• RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I am assuming this is some sort of vegan talking point that since some human teeth are mostly flat, ignoring canines and some particularly sharp front incisors, humans are supposed to eat only plants? Aren’t humans omnivores though?

    • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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      9 months ago

      You are interpreting that backwards. I wouldnt say it’s a vegan talking point so much as a non vegan talking point in reverse. It’s commonly argued that because humans have canines were meant to eat meat. Whereas vegans fully acknowledge the capacity to digest meat and evolutionary history that evolved omnivorous diets (but argue the majority of (not all) people have a want rather than a need) . The vegans are just memeing back.

      • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Humans have teeth suitable for both meat and plant foods. So I would say humans are omnivores.

        I may be wrong, but a 100% vegan only diet I think requires supplements to be taken for certain things like proteins that humans need in order to live. Of course, those certain proteins are found in meats.

        However, I think saying humans are carnovires would also be incorrect, and a 100% meat only diet would be I think equally as unhealthy as a 100% plant only diet.

        • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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          9 months ago

          I don’t think you read my post carefully. I said humans have teeth for both meat and plants. I didn’t say that humans aren’t omnivores. I just said (implicitly) that they are not obligate omnivores.

          Proteins are not a concern, you can get all essential amino acids through only plant protein. Pretty much the only one that is hard to get enough of is B12. With real determination it can be done but it’s easier to just supplement. By the way, most omnis also do not get enough B12 and eat supplements either directly or through fortified foods. It’s just usually they are getting it through fortified milk which vegans don’t drink.

        • naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 months ago

          a plant based diet is completely healthy as long as you eat varied foods and don’t try something stupid like subsisting on apples and dandelions.

          There are world renowned athletes who are plant based…

        • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 months ago

          The idea that a pure plant-based diet can’t provide all the protein we need has been thoroughly debunked for a long time.

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DMwf_9wqWY0&pp=ygUdc3RhbmZvcmQgc2NpZW50aXN0IG9uIHByb3RlaW4%3D

          The nutrient you’re thinking of is b12. Vegans need to supplement b12 (for now, discoveries are still being made on that front). But at the same time, in a sense, so does everyone else.

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UUyiiNwDNLU&pp=ygUOZWQgd2ludGVycyBiMTI%3D

          • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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            9 months ago

            Where I live, various vegan-targeted foods are fortified with B12, so it might be possible to get enough B12 that way without supplementing.

        • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 months ago

          And going back to your main point, it’s really just dubious to draw conclusions about what we are “meant” to eat based on the shape of our teeth. If all we’re considering is health and history, it’s not entirely accurate to say we’re just omnivores. It’s more like we are predominantly herbivores with some capacity for opportunistic omnivory in emergencies, but our ability to live on animal foods is rudimentary at best and comes at a high health cost. Also consider that from a Paleolithic standpoint, early humans would have been eating much more bugs as their protein, as that would have been far more abundant and easily gathered. Hunting is unreliable, and in most circumstances would have been a luxury at best (the book “Edible” goes into this).

          Of course we also are becoming more intelligent, and have emerged the capacity for moral evolution. The paleo concept as a whole is ultimately just the argument from tradition fallacy. We can do better.

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FNIoKmMq6cs&pp=ygUhcGFsZW9udG9sb2dpc3QgZGVidW5rcyBwYWxlbyBkaWV0

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            The paleo argument is about matching the environment of evolutionary adaptedness in diet, not tradition.

            People seem to forget that human evolution started 3 billion years ago so our evolutionarily-adapted diet isn’t just “paleo”

      • PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de
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        9 months ago

        meh I’ve heard mostly vegans make this dumbass argument.

        I definitely support vegans but I don’t support pseudoscientific bullshit no matter who says it.

    • RangerJosie@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      People have a real hard time separating Omnivores from Carnivores and Carnivores from Herbivores.

      I suggest reading “The Nature of Predators”

      Great learning tool for such things imo. The backbone of the story is those distinctions and their societal impacts. Vegans will hate it tho. As the BBEGs of the story use corruption, exploitation, coercion, genetic engineering, social engineering, and war to force omnivores and obligate carnivores to be obligate herbivores.

  • MY_ANUS_IS_BLEEDING@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    I would be a vegan but I just don’t have the time or willpower.

    I mean, the amount of time you have to spend bitching about other’s dietary choices is exhausting.

    • EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I’ve considered being like A half vegan Like a vegan but I’ll occasionally splurge at like events and restaurants

      It’s not really considered as admirable tho and is just frowned upon by both vegans and non vegans

      • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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        9 months ago

        What if you just did it without getting any credit. You don’t need others approval to make a positive change

      • alekwithak@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You’ll find outspoken people on both sides, but despite their words the world is not black and white. Do what you can, do what you feel is best. Any harm reduction is harm reduction and an all or nothing mentality isn’t helping anyone anywhere.

      • DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        I’m proud of you. You’re doing something good even if you slip up. Me, I have decided to not go meat free.

    • Grass@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      I find vegan cooking to be easier, but I’m not a vegan and will eat meat at restaurants or if someone else cooks, or at least cuts the meat which is a total pain in the ass and leaves packaging that makes the garbage stink like nothing else.

      The bitching is universal though. I used to take my dad’s home cooked food to school and one that got the most questions was the spicy tofu and pork. I could call it literally ‘tofu and pork’ and people would ask if im vegan and if that’s why I’m not muscular at all etc.

    • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      They’re part of the “If I’m doing nothing then I’m part of the problem” crowd.

      Otherwise known as “moralizing busybodies”

    • alekwithak@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      People who mentioned veganism: Just you, Bud.

      Downvote if you’re secretly attracted to your own dad.

    • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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      9 months ago

      Veganism isn’t a religion. It’s a simple moral framework, a practical moral baseline, and a social movement like any other. Would you call a social justice, anti-genocide, or lgbtq+ rights advocate a religious zealot?

      • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        Suuure.

        And not all social justice advocates treat it like a religion. But some do.

        Also, trying to compare veganism, a system of belief, to genocide resistance and human rights is absurd to the point that it exactly makes my point.

        There is no world in which fighting genocide is the same thing as avoiding animal products. None, no way, no how. The arrogance of your statement is so far beyond the usual responses my little troll statement gets that I’m outright flummoxed. I can’t believe anyone would be that stupid, that arrogant, that ridiculous.

        And that goes just as much for lgbt+ rights. You are outright absurd making that comparison.

        And that absurdity is exactly why veganism is a religion to way too many vegans. Like, I’m not anti vegan, I know and love many, I just like getting online vegans riled up for entertainment. But you jumped the damn shark big time homie. That kind of thinking, that’s why people that hate vegans hate them.

        Man, I find it hard to not just start calling you names because damn, son.

      • khorak@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        You are completely ignoring the fact, that for many it is too time consuming and involved to go vegan. And then you are imposing your belief that others should invest the same amount of resources, be it time or money, or they are worse human beings not caring about animals. In other words, being able to switch your diet is usually a sign of at least slight financial privilege. I just had some tofu so you don’t have to preach to me. But let others be and do not compare veganism to anti-genocide. It is absolutely ridiculous.

        • volvoxvsmarla @lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          First off, I am not vegan or even vegetarian. But every time I eat meat I am very aware that I am doing this from a very hedonistic point. It is not necessary for either my health or survival, nor is it morally or ethically ok. It just is not. Trying to find anything other than I like how it tastes as an argument is futile. But again, I am saying this as a person who does eat meat, not daily, but regularly.

          You are completely ignoring the fact, that for many it is too time consuming and involved to go vegan.

          It is not time consuming. Instead of making noodles with minced meat and tomato sauce you make noodles with tomato sauce. You literally leave out one ingredient, that’s it. Especially going vegetarian is literally a no brainer. If you aren’t too anal about being vegan (trace amounts etc) this is also really not time consuming. You don’t need to do fancy vegan recipes with sprouts or quinoa, this is the equivalent of cooking a beef wellington with truffle sauce for lunch. Even your walk through a supermarket is shorter because you don’t need to go through the meat aisle.

          And then you are imposing your belief that others should invest the same amount of resources, be it time or money, or they are worse human beings not caring about animals.

