¾ of the world’s fisheries are exploited or depleted.
"Overfishing: a threat to marine biodiversity". United Nations Environment Programme
"General situation of world fish stocks". United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
We could see fishless oceans by 2048.
Roach, John. "Seafood May Be Gone by 2048, Study Says". National Geographic News. November 2, 2006
Montaigne, Fen. "Still Waters: The Global Fish Crisis". National Geographic
For every 1 pound of fish caught, up to 5 pounds of unintended marine species are caught and discarded as by-kill, and as many as 40% (63 billion pounds) of fish caught globally every year are discarded.
"Discard and bycatch in Shrimp trawl fisheries". FAO: Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
Keledjian, Amanda, et al. "Wasted Catch: Unsolved Problems in U.S. Fisheries". Oceana. March 2014
Goldenberg, Suzanne. "America's nine most wasteful fisheries named". The Guardian. 20 March 2014
70 billion farmed animals are reared annually worldwide. More than 6 million animals are killed for food every hour.
"Factory Farms". A Well Fed World
"Strategic Plan 2013-2017: For Kinder, Fairer Farming Worldwide". Compassion in World Farming
"Animals Slaughtered". Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow
Oppenlander, Richard A. Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.
80% of antibiotics sold in the US are for livestock.
Zuraw, Lydia. "2015 in Review: Animal Antibiotics". Food Safety News. December 2015
There are at least 450 drugs that are administered to animals.
"America's Secret Animal Drug Problem". Center for Food Safety. Executive Summary September 2015
"Treatments for Dairy Cattle A-Z". Drugs.com: Know more. Be sure.
Dead hogs are processed into feed and fed back to the hogs in our current methods of food production.
"By-product feed Ingredients for Use in Swine Diets". Pork Information Gateway
AG-GAG Laws criminalize whistleblowers who photo-document abuses by the animal agriculture industry.
"Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act". govtrack: S. 3880 (109th)
Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector.
"Livestock's Long Shadow". Food and Agriculture Organization
Animal Agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation (which is only 13%).
Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, of 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
Goodland, R Anhang, J. “Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change were pigs, chickens and cows?”
Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide - a greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years.
"Livestock' Long Shadow: environmental issues and options". FAO. Rome. 2006
Reducing methane emissions would create tangible benefits almost immediately.
Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of US water consumption.
"How Important is Irrigation to U.S. Agriculture?" USDA: Economic Research Service. 12 October, 2016
Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56% of water in the US.
Jacobson, Michael F. “Six Arguments For a Greener Diet: How a More Plant-based Diet Could Save Your Health and the Environment. Chapter 4: More and Cleaner Water”. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2006.
2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef.
Robbins, John. "2,500 gallons all wet?" Earth Save: Healthy People Healthy Planet.
"Water Content of Things: Data Table 19". The World's Water 2008-2009
"Water". Environmental Working Group.
"Water footprint of crop and animal products: a comparison". Water Footprint Network.
Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN: Langdon Street, 2013. Print
477 gallons of water are required to produce 1lb of eggs; almost 900 gallons of water are needed for 1lb of cheese.
"Water". Environmental Working Group.
"Food Facts: How Much Water Does it Take to Produce...?" Water Education Foundation.
1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.
Hoekstra, Arjen Y. "The water footprint of food". Water for Food.
5% of water consumed in the US is by private homes. 55% of water consumed in the US is for animal agriculture.
Jacobson, Michael F. “Six Arguments For a Greener Diet: How a More Plant-based Diet Could Save Your Health and the Environment. Chapter 4: More and Cleaner Water”. Washington, DC: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2006.
Animal agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all freshwater consumption in the world today.
1 quarter pound hamburger requires over 660 gallons of water to produce. That much water is equivalent to showering for two entire months.
Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.
Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. . Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.
1-2 acres of rainforest are being cleared every second.
"Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World's Rainforests". Scientific American
Butler, Rhett. "10 Rainforest Facts for 2017". Mongabay.com. January, 2017
"Avoiding Unsustainable Rainforest Wood". Rainforest Relief
"Tropical Deforestation". National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Facts
Livestock or livestock feed occupies ⅓ of the earth’s ice-free land, covering 45% of the earth’s total land.
"Livestock a major threat to environment. Remedies urgently needed". FAO Newsroom. 29 November 2006
Up to 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day due to rainforest destruction.
"The Disappearing Rainforests". Save the Amazon.org
Raising animals for food is the leading cause of rainforest destruction, species extinction, ocean dead zones and freshwater consumption.
Margulis, Sergio "Causes of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon". World Bank Working Paper No. 22
Livestock operations on land have created more that 500 nitrogen flooded dead zones around the world in our oceans.
It requires 2-5 acres of land to grow one cow.
Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work.
⅓ of the planet is desertified, with livestock as the leading driver.
"UN launches International Year of Deserts and Desertification". UN News Centre. 1 January 2006
Oppenlander, Richard A. Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.
Hogan, C Michael. "Overgrazing". The Encyclopedia of Earth. May 1, 2010
We are currently growing enough food to feed 10 billion people.
Worldwide, at least 50% of grain is fed to livestock.
"Executive Summary: Feed Supply". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
"Did you know? U.S. and Wisconsin soybean facts". Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board
82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries.
"Improving Child Nutrition: The achievable imperative for global progress". UNICEF. April 2013
There is nothing in an animal-based diet that you can’t get in a healthier form somewhere else.
93% of dioxin exposure comes from eating animal products.
"Dioxins and Furans: The Most Toxic Chemicals Known to Science". Energy Justice Network
"The Wrong Way to Detox". NutritionFacts.org video
Healthy Milk, Healthy Baby: Chemical Pollution and Mother' Milk". National Resources Defense Council
Within minutes of eating dead meat bacteria toxins the body gets a burst of inflammation, stiffening or paralyzing of the arteries.
Eating organic meat will not help you avoid contaminants in the meat.
McMahon, Jeff "Radioactive Strontium Found in Hil, Hawaii Milk". Forbes. April 27, 2011
The USDA admitted that eggs cannot legally be labeled: Nutritious, Low Fat, Part of a Balanced Diet, Low Calorie, Healthful, Healthy, Good for You, or Safe.
Eating 1 egg a day is just as bad as smoking five cigarettes per day for life expectancy.
This is because the yolk of a hen’s egg is a concentrated glom of saturated fat and cholesterol. It is intended to feed a baby chicken for 21 days with no outside energy input. When you put this in your bloodstream, it coats your red blood cells, making your blood thicker and more viscous. It also changes your hormone levels and raises cholesterol levels in the blood.
Spence, J. David, et al "Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque". Artheroslcerosis xxx (2012) 1-5
A World Health Organization Report has classified bacon and sausage as carcinogenic to humans.
"Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat". The Lancet Oncology. Vol. 16. 2015
If you chose to eat meat, your chances of getting diabetes are about 1 in 3
If you chose to eat meat, your chances of getting cancer: for women 1 in 3, for men 1 in 2
"Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
If you chose to eat meat, your chances of gaining weight are about 2 in 3
"Meat Eater's Guide Report: Meat and your Health". Environmental Working Group
Testing shows 88% of pork chops, 90% of ground beef, and 95% of chicken breasts sampled were contaminated with fecal bacteria.
"2010 Retail Meat Report". FDA: National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS)
One serving of processed meat per day has been found to increase your risk of developing diabetes by 51%.
The average American consumes 209 pounds of meat per year.
"Kings of the Carnivores. Vegetarians should look away". The Economist. April 2012
Barnard, M.D, Neal. "Do We Eat Too Much Meat?" The Huffington Post Blog. January 2011
Toxins bioaccumulate in fish flesh.
"How Fertilizers Harm Earth More Than Help Your Lawn". Scientific American
The leading source of sodium in the American diet for adults is chicken.
The number one dietary source of cholesterol in America is chicken.
"Cholesterol and Heart Disease". Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine
The number one source of saturated fat is dairy.
"Top Food Sources of Saturated Fat in the U.S." Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
There is a strong link between dairy foods and autoimmune diseases.
"Q & A: Diet, Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases". Michael Klaper, M.D. Nutrition-Based Medicine.
"Foods and Arthritis". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
"The Multiple Sclerosis and Diet Saga". McDougall Newsletter.
Children are suffering from conditions linked to dairy consumption.
"Milk: Does it Really Do a Body Good?". Jay Gordon, MD FAAP Feb. 23, 2010
Milk is a hormonal fluid.
"Study Suggests Full-Fat Dairy Products May Be Linked to Worse Survival" BreastCancer.org
Dairy has been linked to many different types of cancer.
Dairy products have pus.
Milk does not grow strong bones.
Lanou, Amy Joy "Bone health in children". British Medical Journal. 2006 Oct 14; 333(7252): 763-764
In fact, countries with the highest rates of dairy consumption have the highest rates of osteoporosis.
"Global Consumption of Dairy Products". Canadian Dairy Information Center.
Any animal protein boosts the level of cancer promoting growth hormone IGF-1 and dairy products increase the risk of cancers related to your hormones.
Greger, M.D, Michael "Protein Intake & IGF-1 Production".
Dairy can increase a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer by 34%.
"Milk and Prostate Cancer: The Evidence Mounts". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
For women who have had breast cancer, just one serving of whole dairy a day can increase their chance of dying from the disease 49%, and dying from any disease 64%.
