I'm doing a project on Vegetarianism.....

[Heka]

(theres more to the title)... and reducing your Carbon Footprint.

Thats my topic statement for an In-depth Study which I have to complete for my final year Nutrition subject.

An In-depth study is basically just a huge essay discussing the topic.

According to my teacher I can include internet forums as a Primary Resource (and the marking mob like lots of those) so I thought I'd ask around, see what people know, can find out, see if anyone knows any authorities on the subject (btw Im in Australia so dont hand me US phone numbers please) or anything like that. Has anyone else explored the subject??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Btw hedge, this forum came at the right time, I found it, then was told I could use it. You work magic girl.

[edit] thought I should add my focus questions for clarity:
1. Compare nutritional value of a vegetarian diet to a normal neenagers diet. (I'm using a food diary for this but can always use more stuff)
2. Compare according to a) carbon footprint, b)cost (might use shopping lists for this)
3. What are the benifits of a vegetarian diet in relation to a) nutrition, b) carbon footprint
4. What are the risks/disadvantages of a vegetarian diet in relation to a) nutrition, b) carbon footprint.

Thanks!

[Heka]

noones replied.... *sniff sniff*

[Jeni]

Sorry Heka - really thought I had replied to you (don't mention the word senile!!)
God I have loads of stuff on this so it might take a while to sift through it all. I might get you to send me your report when you've finished so as I can include it on the site - what ya reckon?

1). A food diary's a GREAT idea, I'm presuming you know teenage meat eaters who can provide you with their info?
Besides cholesterol, and fat there are some wonderful other ingredients that make up commercial meat today which would definitely be good to mention.

Antibiotics: Modern science has seen to it that animals are given a healthy dose of antibiotics before they reach us to minimize losses due to illness. By eating this meat, we ingest these antibiotics and by being dosed when we don't need them, they have less effect when we take them because we are ill.
Bacteria and Parasites: Meat is a magnet for some of the most dangerous bacteria and parasites. Does E-coli ring a bell? How about Mad Cow disease? Trichnosis? If you are a vegetarian, this isn't the kind of issue it is for meat eaters.
Putrefaction: Fruits ferment into alcohol like wine. Vegetables likewise ferment or decay creating gases. Meat on the other hand putrefies which means it creates poisons that are toxic to humans. Fruit and most vegetables are easy to digest and don't stay in your digestive system as long as meat does. This gives it more time to putrefy. It also gives those nasty bacteria and parasites (above) more time to multiply. Digestive problems such as constipation are often due to a heavy meat diet. Doctors recommend fruit and vegetables (roughage) as a cure for constipation (when will they just recommend becoming a vegetarian?).
Antioxidants the cancer fighters: Do you ever hear about beef or pork being a source of cancer fighting agents? No, it's always some fruit or vegetable containing antioxidants or some other factor that is seen as being a cancer fighting agent.
Chemical toxins: Animals are higher on the food chain and thus concentrate toxins contained in the food they eat. Thus one ounce of meat will usually contain far more chemicals than the equivalent amount of grain or legumes. Plus some animals are fed animal parts that already have concentrated the toxins of their diet (chickens and pigs for example).


2).
The amount of land required to grow one cow to maturity versus the amount of grain that can be produced in the same acreage. By raising cattle on arable land, our species is being inefficient in it's use of resources. By choosing to be at the top of the food chain we consume unwisely, making it difficult to feed our ever growing population, hence why a lot of vegetable and fruit produce is shipped abroad also having a vast impact on the environment.
You might like to mention this in the "cost" part of your project - think cost of petrol, diesel.

The Central American and Amazon rainforests are being destroyed to provide farmland and cattle grazing. The farmers can only raise a few crops before the thin soil is depleted, causing them to burn more virgin rainforest. The land is then only suitable for cattle to graze the thin grasses. This is the real reason the farmers are allowed to burn the forest. They are the pawns of the cattle industy in Brazil. They do the dirty work, and the ranchers get more land for their herds. This endless cycle spells doom for the trees and perhaps ultimately, for all of us.
Densely populated countries whose land is under intense cultivation and where pressure to urbanize has reduced that cultivation are also pressured to raise beef. A very inefficient use of land.

Meat is more expensive than vegetables. It takes more protein to feed animals than they yield. They require more water.
Meat is more perishable, takes longer to harvest, requires refrigeration, is transported over vast distances, uses more resources, so of course it costs more.

3). Again you can focus more on the points mentioned above, it would be good to include the benefits of buying locally grown produce, though I don't believe Australia has this problem so much as the rest of the world - correct me if I'm wrong.

4). The only risks/disadvantages of a vegetarian diet are making sure you eat a well balanced diet - but this risk is no greater than eating a meat diet. All care and attention has to be paid whatever diet you chose.

Hope this helps you get started, I will go through my documentation and leaflets and let you have them - they will contain statistics from authorities which is always a good thing to include in a project - especially in the form of a pie chart.

This sounds so exciting and how I wish my school had encouraged reports like this, I woulda been top of the class!

[Heka]

Omg hedge. I love you. Will you marry me??

[Heka]

thought I'd post a link to what my assignment looks like so far. this is final draft (almost) of my intro and ist draft of my !st focus question.

www.geocities.com/heka_witch/vegetarian.html

its still a very slowly up and coming website. but yeah. thats the assignment so far