          You and I are less caring about animals and the planet. Even if we buy organic free range meat, we know the carbon footprint. We know that an animal was scared before its life ended untimely and unnecessarily. Let’s not fool ourselves here: It’s not a belief. It is what it is. It is a choice to make but let’s be clear: it is a choice. And as with every choice, it has consequences. Moneywise, I think I won’t tell you anything new by pointing out that meat substitute products are expensive, but a plain vegetable based diet is not per se expensive. Although I am very baffled by how little meat can cost - but we are talking about the lowest standard meat here. A kg of free range chicken breast is 30€ where I live. I can’t afford that every day for sure. And again, you don’t have to buy fancy sprouts, pea protein sausages, quinoa and all that. Rice, a can of kidney beans fried with an onion, and some sauteed veggies are a full meal which will not cost more or is more difficult or time consuming to make than any meat dish. Hell there’s even convenience food for vegetarians and vegans, which will - as all convenience products - cost more than if you prepared it yourself, but choose the resource you want to spend.

          In other words, being able to switch your diet is usually a sign of at least slight financial privilege.

          With a push to leave out meat, fish, and animal products, you are not being told to buy something. You are being told to leave something out. But I absolutely agree that if you are struggling to get by, then a kg of low quality chicken wings will get you fuller than a kg of bell peppers, which might also be more expensive. But the greatest majority of us - those not on food stamps or counting every penny - can absolutely afford to go vegan/vegetarian or at the very least leave out meat once in a while. Especially if you usually try to look for better quality meat (which is on the more expensive site) you can easily save money by leaving out meat.

          I just had some tofu so you don’t have to preach to me. But let others be and do not compare veganism to anti-genocide. It is absolutely ridiculous.

          If anything, not eating meat is more effective and more directly effective on ecological movements than protesting will be on your country’s (assumed by me) support of genocide. It’s very easy compared to much more complex issues. There are a lot of problems in the world that cannot be compared well but are all very important. You can address one and the other.

        • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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          9 months ago

          There is evidence to suggest that low income households are more likely to be vegan or vegetarian than high income households. So financial privilege is not a good deflection. The reason so many vegans are not sympathetic to the argument about time or effort is that for the vast majority of them they have lived experience contradicting it so it comes across as an excuse. they are not spending any more time or mental effort to eat than anybody else. When you first make the switch maybe you spend 10% more effort to learn new recipes, what you buy or whatever, but it quickly becomes routine as any other dietary system.

          (I say they because I don’t identify as vegan for a variety of reasons, but it does make it easier to have a conversation to use labels. I don’t advocate people become vegan, but I do advocate they try to reduce their animal product intake the best they can. In the rare circumstance that the best they can is nothing I don’t judge.)

          To me It seems you are upset that people are putting you in a moral category below themselves and your reaction is to assume that means they are wrong. Firstly, don’t think of people as putting you below them morally, but putting your actions into less desirable outcomes. Also, sit with that. Should you feel uncomfortable? If so, what is an appropriate reaction to that discomfort?

          I don’t think it’s productive to quibble about whether it’s comparable to human ethical questions, so no comment on the genocide. People have been in trouble in the past for making comparisons to Jim Crow or slavery. I don’t think it’s appropriate either, just as it would be inappropriate to argue whether Palestinian genocide or slavery was worse.

          nonetheless, during any time of ethical or moral awakening, there were people complicit with status quo in those scenarios, maybe even sympathetic to some of the arguments but valued social order over progress, who were asked to confront their complicity and they blamed the people pointing this out as the judgy problem starters rather than addressing the root problem.

          • khorak@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 months ago

            I have many friends which are vegan and we live in an area + work in an industry with a comparatively high amount of people with such a diet. We have talked about the topic at lengths, and my understanding is that in order to have a healthy diet you have to do quite a bit of research and spend time planning your meals. And then going out on a dinner is often a pain, although this has improved in the recent years.

            We eat much less meat than the general public. But going the next step and eliminating meat and then diary products is not trivial. Unless you have less responsibilities and or more prior knowledge to get you up to speed. I simply do not have the time for that, I have a small kid to take care of. And we often struggle to plan enough meals ahead of time in the short period of time between finishing work and doing groceries.

            It might sound like an excuse to you. It feels the same on my end, when my concerns are dismissed with some hand waving by people which usually are in a completely different place in their life than me.

            • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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              9 months ago

              The thing is, you could argue you need to do all that research to verify you’re eating enough of the right things, but in some sense you should be doing that regardless of whether your diet is vegan. But most people don’t bother, they just eat whatever and go to the doctor every once in a while and if there is a big gap somewhere the doctor will point it out. The lazy vegan diet is no more unbalanced than a lazy Omni diet. You can just not think about it, it’s not like you will immediately die if you are lacking in some nutrient. If you are supplementing with a multi vitamin or even just taking only B12 and iron, chances are you’re eating enough different kinds of things just by happenstance that you don’t even have to think about “complete proteins”.