Casein protein, the main protein in dairy products, especially in cheese, creates casomorphins.
Not only do casomorphins have a similar, drug-like, effect as opioids, but they may play a role in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and autism.
Studies referencing the link between exposure to dairy at a young age and Type 1 Diabetes
Cow milk protein causes antibodies in the bloodstream that attack the pancreas.
"The Pancreas-Under Attack by Cow-Milk". The McDougall Newsletter. July 2002. Vol. 1 No. 7
Do we have to eat meat to get enough protein?
McDougall, John "Plant Foods Have a Complete Amino Acid Composition". Circulation. June 25, 2002
Mangels, PhD, RD, Reed "Protein in the Vegan Diet". The Vegetarian Resource Group
All protein is initially made by plants.
"Nitrogen Metabolism". Plant Cell Biology
Plants are loaded with protein.
"The Protein Myth". Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
MacMillan, Amanda "14 Best Vegan and Vegetarian Protein Sources". Health.com
Most Americans get about twice the protein they need, while getting less than half of the fiber they need.
Shanker, Deena "Enough With the Protein, America". Bloomberg. November 4, 2016
Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, Kathleen "Fiber: How Much Do You Need?". WebMD
Greger, M.D., Michael "Where Do You Get Your Fiber?". NutritionFacts.org. September 29th, 2015
Plant-Based Athlete Case Studies
Low fat, plant-based diet is more than twice as powerful at controlling and/or reversing diabetes, than the ADA diet recommending meat and dairy.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009;89(suppl): 1588S-96S
Vitamin intake and overall nutrition go up on a plant-based diet from a meat-based diet.
You can stop and reverse heart disease with plant-based diets
"Halt heart disease with a plant-based, oil-free diet". Harvard Health Publications
Ornish, Dean, et al "Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease?
The Lifestyle Heart Trial". The Lancet. July 1990. Vol. 336 No. 8708 Pages 129-133
When people adopt a fully plant-based diet their cholesterol levels plummet within a few days.
When people adopt a fully plant-based diet blood pressure comes down.
For individuals who adopted a fully plant-based diet, 99.4% were able to avoid major cardiac events.
In 174 consecutive patients with high blood pressure, all lowered their blood pressure enough to eliminate the need for medication by following a plant based diet.
Crohn’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis remission rates were the best ever achieved from patients following a plant-based diet.
15x more protein can be grown on any given area of land with plants, rather than with cows.
Soybeans can be produced at 52. 5 bushels per acre x 60 lbs. per bushel = 3,150 dry soybeans per acre
Soybeans protein content (dry) is 163.44 grams per pound
The protein content per acre of soybeans is 163.44 g x 3,150 lb. = 514,836 g per acre
Beef can be produced at 205 pounds per acre
Beef protein content (raw) is 95.34 grams per pound
The protein content per acre of beef is 95.34 g x 205 lb. = 19,544.7 g per acre
Liquid pig manure is pumped into waste pits that leach into rivers and streams and then are sprayed unfiltered onto nearby fields.
Bienkowski, Brian "Pig Poop Fouls North Carolina Streams". Scientific American. February 18, 2015
Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food in the US.*
This doesn’t include the animals raised outside of USDA jurisdiction or in backyards, or the billions of fish raised in aquaculture settings in the US.
"Agricultural Waste Characteristics". Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook. USDA. Chapter 4
The healthiest, cheapest, safest source of vitamin B12 is a fortified food or supplement.
What about people who say they need to eat meat for their blood type or their genes? (Hint: They likely don’t.)
There is a common belief that eating plant-based is expensive.
Paschal, Terrence "Plant Based on a Budget Challenge-Family of 4-Week 1". Plant Based on a Budget
Land required to feed 1 person for 1 year:
Vegan: 1/6th acre
Vegetarian: 3x as much as a vegan
Meat Eater: 18x as much as a vegan.
Robbins, John. Diet for a New America, StillPoint Publishing, 1987, p. 352
1.5 acres can produce 37,000 pounds of plant-based food.
Oppenlander, Richard A. Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.
"Direct Seeded Vegetable Crop Chart". Johnny's Selected Seeds
1.5 acres can produce 375 pounds of beef.
A person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for their food.
"The carbon foodprint of five diets compared". Shrink That Footprint
"Facts on Animal Farming and the Environment". One Green Planet.
"Vegetarianism and the Environment. Why going meatless is important". Vegetarian Guide
Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.
"Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health". Environmental Working Group. 2011
"How much have you saved?" The Veagn Calculator
Ogden, Lillie. "The Environmental Impact of a Meat-Based Diet". Vegetarian Times.
Oppenlander, Richard A. Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.