Eating Lettuce 3 Times Harder On The Environment Than Eating Bacon

The grass isn’t always greener or more environmentally sound on the other side of the fence. If you thought that by giving up meat you were taking major pressure off the environment researcher Paul Fischbeck says think again.

Fischbeck concludes that eating lettuce is over three times worse in greenhouse gas emission than eating bacon. I’ll bet the vegans among us didn’t see that one coming.

Lots of common vegetables require more resources per calorie than you would think. Eggplant, celery, and cucumbers look particularly bad when compared to pork or chicken says Fischbeck .

Fischbeck’s study revealed that if every American followed the USDA's 2010 guidelines on diet and calorie intake, we would use up to 38% more energy, 10% more water, and create 6% more greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers say there is a tradeoff - what is good for us health-wise isn't always what's best for the environment. Still, this doesn't mean it's impossible to have an environmentally friendly vegetarian diet. Scientific American reports that onions, carrots, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are some of the least-taxing foods to produce, and it's important to note that not every plant product is more environmentally friendly than every meat product. (Newser)