              If you only eat potatoes and Oreos then yeah you’ll have a bad time, but who is doing that? Do you count your carb, protein, fat intake? Daily caloric intake? Your lysine? Your riboflavin? Why don’t you? How are you so sure you’re getting enough already? Do you think vegans sit around counting that stuff too? I buy the usuals at the grocery store, I just make/eat whatever I feel like and have a couple weeks worth of recipes I rotate through same as everyone else, eat out once or twice a week at normal restaurants with vegan options. It’s not hard no matter how much you insist it should be.

              When I hear its too hard my lived experience tells me it’s entirely possible to think about food the absolute minimum required, so it seems either like an excuse or ignorance.

            • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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              9 months ago

              The thing is, you could argue you need to do all that research to verify you’re eating enough of the right things, but in some sense you should be doing that regardless of whether your diet is vegan. But most people don’t bother, they just eat whatever and go to the doctor every once in a while and if there is a big gap somewhere the doctor will point it out. The lazy vegan diet is no more unbalanced than a lazy Omni diet. You can just not think about it, it’s not like you will immediately die if you are lacking in some nutrient. If you are supplementing with a multi vitamin or even just taking only B12 and iron, chances are you’re eating enough different kinds of things just by happenstance that you don’t even have to think about “complete proteins”.

              If you only eat potatoes and Oreos then yeah you’ll have a bad time, but who is doing that? Do you count your carb, protein, fat intake? Daily caloric intake? Your lysine? Your riboflavin? Why don’t you? How are you so sure you’re getting enough already? Do you think vegans sit around counting that stuff too? I buy the usuals at the grocery store, I just make/eat whatever I feel like and have a couple weeks worth of recipes I rotate through same as everyone else, eat out once or twice a week at normal restaurants with vegan options. It’s not hard no matter how much you insist it should be.

              When I hear its too hard my lived experience tells me it’s entirely possible to think about food the absolute minimum required, so it seems either like an excuse or ignorance.

        • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 months ago

          Don’t compare veganism to anti-genocide? My anointed sibling (gnostic gender-neutral idioms >> orthodox gendered ones), every animal product eater/user is complicit in the largest perpetual genocide in human history.

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Hershaft

          In the first place remember that veganism isn’t only about diet. And it’s about doing the best that you can, with what you have. Not everyone can go fully vegan, and that’s understandable and okay as long as they’re doing their best.

          Also, I’ve never owned property. I’ve never worked a job that paid enough to afford it (or rent) on my own. When I started transitioning my diet, it was when I had switched jobs to a factory setting with 40-48 hour work weeks (post-covid it was almost always 48 hours), 10 hour shifts on my feet all day. Prior to that I was dependent on eating fast food every day (with predictable rapidly declining health). I also lived in a food desert where going vegan meant that I had zero options for takeout.

          I had no one in my life willing to help, in fact all the people around me made it even harder to change. I also have adhd, and can’t stand the concept of meal prep. So what I did was save up for an Instant Pot, and started making the largest batches of grains and legumes that I could, along with frozen veggies (mainly broccoli). I generally cooked only once a week, and then would combine the helpings of leftovers in different ways each day (to keep it from getting too boring) for both my work lunches and dinners.

          And I also sought community. Having vegan friends helps immensely.

          Don’t assume that I’m as privileged as you think just because I’m vegan. On the other hand I know there are too many people who are far worse off than I am, and everyone who is struggling too much to go fully vegan should never be condemned, on the contrary we should seek to help - because our current food system is killing everyone who is most disadvantaged and impoverished.

          Our capitalist wasteland, particularly when you factor in health outcomes, means it’s even more important to at least go plant-based (not the same thing as veganism), and to help others do the same.

          https://www.theyretryingtokillus.com/fact-sheet

              • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                9 months ago

                i’d say husbandry then harvesting. i think most of the people who make our food would, too.

            • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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              9 months ago

              (Ignoring that our industrial animal-food system is probably a significant contributor to the vast extinctions we’re causing, since animal ag is the leading cause of wild habitat destruction).

