will probably never happen. Little ol' me won't magically save the whole world by making a certain choice, that's just silly.
      July 11, 2017 6:41 AM MDT
    1

  • 2500
    Where did you get your numbers? That 4,000-gallons/day vs. 300-gallons/day doesn't ring true to me. 

    The "numbers" that you present are comparing apples to oranges (or beef to grass, so to speak) to begin with. For the first comparison there's more dietary "benefit" to animal-based food sources than just protein, like fat (and yes, the human body needs fat in its diet). There's also more to soybeans than protein too, like a variety of sugars (carbohydrates) and non-soluble and soluble fiber, not that soybeans belong on that comparison list to begin with. In the USA soybeans are used primarily as a feed for cattle and other commercially-farmed animals. You won't normally find soybeans in any significant quantity dinner tables in the USA. This post was edited by Salt and Red Pepper at July 11, 2017 7:24 AM MDT
      July 11, 2017 7:21 AM MDT
    1

  • 22891
    only if i knew it would help
      July 11, 2017 2:41 PM MDT
    0

  • No, I would never become a vegetarian, and that cannot end world hunger. Humans are NOT herbivores. It is quite difficult to obtain complete nutrition from consuming only plants. It is so much trouble, and there is no valid reason for it. The figures you cited are hardly objective. It is just propaganda from PeTA that no intelligent and objective person heeds. It does not consider any consequences of such extremist policies. Someone can assert anything he likes, but there is no valid reason to accept such biased fiction as truth.
      July 16, 2017 1:06 PM MDT
    0