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Nominally meat production emits more CO2, but one also has to take in account the nutrition of the food. 1kg of beef vs 1kg of rice. Not exactly the same. The

Nominally meat production emits more CO2, but one also has to take in account the nutrition of the food. 1kg of beef vs 1kg of rice. Not exactly the same. The CO2 footprint of a plant-based diet is lower. However, that is not the only aspect of this discussion. All the studies on the subject that I read seem to indicate that eliminating animal protein always leads to deficiencies and lack of growth in children. All the studies on the health benefits of veganism only seem to apply to obese people eating junk food. But one does not need to go full vegan. Reducing meat consumption to the bare minimum and maybe selectively eating animal products that are less harmful to the climate, it arguable a better strategy.

igetspam 4y ago
"Always," you say? It "always" leads to deficiencies and lack of growth? Shoot. Don't tell my kid, who at five is half her mom's height and is in track to be taller than I am. I eat the occasional meat and ate more when I was younger. My kid is a vegetarian, like her mother. Maybe check the hyperbole a bit. People who only eat plants do just fine. People who don't put thought into what they eat, do badly, no matter the diet. Your average American probably has a significant glut of protein and carbs and days and everything else and they probably significantly overestimate the amount of protein they need (discuss it with athletes who have professionals planning their intake). We glamorize protein for some reason but look around you. People are fat. Arguably it would be better if most people probably went vegetarian.
- goethes_kind 4y ago
  All the studies that I have read indicate that protein quality is important and children on strict vegan diets do worse on multiple growth metrics. As a layman on the subject I cannot really give you professional advice, but in my very best estimation is does seem to me, that a healthy diet that includes animal protein is a more cautious approach to one which totally excludes it, assuming the health of the child is being prioritized.
- stefantalpalaru 4y ago

igetspam 4y ago

"Always," you say? It "always" leads to deficiencies and lack of growth? Shoot. Don't tell my kid, who at five is half her mom's height and is in track to be taller than I am. I eat the occasional meat and ate more when I was younger. My kid is a vegetarian, like her mother. Maybe check the hyperbole a bit. People who only eat plants do just fine. People who don't put thought into what they eat, do badly, no matter the diet. Your average American probably has a significant glut of protein and carbs and days and everything else and they probably significantly overestimate the amount of protein they need (discuss it with athletes who have professionals planning their intake). We glamorize protein for some reason but look around you. People are fat. Arguably it would be better if most people probably went vegetarian.

goethes_kind 4y ago
All the studies that I have read indicate that protein quality is important and children on strict vegan diets do worse on multiple growth metrics. As a layman on the subject I cannot really give you professional advice, but in my very best estimation is does seem to me, that a healthy diet that includes animal protein is a more cautious approach to one which totally excludes it, assuming the health of the child is being prioritized.
stefantalpalaru 4y ago