              Would you feel better about the human genocides that occur, if the mass murderers were deliberately and forcibly breeding the victims into existence so they could continue the cycles of killing perpetually? Or is playing word games more important than recognizing the reality of what we are doing collectively?

              • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                9 months ago

                i wouldn’t feel any better about it, but it’s not a genocide. if anyone is playing word games, is the person who insists on using the wrong word.

              • NoTagBacks@lemm.ee
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                9 months ago

                I feel like you missed the point at the detriment of people taking your position seriously. Words and their definitions are very important in communication and I feel like semantics is something that is very undeserving of the flippant treatment it routinely receives.

                If someone were to accuse someone else of lying, this also comes with an accusation of intent. It isn’t sufficient for someone’s statement to be false to be a lie, there also needs to be intent to deceive. Intent to deceive implies that the liar at least knows what they’re saying is untrue, and possibly implies they know what is actually true depending on the context. However, if there is no intent to deceive, it’s usually a case of that person just being mistaken. How frustrating would it be for someone to be accused of lying when they say something they believe to be true? And how seriously should they take their accusers when not only being told their view of reality is incorrect, but also being informed that their own intent is malignant when stating something they believe is true?

                So, when it comes to describing something as a genocide, you’re also describing intent. If you tell people that they’re killing animals with the intent to extinct them, they’re probably not going to take you seriously. It’s probably better to have someone tell you what their intentions are rather than just assuming you can slap a piece of paper saying “this is you” on a scarecrow before drop-kicking it.

      • DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        If they act like a zealot, then yes. Most, like most vegans, are not zealots and we can have a great conversation. Your name gives me the feeling that a productive conversation might be difficult. But, I’ll try my best. 😁

        • MilitantVegan@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 months ago

          I chose my username to make fun of all the people who categorize vegans as militant anytime we speak out at all. It’s to highlight that the only vegan who isn’t seen that way is a vegan who stays silent and does nothing to speak out against the atrocities being committed against animals.

      • AnalogyAddict@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        This is your take, from someone who defines themselves as militant? Lol.

        It’s absolutely a religion. One of the definitions of religion is “a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.” The examples you mention are much less narrowly defined. And if they started persecuting people who don’t join their specific method, then yes, they would be, too.

        I mean, here you are proselytizing with poorly thought out memes. What’s more religious than that?

  • Ballistic_86@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    We aren’t carnivores, we are omnivores. An advantage that surely allowed the growth of our brains and allowed us to become the dominant species in the planet.

    Our teeth our designed in a way to both rip/tear meat and also grind up plants.

    It is great that some sector of the population can be vegetarian or vegan, but it isn’t a realistic option if everyone did so. Farming is destroying hundred of thousands of acres of land every year. Keeping up with a plant-based only diet for 8 billion people isn’t feasible with the current technology and farming practices of today.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Farm animals are generally not anymore fed by grazing, but rather from crops that have been grown on farm land. The animals use up energy to sustain their own life, so eating the plants directly is actually more efficient.

      Here’s a random source, for example: https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets

      • ikidd@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        On a cow-calf operation, which is where most beef production starts, a typical cow will graze and/or eat hay for about 12 years while breeding, then get slaughtered pretty much the day they’re shipped because they aren’t worth fattening at that age, they’re just going to ground beef.

        The culls (mid-life cows, failed to get pregnant) might see a couple months of their at least 36 month existence on grain before slaughter. Older ones might just go straight to slaughter.

        Steers and cull heifers (which is most of what gets used for choice cuts like steak) typically see about 14 months typically on pasture and silage/grain being backgrounded on farm, then about 3 months being intensively fed in a feedlot at up to 80% ration before slaughter.

        So, by far, the largest proportion of feeding of most cattle is by grazing or stored forage as part of the backgrounding process. It’s only when they enter the feedlot that it becomes a grain-intense operation, and that part of the production is very short because feedlots don’t make money feeding cows from calf-age to slaughter.

        Also, many larger cow-calfs will also hold on to steers and push them, selling them as “fats”, which sees much less intense feedlot experience. This isn’t a huge proportion of the final months of most steers, but is still an appreciable proportion of the market.

        The stockyards of Kansas aren’t the typical beef production scenario. They’re just very visible.

