Episode 79
Sustainable Eating: Lab Grown Meat to Farmed Fish
Hi, I'm Dr. Terry Simpson, your chief medical explanationist. Welcome to another edition of FORK U—where we bust myths, make sense of the madness, and teach you a little about food and medicine.
Today, let's explore how our food choices impact the environment and our health. We'll discuss lab-grown meat, grass-fed beef, and sustainable seafood.
🍔 Lab-Grown Meat: The Future of Food?
Imagine enjoying a burger that didn't require raising or slaughtering an animal. That's the idea behind lab-grown meat, also known as cultured meat. Scientists grow real animal cells in labs to create meat without the traditional farming process.The Spruce EatsVox
Why consider lab-grown meat?
- Environmental Benefits: It could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96% and use 99% less land compared to traditional meat production. California Management Review+1University of Colorado Boulder+1
- Animal Welfare: No animals are harmed in the process.
- Health Potential: Lab-grown meat can be produced without antibiotics, reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance. California Management Review+1Wikipedia+1
While it's not widely available yet, lab-grown meat is a promising step toward sustainable eating.
🐄 Grass-Fed Beef: Is It Worth It?
Grass-fed beef comes from cows that eat grass instead of grain. Some people choose it for potential health benefits and better animal welfare. Modern Farmer
Pros:
- More Omega-3s: Grass-fed beef has about three times more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef.
- Better Fat Ratio: It has a healthier balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. Grass Roots Farmers' Cooperative+3Wikipedia+3Understanding Ag+3
Cons:
- Taste Varies: Not all grass-fed beef tastes the same. The flavor depends on the pasture quality, and some might find it less tender.Reddit+8Vox+8Grass Roots Farmers' Cooperative+8
- Cost: It's often more expensive than grain-fed beef.
While grass-fed beef has benefits, it's essential to consider taste preferences and budget.
🐟 Sustainable Seafood: Making Smart Choices
Seafood is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. However, overfishing and unsustainable practices harm our oceans. Seafood Watch
Tips for Choosing Sustainable Seafood:
- Use Guides: The Seafood Watch provides up-to-date recommendations on sustainable seafood choices.Seafood Watch+4Seafood Watch+4Seafood Watch+4
- Farmed Salmon: While some criticize farmed salmon, it's often a sustainable option. Farmed salmon get their pink color from astaxanthin, a natural compound also found in wild salmon's diet. Modern Farmer
- Wild-Caught Options: Alaskan salmon is a delicious and sustainable choice, rich in omega-3s.
By making informed seafood choices, we can enjoy tasty meals while protecting marine life.
🛒 Final Thoughts: Small Changes, Big Impact
Eating sustainably doesn't mean giving up your favorite foods. It's about making smarter choices:
- Try lab-grown meat when it becomes available. The Guardian+9Nature+9Vox+9
- Choose grass-fed beef if it fits your taste and budget.
- Opt for sustainable seafood using trusted guides. Seafood Watch+1Oceana+1
Every small step contributes to a healthier planet and a better future.
Transcript
>> Dr. Terry Simpson: Today we're talking about something that's gaining more attention than
Speaker:ever. Sustainable eating. Now I know what you're
Speaker:thinking. What's sustainable eating and why should I care?
Speaker:Buckle up. Because this isn't just
Speaker:about saving the planet. It's about making
Speaker:smarter, healthier food choices that benefit both you
Speaker:and the environment. Isn't it odd if you
Speaker:eat something that's healthy for the planet, it
Speaker:turns out it's also healthy for your
Speaker:body.
Speaker:I am, um, your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr. Terri
Speaker:Simpson, and this is Fork U Fork
Speaker:University, where we bust myths, make sense of the
Speaker:madness, and teach you a little about food and
Speaker:medicine.
Speaker:So let's start with the basics. Sustainable
Speaker:eating means choosing foods that are not only healthy for
Speaker:you, but have a low impact on the environment.
Speaker:It's about making choices that support long term
Speaker:ecological balance, reduce the greenhouse gas
Speaker:emissions, minimize food waste and
Speaker:protect biodiversity. We're talking
Speaker:about eating in a way that ensures future generations can
Speaker:also have access to fresh, healthy food. But
Speaker:here's the kicker. It doesn't mean you have to
Speaker:become a full time environmental activist.
Speaker:It's about small manageable shifts.
Speaker:Choosing plant based meals over meat, heavy ones,
Speaker:buying locally grown produce, or cutting down on food waste.
