You can save energy by the wise selection of the foods you eat. This list of foods ranked by the energy used shows that it takes almost 100 times as much energy to produce beef as to grow corn. In general, meats cost 10-to-100 times as much energy to produce than fruits and vegetables.
Another way to evaluate foods is on the basis of their carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of beef is 60, 200 times that of nuts, equal to 0.3 on the rating scale used in the linked graphic. Other sources of protein are soymilk (0.9), milk (3.0), eggs (4.5), fish (5.0), and poultry (6.0). Ergo: the carbon footprint of beef is ten times that of poultry.
Nuts are nature’s cure-all. In addition to being a great source of dietary protein, nuts have an abundance of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber (especially if, for example, you purchase peanuts in the shell and eat the red “skin”). Nuts are rich in antioxidants, and can lower your cholesterol and triglycerides (even more so if you eat less beef for protein). Moreover, scientific studies have shown that nuts can boost weight loss, help diabetes and metabolic syndrome, reduce inflammation, and even lower the risk of heart attack.
Try substituting healthy nuts for lunch meat every day. Peanut butter is a versatile and tasty option. Men need about 56 grams of protein a day and women 46 grams, more if your lifestyle isn’t generally sedentary. Americans eat twice as much protein as they need to be healthy. The problem is even more aggravated in China, Brazil, and other developing nations, where beef consumption has become a status symbol.
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Excerpted from Going Green, available as an eBook at this list of eBook retailers online.