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        This is a good infographic because:

        • It uses the graphic medium to convey information that requires graphics (the ratios of land space and how the categories relate down the list) (lots of infographics could just be a bullet list or a paragraph without any information lost; this one actually utilizes the graphical medium
        • It lists its data source
    • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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      9 months ago

      You are spreading misinformation. Veganism requires vastly less land and water resources. Type “land use food calculator” into google

      • Ballistic_86@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        None of what I said was misinformation. Turning everyone vegan doesn’t resolve factory farming crops. Chemicals to ensure we can actually grow food, monocultures that are terrible for the environment, limitations of where things can grow.

        I’m all for reducing meat consumption, but the utopian world where everyone is vegan has many hurdles to overcome that aren’t just magically resolved. Sure, right now we might be able to reduce land usage for farming, but that is one small aspect of commercial farming under capitalism.

        How do people afford food when they don’t live in a place that can grow it? How do we ensure we can continue to grow food when we are so dependent on chemicals to do so? How does a developing country support agriculture without the huge subsidies currently required in developed nations? How do you educate 8 billion people on how to properly get the nutrients they need from new sources of food? How do convince society that GMOs aren’t bad?

        These are rhetorical, but moving to veganism requires us to think about these types of things before claiming “but less farm land”

        • Rekorse@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 months ago

          They didnt say everyone needed to be vegan, just that being vegan become the norm. There will always be edge cases, and people can do whatever they want in the wild of course.

          We can push forward and try to figure out how to slaughter even more despite all the problems that are coming with increased line speeds, or we can choose a different direction and tackle those problems.

          Noone said the solution was perfect, just better. Are you afraid of improving yourself?

          • Ballistic_86@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I’m not sure if you just aren’t aware or are being intentionally obtuse, but that isn’t what keeps the soil healthy or enables plants to grow. Have you grown plants ever?

            Sure, photosynthesis takes in CO2 and sunlight and converts that into sugars, but plants need much more than that from the soil and water, which we have to add using modern agriculture.

            Growing food on the scale to feed our population now requires crop rotations, fallow fields, nitrogen, phosphates, potash, insecticides, and billions of dollars in agricultural subsidies. You can grow a field of crops once or twice before adding all of the fertilizers and pesticides, but any amount of regular farming requires much much much more than CO2.

            • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              I’m familiar with agriculture, having gone to school, read books, and grown plants.

              It seems that you are the one being intentionally obtuse. You and I both know that carbon dioxide is kept elevated in greenhouses on purpose because doing so increases the yield of plants grown in those greenhouses.

              Yes, other chemicals are necessary to build a plant. The most abundant one however is carbon dioxide. It’s where like 99% of the plant’s mass comes from. And the levels of carbon dioxide in the air change the rate of plant growth.

              Nitrogen is also a big limiting factor, but fortunately we’ve found out how to extract nitrogen from the air efficiently using methane, so we can have enough nitrogen fertilizer to feed everyone.

      • ulterno@lemmy.kde.social
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        9 months ago

        Veganism requires vastly less land and water resources

        This too can cause misinformation.

        Supporting a vegetarian diet requires less land and water resources.

        Veganism requires the overuse of pesticides to the point that it makes the soil become unusable faster and hence needs higher treatment upkeep, essentially causing faster consumption of the limited energy resources we have.

        You are spreading misinformation.

        You were correct until here, but the land use food calculator will actually only be giving information pertaining to a normal (non-vegan) crop.

        • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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          9 months ago

          What you are missing here is that we wouldn’t need to grow more food than we do now, we would need to grow less. Whatever issue you can point at for growing enough plants to feed the world, we’re already dealing with now. We already grow enough plant based calories to feed the world over, we just feed it to cows and other livestock. We would need to use less pesticides (not to mention antibiotics) even if everyone was vegan.

          You are also narrowing in on obscure edge cases. As others have pointed out not all problems need to be solved and not all people need to adopt a vegan diet for us to make progress towards sustainability. It would be like worrying about the grid and battery technology and strip mining required to create solar panels etc. in the transition to renewable energy. worthy causes for sure but not justification to keep using fossil fuels.

          And people don’t even have to change their moral judgment in the case of doing it for climate reasons. They are free to keep believing however they do. Though I suspect that once people stop eating meat for pragmatic reasons the motivated reasoning behind their moral judgment will collapse.