Speaker:All of this matters. So why should you care?
Speaker:Because the obvious environmental reasons.
Speaker:Sustainable eating can also improve your personal
Speaker:health. I know you've heard about the Mediterranean
Speaker:diet, which is packed with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy
Speaker:fats. But guess what? It's sustainable.
Speaker:By reducing your intake of animal rich products, you
Speaker:can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes
Speaker:and even certain cancers. But beyond that, you're
Speaker:also reducing your carbon footprint. The environmental impact
Speaker:of producing animal based foods is far greater than
Speaker:plant based ones. We're talking about the massive
Speaker:amounts of water, energy and land used to raise
Speaker:livestock. It's not about what's on your plate,
Speaker:it's about the system that gets it there. Okay,
Speaker:so how can you start making better food choices today?
Speaker:Here's a few practical. Eat more plants.
Speaker:The environmental footprint of plants is far smaller than
Speaker:that of, uh, meat and dairy. You don't have to go full
Speaker:vegan. I certainly couldn't do that. But incorporating more
Speaker:plant based meals into your routine will make a difference.
Speaker:You know, you might be like my friends down the road who are
Speaker:calling themselves Chigans. Yes, I know, they
Speaker:want to come over and have me make a steak and that's just fine.
Speaker:You know, supporting local farmers and reducing the carbon
Speaker:footprint of your food by choosing products that's in season and grow
Speaker:nearby is great. And Delicious. We
Speaker:here in California have an abundance of local
Speaker:markets. One of my favorite ones is in Ojai, where I can find
Speaker:fresh and sustainably grown options. And yes,
Speaker:the carrots that they have and the berries they have are
Speaker:better than any I can find in the supermarket. But hey,
Speaker:I know not everyone has access to local markets. And
Speaker:buying local can sometimes be more expensive or
Speaker:less practical, depending upon where you live. Here's the good
Speaker:news. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables
Speaker:can be a great alternative. They're often
Speaker:just as nutritious as fresh produce. And unlike
Speaker:the items in your refrigerator that can wilt and spoil,
Speaker:they won't go bad before you eat them. Frozen
Speaker:fruits and vegetables are typically harvested at their peak
Speaker:ripeness and frozen immediately, which means they
Speaker:retain maximal nutritional value. They're a
Speaker:great option because you can store them for longer and have
Speaker:them available when you need them. No waste, no rushing
Speaker:to eat them before they go bad. Canned fruits and
Speaker:veggies are also affordable and long lasting. And if you're
Speaker:careful about the brands that don't add excessive
Speaker:sodium or sugar, they can be as healthy as their fresh
Speaker:counterparts. That also helps reduce
Speaker:food waste. It's estimated that nearly 40% of
Speaker:food in the US goes to waste. Planning your meals, using
Speaker:leftovers. Composting food scraps helps you.
Speaker:You know that onion that's been sitting on my counter that I now have to
Speaker:throw away? The sliced onions in my
Speaker:freezer can be thrown into my saucepan and
Speaker:immediately made to make the basis of a meal.
Speaker:And guess what? I didn't have to watch that lonely
Speaker:onion slowly become compost.
Speaker:Now I want to bring up something that's incredibly exciting
Speaker:in the world of, uh, sustainable eating. Lab
Speaker:based meat. It's one of the most talked about
Speaker:innovations in food production today. And for good
Speaker:reason. Lab grown meat, or so called culture
Speaker:meat, is produced by cultivating animal cells in
Speaker:a lab rather than raising and slaughtering animals.
Speaker:This has huge implications for sustainability.
Speaker:Why does it matter? Because if we're serious about
Speaker:reducing the environmental impact of food production, we
Speaker:need to address the carbon footprint of raising
Speaker:livestock. Traditional meat production is responsible
Speaker:for a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions,
Speaker:Amazon deforestation, land and water use. But the
Speaker:lab grown meat, it drastically cuts down
Speaker:on all of that. Now, before you go thinking this is
Speaker:some futuristic fantasy, it's actually happening.
Speaker:Companies are already producing lab grown chicken, beef, even
Speaker:seafood. The sustainability benefits are impressive.
Speaker:Less land use. You don't need vast tracts of land to
Speaker:raise animals. Less water. Producing lab grown
Speaker:meat significantly reduces the amount of water
Speaker:compared to traditional livestock farming and lower, uh,
Speaker:emissions. Cutting out the need for livestock farming helps
Speaker:slash greenhouse gas emissions,
Speaker:AKA lots of cows farting.
