referenced study conducted by researchers at the University
of California Cooperative Extension in 1978. The issue is also
about improving distribution systems to reach those who
currently don’t have access to nourishing food. Those sticky
situations aren’t on you to solve personally, but you and your
family do have a role to play.
Beyond not wasting the calories and nutrients and deli-
ciousness that come into your possession, here are three
problems and solutions for how to make your calorie-related
food choices more environmentally responsible.
1 Problem: Foods with high conversion ratios hurt the planet. This
is where things get really juicy at the intersection of health
and sustainability. It takes approximately 2 calories of feed
to produce 1 calorie of fish. By contrast, it requires about
36 calories of feed to produce 1 calorie of beef. This is the
concept of “feed conversion efficiency.” How efficient is
that food at becoming food? The ratio for pork is about 11:1,
with poultry not far behind at 9:1. Altogether, according to
the book Eat for the Planet, it takes 160 times as many land
resources to produce beef as it does to grow fruits, vegeta-
bles, and legumes. Don’t get me started on the high water
footprints. Generally speaking, animal-based foods are less
efficient uses of natural resources because you’re growing
animal feed and relying on these creatures to “convert”
that feed into food that humans eat, rather than just grow-
ing food for humans to eat directly. So, even though a food
might be high in nutrients for the high calories it “costs”
you, so to speak, its high conversion ratio should give you
pause. Solution: Replacing some of the animal-based foods
in your diet with plant-based foods is not only good for your
body but more environmentally efficient.192 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_03 PT_4th patches.indd 192 10/23/19 1:35 PM