Eating Bacon Is Better for the Environment Than Eating Lettuce, New Study Says

[yeoman6987]

http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/bacon-better-than-lettuce-for-environment


I would have thought any meat would be bad for the environment moreso then a vegetable. I am kinda surprised. This will be good news for those that have bacon for breakfast. Lettuce eaters may have to reconsider the consequences of eating lettuce.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. Less cruelty in lettuce production though

[yeoman6987]

4. Well that maybe true but if it screws up our environment, perhaps not eating it is a better option.

Cruelty is not great but it is not screwing our future. Changes can be made for cruelty but not the lettuce which is destroying our Earth.

[SwampG8r]

31. thats not what the lettuces say

[Liberal_in_LA]

32. ..

[Recursion]

2. It takes literally a gallon of lettuce to match the calories in one slice of bacon

And they measured biological impact per calorie.

[villager]

3. ThinkProgress: "No, Lettuce Is Not Worse For The Environment Than Bacon"

<snip>

That celebration, however, should be short-lived. Sorry to break it to you, meat enthusiasts, but bacon isn’t necessarily better for the environment than lettuce. It’s not as if people cutting 400 calories worth of bacon out of their diet are going to supplement that with 400 calories worth of lettuce (or approximately four heads of Romaine)

The issue is that the original Carnegie Mellon study on which the claim was based looked at energy, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions on a per calorie basis. Comparing lettuce to bacon is taking a high-calorie meat and comparing it with a low-calorie vegetable — it’s an unfair comparison. In order to equal the calories in two and a half strips of bacon, you would have to eat an entire head of lettuce. Since you have to eat more lettuce to equal the calories of bacon, you have to first grow more lettuce — and that lettuce is going to use more resources like water and energy. “You’d have to eat a lot of lettuce to get up to a significant amount of calories,” Paul Fischbeck, lead author of the study, told ThinkProgress.

On a calorie by calorie basis, lettuce might be worse for the environment than bacon — three times worse, according to the study. As Emily Cassidy and Dawn Undurraga at the Environmental Working Group point out, by weight, however, pork accounts for six times more greenhouse gas emissions than lettuce.

“It is absurd to compare the environmental impacts between bacon and lettuce when you’re using calories as the denominator,” Brent Kim, program officer for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future’s Food Production and Public Health Program, told ThinkProgress. “A serving of lettuce has fewer calories than a stick of gum.”

Foods like fruits and vegetables tend to be much lower in calories than meats, grains, and legumes. That’s why people don’t get the majority of their daily calories from fruits and vegetables — they turn to them for nutrients and vitamins, while seeking calories elsewhere. And that’s why comparing the environmental impact of different foods based on their calorie content can be a little misleading — it’s not as if people cutting 400 calories worth of bacon out of their diet are going to supplement that with 400 calories worth of lettuce (or approximately four heads of Romaine).

“Ultimately, just as you wouldn’t sensibly compare lettuce with bacon from a nutritional perspective, comparing them on an environmental perspective is misleading,” Martin Heller, a research specialist with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, told ThinkProgress over email. “Really, what you need to look at is how they contribute to an overall diet.”

<snip>

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/16/3732852/lettuce-bacon-meat-vegetables-climate/

[restorefreedom]

5. yup. apples and oranges.

totally bogus comparison to look at high vs low calorie foods on a per calorie basis. would love to see the funding..probably the pork producers or somebody.

[kiva]

6. I think it makes a good point about the complex relationships

between what different groups say is 'best'.

From the article:

“There’s a complex relationship between diet and the environment,” Michelle Tom, a Ph. D. student in civil and environmental engineering, told Carnegie Mellon News. “What is good for us health-wise isn’t always what’s best for the environment. That’s important for public officials to know and for them to be cognizant of these tradeoffs as they develop or continue to develop dietary guidelines in the future.”

If Americans were to switch their diet to adhere to the Agriculture Department’s 2010 dietary recommendations, it would result in a 38 percent increase in energy use, a 10 percent rise in water use, and a 6 percent jump in greenhouse gas emissions, the study finds.

[TlalocW]

7. Then I guess you can hit both sides

By eating a BLT

TlalocW

[MohRokTah]

8. Lettuce produced via aquaponics isn't, even on a per calorie basis.

You also produce protein based calories in the fish used to produce the growth nutrients to grow the aquaponic lettuce.

Sadly, though, the best vegetable to grow in an aquaponic environment is wasabi, if you wish to make the highest profit.

[comradebillyboy]

9. Hmmmm, bacon vs lettuce

my cholesterol is low so I'll go with bacon. BTW I found a great recipe for pasta with bacon and leeks (and Parmesan and heavy cream)

[pinboy3niner]

10. My BLT involves waving a leaf of lettuce over my bacon before eating

Though baby spinach leaves can also make a nice substitute in the sandwich.

[Hissyspit]

11. Um, no.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/12/16/that_viral_study_about_how_vegetarians_are_killing_the_environment_is_ridiculously.html

http://veganskeptic.blogspot.com/2010/11/being-vegan-is-worse-for-environment.html?m=1

[hobbit709]

12. Tastes better too.

[Snobblevitch]

13. Comparing lettuce to bacon is ridiculous.

While I like both foods (I am a big fan of green leaf salads) I don't want bacon in my salad.

[Squinch]

14. They're doing a calorie to calorie comparison rather than a serving to serving comparison. So, no.

[JonathanRackham]

15. In theory

Bacon eaters will die 20 years earlier than vegetarians think of the carbon savings.

[Drahthaardogs]

20. What theory?

I am a toxicologist and I have never seen any literature that has done such a comparison with a valid sample size and a p-value of less that .05. I would like to read it. Link please.

[JonathanRackham]

22. Apparently omnivorous don't have a sense of twisted humor.

Go figure.

[Drahthaardogs]

23. Well, considering some of the "science" that vegans put forth

I take nothing for granted. We had a poster here claim that a vegan diet cured his HIV...

[JonathanRackham]

24. Hi temp cooking of meat may have created his own chemotherapy.

Sorry more twisted humor from a guy married to a vegetarian.

[Drahthaardogs]

25. I have a good sense of humor.

I sense none....

[JonathanRackham]

26. Well then

Apparently this is why I'm still waiting on return calls from Letterman.

[Kingofalldems]

16. From the right wing weather channel.

Last edited Fri Dec 18, 2015, 12:17 AM - Edit history (1)

[catnhatnh]

17. I hope the study is at least 1000 pages long

Because I'm gonna print that bad boy out and wallpaper my house with it.

[TheFrenchRazor]

18. what do the pigs eat? nt.

[melman]

19. Not so great if you're unlucky enough to be the pig

but screw them, right?

[Denzil_DC]

21. I can grow lettuce in a windowbox.

I've not had much success with hogs.

[Glassunion]

27. Lettuce all bow our heads in a moment of silence for the environment.

[Javaman]

28. and there was a collective groan from the nations colons. nt

[SwampG8r]

29. omg i hope they can get some dirt on tomatoes and bread

mayo is full of fats
bacon and lettuce are bad
my sandwich is saving the world dammit leave me alone

[bigwillq]

30. I never really understood the whole bacon obsession.

It's good and all but, bacon flavored and/or scented products?? Come on. That's just silly, imo.

I like bacon, when it's burnt to a crisp. Otherwise, I think it's kind of gross.