How many bathtubs of water do you need to produce ONE pound of meat?
I love the answer to this question! Blows most people’s minds… so hang tight!
60! That is the answer. It takes 60 bathtubs filled with water to produce one pound of meat. That’s 4,700 gallons of water to produce just 1 pound of red meat.
Ok, so that’s A LOT of water, now let’s add some context and look at how much water is required for some of the other foods:
- it takes 1,250gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Hazelnuts
- it takes 850gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Wine
- it takes 700gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Lentils
- it takes 300gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Dates
- it takes 300gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Beer
- it takes 300gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Rice
- it takes 290gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Flaked Oats
- it takes 250gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Pasta
- it takes 60gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Oranges
- it takes 35gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Potatoes
- it takes 35gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Broccoli
- it takes 25gal of Water to produce 1 pound of Tomates
Let’s add some more context and look at our beautiful home, our planet Earth which is covered with water, right? To be precise 75% of the Globe is covered with water, of which however 97.5% is in the oceans, so not really usable in any meaningful way since it’s saltwater. That leaves us with about 2.5% of freshwater. BUT… 70% of THAT is ice, and the majority of the remaining 30% is so polluted that we can’t use it. That’s only roughly 1% of the world-wide available freshwater. Or to put it another way, 0.007% of all the water that’s on our planet. And a whopping 92% of that is used for irrigation and industrial purposes. With stats like these, it’s not hard to imagine that we will run into some water shortages in the future.
In the United States, meat consumption alone accounts for an incredible 30% of the national water footprint.
Why is that? Simply put, it’s because we want to eat meat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and during snack time, repeated 7 times a week.
Perhaps there is another way… perhaps to start we can make a conscious decision to eat meat only once a day. And then to only 3 times a week, until we’re down to once a week.
Does the pure thought of you reducing your meat intake send shivers down your spine? If so, let me help you with your journey.
Back in the day, I wouldn’t have called myself an omnivore. I was a carnivore! While living in Vero Beach (FL) my favorite restaurant was TGIF. I went there so often, that my friends referred to it as MAZ’s. However, there came a point in my life when I was exposed to various aspects of the food industry. Things I couldn’t believe, so I did my research, only to discover that they were all true. What things exactly will be revealed in a future post, so stay with me. I started to make small, but conscious changes in the way I ate and I discovered a method to transform my life for the better by simply adjusting what I ate. Disclaimer: This is NOT a diet, this is a new way of life that will have far-reaching effects into all aspects of your life.
Don’t kid yourself, these changes won’t happen overnight. But I can promise you, these changes will enrich your life in a way you would not have ever thought possible. You are not losing something (except weight perhaps) when cutting down on your meat intake, on the contrary… you gaining a whole new outlook on life. A much healthier, happier, and fulfilled life. YES, reducing your meat intake can do all that! That is a promise!
You won’t just be changing your life but as a pleasant side-effect, you’ll be saving the planet as well! Don’t believe me? A study showed that if everyone were to eat less meat, global warming could be solved in ONE DAY!
Take the first step today by joining my Facebook Group here. I will gladly answer any questions that you may have. See you on the inside! :)
Have a wonderful day!
With all my Love ❤️
Maz
References: waterfootprint.org / treehugger.com
