Climate Change/Mass Extinction Megathread

[Grey Fox]

My GF is intolerant to soy and nightshade vegetables. Without dairy I think she would go very hungry.

[Hamilcar]

I don't know if eating local can be compatible with a vegan diet in most of the world.

I tried for a number of months.  Totally local is impossible and so the carbon calculation needs to factor in transport.  In the end, I could not get enough protein into my weekly diet.

When I had my first meat, it felt great.

I still eat less meat than before.  But it's really the eggs and dairy I can't do without.

Are you a bodybuilder? How much protein do you really need?

[crazy canuck]

I am not a body builder, but I do work out.  That is not the issue.  From a young age, due to my size, I have needed to consume a largish amount of protein just to maintain a healthy diet.  On top of that I needed more protein because of the workout regime I had as a collegiate athlete.  But these days it's really just down to my size.  I need about 100 grams a day. Which is a real effort to derive from a strictly plant based diet.

[Hamilcar]

I am not a body builder, but I do work out.  That is not the issue.  From a young age, due to my size, I have needed to consume a largish amount of protein just to maintain a healthy diet.  On top of that I needed more protein because of the workout regime I had as a collegiate athlete.  But these days it's really just down to my size.  I need about 100 grams a day. Which is a real effort to derive from a strictly plant based diet.

I asked ChatGPT to make you a vegan meal plan that gets you over 100 grams of protein. Behold!


Getting 100 grams of protein from vegan sources is absolutely doable, and there are numerous sources of plant-based protein to choose from. Here's a sample daily meal plan which helps to achieve this target:

**Breakfast:**
- Vegan protein shake (pea, rice, hemp, etc.): 20g
- A slice of whole grain toast with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter: 8g

**Mid-morning snack:**
- Handful of almonds (30g): 6g

**Lunch:**
- Tofu stir-fry with 200g tofu and various veggies: 20g
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa: 8g

**Afternoon snack:**
- Hummus (100g) with whole grain pita bread: 10g

**Dinner:**
- Lentil soup (2 cups): 18g
- Whole grain bread (2 slices): 7g

**Evening snack:**
- Chia pudding made with 2 tablespoons chia seeds and 1 cup of almond milk: 5g

This totals to approximately 102 grams of protein. This plan is quite balanced, but it's always good to switch up the foods you eat to ensure you're getting a wide range of nutrients. Other great sources of plant-based protein include seitan, tempeh, beans, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.

Remember that individual protein needs can vary depending on your weight, gender, age, and level of physical activity. Always consult with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to get personalized advice.

[crazy canuck]

Interesting.  Thanks!  I will give it a try.

[Grey Fox]

 

[Hamilcar]

Interesting.  Thanks!  I will give it a try.

Please do! 

[Richard Hakluyt]

Beans, nuts and lentils are all good protein sources and are what one uses to replace meat and dairy in a vegan diet.

For my family it turns out that our meat consumption is about a quarter of the UK average and that has happened without any plan to eschew meat; it is just that only about three meals per week have meat in them at all.
For dairy it is slightly different; I never drink milk but am addicted to cheese but also have high blood pressure; so I eat as little cheese as possible but frequently fail...it is far more addeictive than booze, cigarettes or ca=ffeine for me 

[Richard Hakluyt]

A more general point, i think it would be very easy for most Westerners to halve their animal protein and enjoy an improved diet and health benefits. Meat consumption of 80-120 kg per annum is a restrictive diet in my view, must get very repetitive.

[Sheilbh]

On this, always find the Our World in Data stats by country and type of meat interesting:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-type?country=CHN~USA~IND~ARG~PRT~ETH~JPN~BRA~OWID_WRL~ESP~DEU~GBR

[crazy canuck]

This won't surprise anyone.  Canada officially has now had it worst wildfire season on record. And we are just at the beginning of August - historically the worst month for wildfires.

The wildfire season is getting longer and fires are burning longer as temperatures rise.

One of the problems we are starting to see is that the winters are no longer cold enough to put out hotspots that are deep underground, and so when temps rise again and new fuel is available those fires come back to life.

[Tamas]

Its a bummer that not even a place like Canada with all that cold and the blocked NW Passage can benefit from climate change. What a mess.

[crazy canuck]

Its a bummer that not even a place like Canada with all that cold and the blocked NW Passage can benefit from climate change. What a mess.

Yeah, it was not that long ago that some Canadian politicians were claiming Canada would be a beneficiary.  The reality is quite different.

[Duque de Bragança]

On this, always find the Our World in Data stats by country and type of meat interesting:
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-type?country=CHN~USA~IND~ARG~PRT~ETH~JPN~BRA~OWID_WRL~ESP~DEU~GBR

Interesting. Portugal number one for fish and seafood, ahead of Japan!

 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

How many of the wildfires were started by humans? Cause that's always an issue in Europe.