Food
The Future of
Meat Choice
T
he government recommends an average person eat
5.5 oz of meat per day. That adds up to 124 pounds
per year which their figures say would cost you
$1,000 if you took it in a beef, $800 in pork but only $400
in chicken. We’re including sausages and stew cuts here,
not just prime cuts.
However in the USA beef farming is subsidized by the
government which makes it cheaper in the stores than it
really cost to produce. You’ll find in other countries beef is
considered a great luxury.
But let’s look at it ecologically: what area of farmland is
required for each kind of meat? To produce your ration of
meat in beef requires half an acre, that is 2,420 square
yards. But it only requires 28 sq yds for chicken but pork
wins the game with only 1.4 sq yds.
Now to get a complete diet of meat, fruit vegetables and
dairy agronomists calculate we currently use 1.2 acres per
person. But math proves that an ever-expanding population
will find only 0.6 acres per person in 2050. Faced with that
you can see there won’t be enough land for or children to
live on beef. Diets must definitely adjust to grow enough to
eat.
Try these recipes:
Recipes and Tips for Healthy,
Thrifty Meals by USDA:
Stir-Fried Pork and
Vegetables With Rice
4 Servings of pork and vegetables, about 1/2 cup each.
4 Servings of cooked rice, about 2 cups each
Ingredients
Chicken broth, reduced sodium 2 cups
Hot water 2 cups
Rice, uncooked 2 cups
Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons
Broccoli cuts, frozen 2 cups
Carrots, cleaned, sliced thinly 1 cup
Onions, minced 1/4 cup
Garlic powder 1 teaspoon
Canned mushrooms, drained 1/2 cup
Ground pork 1 pound + 7 ounces
Soy sauce 4 tablespoons
preparation time: 20 minutes,
cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes
1. Heat broth and water to a boil in sauce pan; add rice
and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ten-
der, about 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in skillet. Add broccoli, car-
rots, onions, and garlic powder. Cook until crisp-tender,
about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet. Add mushrooms.
Cook for 1 minute and set aside.
3. Heat second tablespoon of oil in skillet. Add pork; cook
until pork no longer remains pink. Drain liquid.
4. Add soy sauce and stir until mixed; add vegetables to
pork mixture. Cook until heated, about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Serve pork mixture over cooked rice.
(note: Sodium level can be reduced from 799 milligrams
to 532 milligrams by reducing soy sauce from 4 to 2 table-
spoons.)
per Serving::
Calories 860
Total fat 33 grams
Saturated fat 10 grams
Cholesterol 108 milligrams
Sodium 799 milligrams
See fooD on page 9
page 8 The Portland Skanner
november 30, 2011