- that it takes 390 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef? Seventy percent of the United States grain production is used as animal feed. Each steak we consume has an equivalent greenhouse effect of driving a car 25 miles.
This is based on calculations that include the large amounts of methane gas cows emit, coupled with their manure production and the energy required in processing, packaging, and transporting the beef to the consumer. In the last 20 years, 83% of Costa Rica's rain forest has been destroyed to produce beef (most of which is sold to the United States). Speaking of the rain forest, one-third of the orange juice consumed in the United States comes from Brazil. Are we sending anyone mixed messages?
- that in 1990 Americans spent $16.7 billion on milk, $47.3 billion on soft drinks, and $86.7 billion on alcohol?
- that in 1990 junior and senior high school students drank 1,100,000,000 cans of beer? And in 1991 the USDA gave the Kentucky Distillers Association $3.1 million?
- that the number of pesticides approved for use in the United States is 350? Seventy of those 350 pesticides are listed by the EPA as having the possibility or probability to cause cancer in humans.
- that in 1965 American farmers used 335,000,000 pounds of pesticides, and in 1989 American farmers used 806,000,000 pounds.
- that in 1910 Americans derived 36% of their dietary protein from grains, and in 1990 Americans derived 17% of their dietary protein from grains? The average grain 100 years ago contained 32% more protein than today.
- that bananas are Americans' favorite fruit? And, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia received either six capsules of banana powder or a placebo for eight weeks. The results were as follows: Seventy percent of the test group showed partial or complete relief of their symptoms as compared with 20% of the control group. The authors concluded that bananas can be a very effective treatment for this illness.
- that the amount of fresh potatoes Americans consume has decreased 40% from 1960 to 1990, while in the same period the amount of frozen potatoes on United States tables has increased a whopping 557%
- that frozen broccoli has more betacarotene than fresh broccoli? The catch is that frozen broccoli contains almost all buds, which contain much more betacarotene than the stalks. People who buy their broccoli fresh usually eat more of the stalk resulting in ounce per ounce of a smaller intake of betacarotene. (This author advocates the consumption of whole foods whenever possible. Do not judge the value of food by one nutrient. Each year we identify more and more factors that are present in unprocessed foods).
- that there are 25 kinds of rice, and wild rice is not one of them? It is a native grass of North America with more protein and less calories than rice.
- that 15% of 1,946 samples of meat tested by the USDA in 1990 contained hormones that they could not identify?
- that only 1% of the population consumes the serving size as stated on package labels? I'll bet the food industry is well aware of this fact. Wouldn't it be nice if they would put the data of a real serving size on the package label? Why do I think that this will happen only after a consumer group complains, the media exposes it, expensive hearings are held, laws are passed, and we, the taxpayers, get to hire more bureaucrats to enforce new regulations?
- that one out of 15 households in the United States consume bottled water? In 1987 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health tested 15 brands of bottled water and found that 13 or them had one or more pollutants that exceeded recommended safe levels.
- cooking in Pyrex will increase the amount of boron in your diet?
- that the number two cancer in the United States is colon cancer? Numerous studies have shown that high fat, low fiber diets have a direct correlation to an increase in this disease.
- that the amount of cholesterol in four ounces of the most commonly consumed shellfish is as follows: crab and scallops have 60 mg., clams 77 mg., lobster 82 mg., and shrimp 223 mg. (sorry, this does not include the butter.) -- that the four leading sources of total dietary fat of women in the United States, ages 19 to 50, are as follows: salad dressing 9%, margarine 8%, cheese 8%, ground beef 7%? The three leading sources of saturated fat in the diets of United States women, ages 19 to 50, are as follows: cheese 13%, ground beef 8%, whole milk 8%.
- that 24% of the medical schools in the United States require a course in nutrition? One hundred percent of the chiropractic colleges in the United States require a course in nutrition.
References available by request, some of which were used with permission from Nutrition Action Health Letter. Copywright 1992, CSPI, 1875 Conn. Ave., N.W., #300, Washington, D.C. 20009 for $20 per year.
G. Douglas Andersen, D.C.
Brea, California
Click here for previous articles by G. Douglas Andersen, DC, DACBSP, CCN.