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Old Tue, Sep-11-18, 08:06
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
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Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
Default Diet and water use

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas...80910142419.htm

Quote:
Change your diet to save both water and your health

Shifting to a healthy diet is not only good for us, but it also saves a lot of precious fresh water, according to a new study by the JRC published in Nature Sustainability.

Compared to existing diets, the water required to produce our food could be reduced by between 11% and 35% for healthy diets containing meat, 33% and 55% for healthy pescetarian diets and 35% and 55% for healthy vegetarian diets.

Researchers compared these three diet patterns, defined by respective national dietary guidelines, to the current actual food consumption, using available data from more than 43 thousand areas in France, the UK and Germany.

They found that eating more healthily could substantially reduce the water footprint of people's diets, consistent across all the geographical entities analysed in the study.

The study is the most detailed nationwide food consumption-related water footprint ever made, taking into account socio-economic factors of food consumption, for existing and recommended diets.

Influences on the food we eat

The scientists also show how individual food consumption behaviour -- and their related water footprints -- depend strongly on the socio-economic factors like age, gender and education level.

They found interesting correlations between such factors and both the water footprint of specific foods and their resulting impact on overall water footprints.

For example, the study shows how in France, the water footprint of milk consumption decreases with age across the municipalities analysed.

Across London, they show a strong correlation between the water footprint of wine consumption and the percentage of the population of each area with a high education level.

Background

The water footprint is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce goods consumed, food in this particular case.

The scientists used national dietary surveys to assess differences in food product group consumption between regions and socio- economic factors within regions.

The diet scenarios analysed in the study take into account total daily energy and protein requirements as well as maximum daily fat amounts.

They are based upon national dietary guidelines, in which for every food product group specific recommendations are given according to age and gender.

By downscaling national water footprints to the lowest possible administrative boundaries within a country, the scientists provide a useful tool for policy makers at various levels.

The methodology could also be applied to other footprints assessments -- like the carbon, land or energy footprints related to food consumption.

Animal products -- and especially meat -- have a high water footprint.

The average European diet is characterised by overconsumption in general, particularly of animal products.

A healthy diet would contain less sugar, crop oils, meat and animal fats, and more vegetables and fruit.

Due to the numerous negative impacts of an intensive livestock production system on the planet's resources and ecosystems, as well as the growing demands of non-western countries for animal products, moving to a more resource-efficient (and healthier) vegetable-rich diet in the EU is a necessity.


Quote:
Animal products -- and especially meat -- have a high water footprint.


I believe this came up on an earlier thread, can't find it--a fair amount of beef comes from retired dairy cattle--including water inputs to cows that have put out gallons of milk a day isn't quite fair--also it's counting that water twice, towards milk production and towards beef production, one way a person can inflate water consumption if they've a mind to.

What I find interesting here is how small the divide is;


Quote:
Compared to existing diets, the water required to produce our food could be reduced by between 11% and 35% for healthy diets containing meat, 33% and 55% for healthy pescetarian diets and 35% and 55% for healthy vegetarian diets.


A healthy diet containing meat is probably replacing beef with chicken etc. Or maybe just less meat? You can contribute quite a bit here just by not being able to afford beef, which isn't that difficult.

http://waterfootprint.org/en/water-...nimal-products/

Quote:
Global animal production requires about 2422 Gm 3 of water per year (87.2% green, 6.2% blue, 6.6% grey water). One third of this volume is for the beef cattle sector; another 19% for the dairy cattle sector. Most of the total volume of water (98%) refers to the water footprint of the feed for the animals. Drinking water for the animals, service water and feed mixing water account only for 1.1%, 0.8% and 0.03%, respectively.


This is interesting... comes down to feed efficiency. Food price for meat tracks pretty well with water use, because it's about the feed.

I'll just leave this here for somebody to post about benefits to the environment of grass-fed beef.
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