Speaker:But here's where things get a little heated in the marketplace.
Speaker:Many grifters out there want to push you toward grass fed
Speaker:beef and there's nothing wrong with that choice. In fact, that
Speaker:can be a better option than conventional beef. But let me
Speaker:be clear. As much as grass fed
Speaker:beef sounds great, there are some
Speaker:that taste awful. Why?
Speaker:Because not all pastures have grass or forage that
Speaker:tastes great. So if you spent a lot of money buying some
Speaker:of that beef thinking it was better for you and it didn't
Speaker:taste that great, you weren't wrong.
Speaker:Others will say, oh, there's more omega 3 fatty acids than the grass fed
Speaker:ones. That's not that much more. In
Speaker:fact, you'll find 100 times more omega 3
Speaker:fatty acids in the wild caught or farm raised salmon that
Speaker:we're going to talk about later. The truth is, grass fed
Speaker:beef may be a better option and certainly a better
Speaker:environmental option, but there are still many
Speaker:variables involved including taste, cost and
Speaker:even how it's raised.
Speaker:Now let's talk about sustainable seafood.
Speaker:There's a lot of buzz about wild caught versus farm raised
Speaker:fish, especially when it comes to salmon. A lot of people give
Speaker:farm raised salmon a bad rap, but it
Speaker:tastes delicious and if you're concerned about the environment,
Speaker:it can be a great choice when done responsibly.
Speaker:The farming practices for salmon have evolved and many
Speaker:operations now use methods that have
Speaker:minimal environmental impact. Here's a fun
Speaker:yes, farm raised salmon does get colored.
Speaker:It is not some chemical concoction that you should be
Speaker:afraid of. They add coloring to the fish food, which is
Speaker:actually the same coloring that wild salmon get when
Speaker:they eat krill in the ocean. It's
Speaker:all natural and it helps give salmon that beautiful
Speaker:pink hue. So don't let the rumors about fish coloring
Speaker:scare you off. In fact, the coloring called
Speaker:astaxanthin is actually found on your supplement
Speaker:shelf as anti inflammatory supplement.
Speaker:You can get all of that by eating farm raised salmon.
Speaker:So when choosing farm raised fish though, be sure it's coming from
Speaker:sustainable farms which are now being regulated
Speaker:and certified to meet high
Speaker:environmental and health standards. Seafood
Speaker:watch.org seafood
Speaker:watch.org I'll repeat it again.
Speaker:Seafoodwatch.org does a remarkable job of
Speaker:helping you find the places where you can get sustainable
Speaker:fish, whether wild caught or salmon as opposed to
Speaker:fish that are caught in very bad areas or not.
Speaker:Using practices, etc. Here's the
Speaker:bottom line. Sustainable eating is about
Speaker:making conscientious choices that reduce your
Speaker:environmental impact and they do
Speaker:nourish your body even better. You don't have to be
Speaker:perfect, none of us are. But you can do your part.
Speaker:And guess what? Your health will thank you too.
Speaker:So next time you're at the grocery store, think about where your food comes
Speaker:from and how it's affecting the planet.
Speaker:If it's a little more eco friendly, great. If not,
Speaker:that's okay too. Just think about making
Speaker:small steps in the right direction.
Speaker:This has been 4Q where we bring you the truth about food,
Speaker:science and everything in between. If you found this episode
Speaker:helpful, share it with someone who could use a little more
Speaker:sustainable eating in their life. And please follow me
Speaker:on Substack, where
Speaker:I'm@tsimpson.substack.com
Speaker:or TikTok, where I'm Rterry Simpson and
Speaker:apparently Instagram seems to be growing like crazy.
Speaker:This podcast was researched and written by me, Dr. Terry
Speaker:Simpson and while I am a board certified physician, I
Speaker:am not your doctor. If you're making dietary changes,
Speaker:please see your Western trained doctor and registered
Speaker:dietitian, not a chiropractor or some eastern trained
Speaker:shaman. Simpler Media handled all things
Speaker:audio and distribution with the help of the pod God,
Speaker:Mr. Evo Pera.
Speaker:Have a good sustainable week everybody.
Speaker:Remember when we tested that version of Lab based Burger
Speaker:and made a podcast about it? Now I want
Speaker:that burger. I
Speaker:have fond memories of that burger. In fact,
Speaker:I've actually incorporated some of the nuggets into
Speaker:my diet as well. Really, really
Speaker:good Stu.
