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40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

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Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#341
post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? You've unfortunately been doing it a lot lately. We've already asked you a whole bunch of times not to do this. Eventually we ban accounts that won't stop. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Sure, but I think you should strive to run your community in a way where you’re policing the “I don’t endorse X, but I don’t understand why more people don’t do X” that this comment espouses https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47773488

You’re busy policing this while people are out there saying “Destroy their things and firebomb their houses”. So is it just that I made a mistake in my phrasing? Should I just frame the same comments in the style “I would never endorse X, but I don’t understand why others don’t do X”?

I can do that easily without LLM assistance if you like. But if you want your community to be exclusively endorsers of violence against enemies of a chosen tribe, then you should ban me so you can keep your little tribe of Ted Kaczynski fanboys.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#342
post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments and flamebait? You've unfortunately been doing it a lot lately. We've already asked you a whole bunch of times not to do this. Eventually we ban accounts that won't stop. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Sure, but I think you should strive to run your community in a way where you’re policing the “I don’t endorse X, but I don’t understand why more people don’t do X” that this comment espouses https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47773488 You’re busy policing this while people are out there saying “Destroy their things and firebomb their houses”. So is it just that I made a mistake in my phrasing? Should I just frame t…

This is one of those cases where the word "but" negates everything that precedes it.

If you think we haven't been moderating the type of posts you're talking about, you haven't been tracking HN moderation lately*—which is fine, why should/would you? But in that case you shouldn't be taking snarky swipes at the mods based on galactically mistaken assumptions.

* e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47728106

More importantly, you shouldn't be pointing fingers at others instead of taking responsibility for your own bad behavior. Even if you were right in what you said, it wouldn't justify your breaking the rules. Moreover you have a longstanding pattern of doing this and we've been cutting you slack for years.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47367674 (March 2026)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45486692 (Oct 2025)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42686976 (Jan 2025)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41833543 (Oct 2024)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41673360 (Sept 2024)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41089956 (July 2024)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29959119 (Jan 2022)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27992950 (July 2021)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537346 (March 2021)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26537333 (March 2021)

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#343
post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but I think you should strive to run your community in a way where you’re policing the “I don’t endorse X, but I don’t understand why more people don’t do X” that this comment espouses https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47773488 You’re busy policing this while people are out there saying “Destroy their things and firebomb their houses”. So is it just that I made a mistake in my phrasing? Should I just frame t…

This is one of those cases where the word "but" negates everything that precedes it. If you think we haven't been moderating the type of posts you're talking about, you haven't been tracking HN moderation lately*—which is fine, why should/would you? But in that case you shouldn't be taking snarky swipes at the mods based on galactically mistaken assumptions. * e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47728106 More i…

Okay, admittedly when I read these things I lose my mind and become a viral host for the nonsense because I feel the need to retaliate against what is clearly some kind of Blue Tribe mobbery. Clearly it’s a mistaken belief that you allow targeted mob-forming on your platform. Actually you’re just drowning under the load. Fine. What I can edit out I shall and I’ll try to keep in mind that you’re trying and failing, and doing this is just participating in the crap.

I’ll follow your comments for a mod log to see and I’ll refrain.

I do think it would justify breaking any rules that allow targeted mob-forming but since that’s not happening I’m happy to stand off.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#344
post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. But not all beef is grass fed. The situation would be very different if it was.

Would it really be though? From my experience, most of the anti-meat crowd is against all meat, for any reason. As to alternatives for real meat not grown as animals... we don't even get micro-nutrients for baby formula right... I won't trust alternatively grown meat for a very long time. I and my brother wouldn't have survived on conventional baby formula... I have issues with just about everything outside eggs and…

The most vocal anti-mean crowd, perhaps. I eat only free-range, sustainable meat from animals that had a happy life outside, instead of being locked up into tiny boxes. A lot of meat comes from factory farms where animals are force fed in boxes and never see the light of day.

I don't have a problem with hunting, as long as it's done sustainably. I have no problem with fishing, as long as it's done sustainably. The problem is that there are too many people and we cannot possibly feed them all meat every day in a sustainable manner.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#345
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's important to a point, to be pedantic. But yes, global food production is well over the hurdle of production volume to "feed everyone", even for highly redundant crop yields. The remaining challenge is purely logistical and of course combating unchecked profit motive that's become malignant.

