4 ms·

This is pretty much a given. Livestock takes exponentially more energy to raise than it takes to harvest a comparable amount of plant produce. Goats eat a lot,

This is pretty much a given. Livestock takes exponentially more energy to raise than it takes to harvest a comparable amount of plant produce. Goats eat a lot, and they chew on everything. Mushrooms are a good choice as a staple food for a Martian colony because they can grow entirely on agricultural byproducts, with no need for any of the sure-to-be precious solar energy. You can really just put them in a dark closet with some corn husks and let them do their thing.

andreasvc 14y ago
Mushrooms contain little energy so by definition they cannot be a staple food.
Irregardless 14y ago
Energy isn't the only consideration, you also have to think about nutrients. Animal proteins have all the amino acids we need, but the same can't be said of any plant. Essential nutrients like Iron, Calcium and Zinc are also difficult to come by for vegetarians. Vitamin B12 can't even be found naturally in non-meat foods, and it's necessary for our bodies to create red blood cells. Getting the energey and nutrients and having a variety of foods to choose from (so you're not eating the same thing every meal of every day) is not an easy task for vegetarians. Hopefully we'll have supplements that can compensate for that in 15 years, but it's not exactly something you can rely on when planning something of this scale.
- raverbashing 14y ago
  You can combine different vegetable sources to obtain all aminoacids needed (or maybe have a transgenic methionine producing soy plant Iron, Calcium and Zinc are easy to obtain. Vitamin B12 is harder, people would need supplements.
  - thejteam 14y ago
    When the supplements run out would they need to get a new shipment from earth?
    - RyanMcGreal 14y ago
      I can't imagine it would be that difficult (relatively speaking) for the colony to synthesize B12 from bacteria or fermentation.
  - Irregardless 14y ago
    > Iron, Calcium and Zinc are easy to obtain When you're trying to grow plants in artificial environments on an inhospitable planet 40 million miles from earth? Oh, okay...
    - raverbashing 14y ago
      Yes they are. Chemical elements are the same everywhere. Minerals on Mars are similar as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_the_chemical_elements#Abundance_of_elements_in_the_Universe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_the_chemical_eleme...
- DanBC 14y ago
  Energy is a pretty big consideration. For meat you need you grow the meat, and you need to feed the people growing the meat, and you need to feed the people growing the stuff that you feed the meat. That's a lot of infrastructure. And the only benefit is that protein, vitamins and minerals are mildly easier to get. A healthy vegetarian diet could be more diverse than a meat-eating diet, especially if you have the limitations.
pavel_lishin 14y ago
On the other hand, won't pigs eat just about anything? And I've heard the same said about rats and pigeons.

andreasvc 14y ago

Mushrooms contain little energy so by definition they cannot be a staple food.

Irregardless 14y ago

Energy isn't the only consideration, you also have to think about nutrients. Animal proteins have all the amino acids we need, but the same can't be said of any plant. Essential nutrients like Iron, Calcium and Zinc are also difficult to come by for vegetarians. Vitamin B12 can't even be found naturally in non-meat foods, and it's necessary for our bodies to create red blood cells. Getting the energey and nutrients and having a variety of foods to choose from (so you're not eating the same thing every meal of every day) is not an easy task for vegetarians. Hopefully we'll have supplements that can compensate for that in 15 years, but it's not exactly something you can rely on when planning something of this scale.

raverbashing 14y ago
You can combine different vegetable sources to obtain all aminoacids needed (or maybe have a transgenic methionine producing soy plant Iron, Calcium and Zinc are easy to obtain. Vitamin B12 is harder, people would need supplements.
- thejteam 14y ago
  When the supplements run out would they need to get a new shipment from earth?
  - RyanMcGreal 14y ago
    I can't imagine it would be that difficult (relatively speaking) for the colony to synthesize B12 from bacteria or fermentation.
- Irregardless 14y ago
  > Iron, Calcium and Zinc are easy to obtain When you're trying to grow plants in artificial environments on an inhospitable planet 40 million miles from earth? Oh, okay...
  - raverbashing 14y ago
    Yes they are. Chemical elements are the same everywhere. Minerals on Mars are similar as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_the_chemical_elements#Abundance_of_elements_in_the_Universe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_the_chemical_eleme...
DanBC 14y ago
Energy is a pretty big consideration. For meat you need you grow the meat, and you need to feed the people growing the meat, and you need to feed the people growing the stuff that you feed the meat. That's a lot of infrastructure. And the only benefit is that protein, vitamins and minerals are mildly easier to get. A healthy vegetarian diet could be more diverse than a meat-eating diet, especially if you have the limitations.

pavel_lishin 14y ago

On the other hand, won't pigs eat just about anything? And I've heard the same said about rats and pigeons.