          • ulterno@lemmy.kde.social
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            9 months ago

            What I am putting up there, is that, stopping meat is not the problem.
            The problem arises with using the veganism buzzword, which will make people think that paying those who advertise vegan stuff would make anything better.

            It would most definitely make it worse than whole vegetarian (which includes putting up with the insects and worms that come during farming) and might even end up being as much of a burden as the meat industry.
            People will think they are doing better, while not actually doing better, which is worse than the status quo.

        • DarthFrodo@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Veganism requires the overuse of pesticides

          What makes you think that? Why would growing grain for humans require more pesticides than growing grain for animals, for example?

          • ulterno@lemmy.kde.social
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            9 months ago

            Why would growing grain for humans require more pesticides than growing grain for animals

            Growing grain for the vegan brand will require more pesticides. It’s as if noone is really reading.

          • Aux@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            We have plenty of countries like New Zealand and Scotland which barely have any arable land and yet animal farming is allowing them to sustain much bigger populations than they could otherwise and even export meat elsewhere.

            • 1stTime4MeInMCU@mander.xyz
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              9 months ago

              Most meat eaters are not eating meat that feed on grass. Mostly it’s corn and wheat which humans can eat. If we even made the simple change that banned meat consumption of non grass fed cows that would mitigate 90% of the issue. Also beef will cost like $100 a pound, so

    • StaySquared@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Farming in of itself isn’t the problem, rather the process. Too many shortcuts and foreign substances, at least in the U.S.

      • JimSamtanko@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        Says the person who posted a meme showing sharks with human teeth as an argument against meat consumption.

        • Rekorse@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 months ago

          Well since they were trying to stoke conversation, and you are conversating now, seems like it worked just fine.

  • pyre@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    what a stupid meme. it’s almost like sharks don’t have arms and hands so they rely on their jaws more than we do. wow look we don’t have compartments in our stomach, we must not be fit to eat plants.

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    9 months ago

    Is this an argument that humans did not evolve to eat meat? Because those teeth… Well let’s just say the teeth shown aren’t what you expect from an herbivore now, is it? Put those on a cow and they would look just as strange.

    • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Nah, it’s just mocking the people who claim humans have to eat meat, because evolution/god/whatever gave us teeth to chew meat.

      It is correct that our teeth do allow chewing meat (since we are omnivores), but yeah, taking the teeth as basis for any argumentation, that’s just ridiculous.

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          9 months ago

          They can be an indicator whether we might be carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. But the actual digestion is what counts. And particularly, the categorization into “omnivore” leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Some omnivores might genuinely need to eat both categories. We happen to not need that.

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    9 months ago

    Vegans who actually believe what they preach spend more time on education and less on shaming or meaningless memes.

    This is just posturing.

        • chetradley@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I think you’re hitting on an interesting concept with regards to activism: that it can be categorized into actions that raise awareness, and actions that provide education.

          Take, for example, this story about climate activists blocking traffic in Amsterdam to protest ING’s financing of fossil fuels exploration. Though you may disagree with the methods used in the protest, it’s hard to deny the success of it based on the national attention it drew. Because of it, more people who are opposed to the idea of expanding fossil fuel use are aware of ING’s funding of it.

          I think very few people would say that they are now in favor of fossil fuel exploration, or simply do not care to learn more about environmentalism due to the controversial actions of the protesters.

          I suppose my question for you is, what would have made you want to seek more information about veganism, and what about this post made you suddenly not want to lean more?

          • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            There’s a pretty big gap “making it on the news to raise awareness for your cause” and “mastabatory shitposting on social media”

            dude isn’t sneaking video evidence of wrongdoing out of a factory farm… just photoshopping bad dentures on sharks.

            I agree that any movement needs both friendly and provocative advocacy to affect change, but the only thing these types of posts accomplish is helping OP feel superior.

          • AnalogyAddict@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I can tell you what has led me towards veganism: Friends who knew how to make amazing vegan food. Knowing how to do it economically. Understanding the nutrition concerns and how to work around them. Access to good ingredients. Ways to slowly eat more vegan without rigidly jumping into it. Seeing the environmental impact. Seeing how animals are typically raised and slaughtered. Growing my own veggies and/ or participating in community gardens, etc.

            I said I didn’t want to learn more about OP or their perspective. Personally, I already know quite a bit about how to eat vegan… which isn’t, by the way, the same thing as veganism.

            Calling this activism is a stretch at best.