Global food production now produces more than enough calories to feed everyone, but still hasn't figured out how to produce enough nutrients to feed everyone.

I'm not really sure that holds. Carb-heavy grains form the bulk of global food production, but meats, legumes, fruits, etc. are still massively overproduced. Of course, I think you get at something very important to recognize which is that modern industrial variants of vegetables/fruits are bred in favor of crop yield, size, shelf-stability and visual appeal/consistency. Many of those contribute to lower nutrient densities.

I don't think it matters as far as getting enough micronutrients is concerned, but speaking from a lot of experience, "heirloom" produce is absolutely superior in terms of texture and flavor. It's not even close. I think we could really stand to put more effort into making robust food supply chains without turning everything into bland mush.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#346
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Global food production now produces more than enough calories to feed everyone, but still hasn't figured out how to produce enough nutrients to feed everyone.

I'm not really sure that holds. Carb-heavy grains form the bulk of global food production, but meats, legumes, fruits, etc. are still massively overproduced. Of course, I think you get at something very important to recognize which is that modern industrial variants of vegetables/fruits are bred in favor of crop yield, size, shelf-stability and visual appeal/consistency. Many of those contribute to lower nutrient den…

If you ignore waste then it is likely that we also produce enough nutrients. That isn't a useful way to look at it, however, as, just with all things in life, losses are inherit. A 100% efficient system will never exist. Calories, though, we produce enough of even accounting for all the waste.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#347
post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. I used to be vegetarian (I eat some meat again), and I love cheese, but I'm well aware that it's almost as bad as beef. Quitting cheese feels like a bigger sacrifice to me than quitting meat. But I've been reducing my cheese consumption lately. That's something at least.

If that helps, some non-cheese that might trigger your taste buds: - Brewer/nutritional/super yeast (with a bit of oil and/or smashed cashew): in place of Parmesan - Tahini: less cheesy but equally bold taste as yeast - Lactic acid fermented Tofu: whey cheese. - Tempeh: my favorite, just oiled-panned with salt and pepper. Between chicken and soft-Camembert

I'm not arguing for ditching cheese either (I love cheese, esp goat cheese - which conveniently is often a more pleasant experience for the goats) but here is a recipe that I quite liked for a cheese-like cashew/brewer's yeast spread. I'm pretty sure I transcribed this correctly. Let me know if anything seems off :)

    Pimento Cheese Spread
    Blend until smooth:
    1c. water (may use water from pimentos)
    ¾ c. cashew nuts or sunflower seeds
    2 T sesame seeds
    1¼  tsp salt
    3 T Brewer's yeast flakes
    ⅔ c. rolled oats (only if being used for lasagna)
    1 tsp onion powder
    ⅛ tsp garlic powder
    ⅛ tsp dill seed
    ½ c. pimentos
    ¼ c. lemon juice (or to taste)
    May add 2 T. arrowroot or cornstarch if used for spread

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#348
post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Carrots and beans take up a fraction of the land required for cattle. Especially considering that most beans are grown to feed cattle.

Cattle can be raised on land unsuitable for carrots or beans.

The rainforest is certainly not suitable for growing carrots or beans.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean the Socialism that produces higher quality of life in Scandinavia as compared to to say the US where the oh so moral market decides if you weren't born into the upper end of society you deserve to die of disease and conditions that can be treated? The market is not moral, it is amoral and it serves those with the money to direct it.

I know a number of people who have immigrated from Scandinavian countries to the US, generally for high-prestige or high-paying work. If quality of life in Scandinavia was consistently higher than in the US, they wouldn't be doing this.

People also immigrate in the other direction. And more generally, it obviously happens sometimes that people move from one country to another with a lower average quality of life.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#350

Small anecdote Since about 2019 I have been anemic. My iron levels were just a hair above being low enough to require an immediate infusion, and my doctor kept pushing me to eat more iron. She would often ask if I was a vegetarian or vegan, presumably she was assuming I was bad at it. I would always tell her the same thing. "I don't eat much beef but I do eat it" Last summer I was diagnosed with celiac. Suddenly it a…

> My nutritionist tells me that recovering this quickly would have probably been just about impossible for a vegetarian or vegan, without having an iron infusion done. "probably been just about impossible" doesn't mean "impossible", it more likely means changing your eating habits to a point where you'd have to be really conscious and careful of what you eat iron-wise unlike someone without Celiacs (vegan or not) or…

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