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| 5/23 |
| 2007/7/31-8/3 [Recreation/Food/Alcohol, Recreation/Food] UID:47479 Activity:kinda low |
7/31 Go vegetarian to save money - MSN Money:
http://www.csua.org/u/j8u
\_ I just spent $204 on a dinner for two at Millenium. I guess I'm
eating the wrong vegetarian fair.
\_ WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! DUBYA EMM DEEEES!!!!
\_ Don't eat a fair next time
\_ And what, half that was wine, plus 15-20% was tip?
\_ Does that include the huge carbon footprint caused by shipping in
interesting veggie items from all over the world?
\_ Be smart, eat what's in season. It's cheaper, it gives you
interesting variety, and the food tastes better.
\_ veggies have much less carbon footprint than beef. -tom
\_ Oh great, veggies are less evil. How about taking the
health of our only planet seriously and stop playing the
"I'm less evil than you so what I'm doing is ok!" game, huh?
\_ I don't think it's about people feeling "okay," but
about making a conscious effort to do less damage to the
environment. We've gotten to where we are because we didn't
pay attention to what industrialism and advancement of
human kind has gotten ourselves into. Now people eat more
meat because they can be bought "cheap," and we have to
subsidize the farmers if we want non-meat stuff. Human
\_ say what? where'd you get the idea that
farmers are subsidized for the purpose
of creating non-meat food items?
actually are what we consider locusts to be. We devour
resources beyond what eco-systems can handle. While less
evil is NOT "okay," it's still a lesser of the two evil.
\_ I think it is better to live in harmony with the planet
than to destroy it a bit slower. I see no point in
that. So it takes 100 years instead of 50 to make the
planet unlivable, so what?
\_ Who's playing that game? I also think local sourcing is
important. It's just silly to talk about the carbon
footprint of veggies as being bad relative to meat. -tom
\_ Only you were talking about that strawman. The rest of
us were talking by then about how importing your veggies
from all over the world at all times of year is very
hypocritical if you're doing it to save the planet.
\_ A lot of veggies can be imported by slow frieght.
That's actually amazingly efficient in large
quantities. Yes it isn't as good as local; yes
there is a bigger carbon footprint, but it's still
way less than cheap factory farmed meat. Probably
orders of magnitudes less. It's the air freight
veggies that are a disgusting waste of fossil fuels.
\_ Uh, you're the one setting up the straw man.
Did anyone defend importing veggies from all
over the world? -tom
\_ You're just pulling my leg now, right? Did you
even read the Op or the article or anything or
just came around looking for another motd ring
around the rosie rhetorical dance? Whatever.
Have the last word to say whatever. I'm not going
to waste more time or precious bits on this.
\_ The article talks about saving by focusing on
seasonal/local produce. You are the only
person to have brought up importation. Your
troll fu sucks. --scotsman
\_ Actually his troll fu is mighty, since he
started a huge flamewar over nothing but
his inability to read and comprehend
carefully. |
| 5/23 |
|
| www.csua.org/u/j8u -> articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/GoVegetarianToSaveMoney.aspx In a world of $1 double cheeseburgers, it's no wonder that many people suspect that a vegetarian diet is more expensive than one that includes meat. And though it's difficult to tally the savings of illnesses or diseases avoided with a plant-based diet, the financial worth of good health is unquestionable. Vegetarianism could extend your life by several years, as well as lower your risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia. It's better for the planet, reducing water usage and global-warming gases. And it certainly improves the health of the cow or pig you would have devoured. The cost depends largely on what course of vegetarianism you choose to follow: * Many people keep a diet that's known as mostly vegetarian -- a typical American diet minus the red meat. Basics are easy on the wallet Most of the staples of a vegetarian diet are cheap. In fact, most of the world's people eat a mostly vegetarian diet made up of inexpensive commodities such as beans, rice and corn. If you drop red meat, poultry and fish from your diet, you'll find plant proteins cheaper than the equivalent amount of animal protein. The cheapest cuts of beef, such as ground round, average $3 per pound in US cities (lean and extra lean); Contrast that with dried beans and lentils at less than $1 a pound and rice well below $1 per pound. But when you try to dress up plants as meat, costs skyrocket. MSN Real Estate: Start your first vegetable garden Fresh, canned, frozen or organic Produce is little trickier to compare, largely because vegetarians consume a much greater volume. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are sometimes cheaper than those imported from far away and can be much cheaper in summer when there's an abundance. Of course, canned and frozen varieties are available year-round. Nutrition tips for vegetarians If you take the plunge into organics, the price may double or triple compared with nonorganic produce. The answer is that organic fruits and veggies are usually not grown on an industrial scale, so efficiencies aren't as great. There are also significant costs involved in switching farmland from nonorganic to organic status. And there's a lot more manual labor involved, such as weeding by hand. A payoff in better health In the long run, no matter how much you spend on a vegetarian or semivegetarian diet, you'll likely see a payoff in better health, lower risk of chronic disease and reduced health-care costs compared with someone who eats a typical American diet. "Years of poor nutrition habits can lead to chronic disease," said Ryan Andrews, a dietitian and exercise physiologist with the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. "These chronic diseases can have tremendous costs leading into old age. A bypass surgery or angioplasty procedure can cost nearly $60,000." |