INSIDER LIVING WITH IVEY
Ethical EATING
How your daily food choices IMPACT the environment By Ivey Leidy Photography by Jerry Rabinowitz
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lthough industrial agriculture has made production easier and food more widely available, it comes with an ethical and environmental impact. According to the Land Health Institute, the global meat industry uses a third of the world’s fresh water and produces more greenhouse gases than the entire world’s transportation emissions. Considering meat consumption has tripled since the 1960s, it’s likely that production and consumption will continue to rise. As this happens, industrial farm animals will become even more densely packed together and their treatment will worsen. They are already subjected to antibiotics to treat and prevent bacterial infections, growth hormones to expedite production, an unnatural diet of grains instead of grasses, genetic modification and mutilation, and a lifetime of confinement. Furthermore, it takes 1,700 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef. Conversely, it takes 39 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of vegetables. Researchers have hypothesized that if every American went meatless for just one day a week, we could save 100 billion gallons of water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide. Thankfully, there are many ways to eat more ethically. Start by buying local, which can reduce the need to transport goods across long distances, resulting in reduced carbon emissions and pollution. Local produce is also fresher and contains more nutrients than produce that has been sitting on truck beds for weeks. 30
Another key step is to waste less. Utilize fresh veggies that last the longest—such as cruciferous vegetables and root vegetables—and opt for frozen fruits and vegetables that tend to spoil quicker. And be sure to work edible food scraps, like broccoli stems, into your meals as well. Finally, choose better quality meat, poultry, and fish. Practices such as grass-fed, pasture-raised, and sustainably farmed are not only better for the planet, but better for your health too.
BEHIND THE LABELS • Grass-fed cows have less fat and higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3s and vitamins A and E. Grass-fed and -finished means the cows are fed nothing but grass after weaning. • Pasture-raised, certifiedhumane poultry produce healthier eggs with twice the omega-3s, three times the vitamin D, four times
the vitamin E, and seven times the beta carotene as conventional caged. • Certified-humane chickens are able to roam free, forage on their natural diet, and socialize. Free-range means that they have access to 2 square feet of space. • Wild seafood is caught in the animal’s natural environment, where they can
eat their natural diets. • Farmed seafood is typically raised in crowded pens where antibiotic use is high, artificial coloring may be added to already processed feed, and contaminants and pesticides are prevalent. • Sustainably farmed means the fish are less densely populated and there is less chance of antibiotic use.
PALM BEACH ILLUSTRATED
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4/29/22 3:20 PM
