Food x Faith

Consumptive Choices Could Solve TWO

Big Global Problems AND Save Money

AND Save Money?

Ever see a coupon you didnt like?
Can you go out to eat without an
inducement?

Two Big Global Problems

1. Environmental degradation

2. Global food security

Food x Faith
Premises
Environmental impacts of food are huge
Christians strive to live faithfully
All Christians make food choices, which
confer environment & health implications

Reformed perspective, every square inch

[Genesis 1 & Revelation 21]
Genesis 2:15 to serve and protect
Genesis 3 the fall

Thesis Statement
Reformed Christians, in the practice of
our faith, should adopt a whole food
plants-based diet to better serve,
protect and restore Nature at global
scale, including our own bodies as
temples, all the creatures now and
those to be.

Environmental
Degradation
The first big problem.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work
of your fingers
Psalm 19:1b the skies proclaim his handiwork
Deut. 10:14 To the LORD your God belong the
heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and
everything in it.

Creation Care

Problem - Creation Care

Doesnt appear to sell well
Strengths
Plaster Creek stewards
Sustainability buzz

Weaknesses
Its all about jobs, economy
~half U.S. GCC skeptical
Oblivion on where food comes from
Faith community? Celebrates Creation

Grand River @ Grand Haven:

Sediment Load

Science, Sustainability, and the

Human Prospect (Raven, Science - 2001)

3M MT of pesticide active ingredients annually

More nitrogen fixed with fossil fuel than natural
66% of fisheries harvested faster than renewed
20% of topsoil, 1/3 forests lost in last 50 years
Extinction rate 100 - 1000X geological baseline
1.2% of agricultural land base developed
annually (like ~35-40% of U.S. land base)
45% of net primary productivity used by
humans

Ecological Report Card

(Worldwatch Institute, 2001)

Agroecosystems (17% of
terrestrial surface)
Food production capacity is
GOOD
All agroecosystem services
are currently FAIR-POOR
Future agroecosystem
goods and services to
decline

Other ecosystems
heavily impacted by food
production practice

Global Food Security

The second big problem.
Gen. 1:22, 1:28 multiply and fill the earth

The World Food Problem

B.D. Singh (India, visiting Texas A&M; ASA, Nov 3 2013)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Growing population
Emerging climate change
Stagnant productivity gains for 20 years
Environmental pollution, low soil fertility
Increased pesticide and fertilizer use
Lack of new arable land

Thomas Malthus Two Postulata, 1798

http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/malthus/malthus.0.html

First, that food is necessary to the

existence of man.
Secondly, that the passion between
the sexes is necessary and will
remain nearly in its present state.
Interpretation?

Powerful Predictions
(Assuming my postulata , I say, that the
power of population is indefinitely greater than
the power in the earth to produce subsistence
for man.)
Population, when unchecked, increases in a
exponential ratio.

Subsistence increases only in an arithmetical

ratio.
(A slight acquaintance with numbers will show
the immensity of the first power in comparison
of the second.)

Growing Human Population

Yield Increases <1%/yr & Declining

When More People, Less

Grain/Person

Emerging Climate Change

(NOAA)

For every 1C increase in air temperature, crop productivity declines 10%.

Metaphorical Easter Island?

(Jared Diamond, Collapse)

Discovered 900 AD
Isolated: 2300 mi from
Chile
Statues: ahu & moai imply
advanced civilization
Population crashed from
30K to 111
Lost capacity for
agriculture, fishing, forestry
Causes of collapse:
deforestation,
overpopulation, erosion,
out of touch elite

Forget quaint notions of sustainability History

predicts we wont survive (Jared Diamond, ASA Meeting)
Of the 12 problems that plagued past
civilizations, 10 are central to agronomy, top 5

Deforestation
Soil erosion
Climate change
Access to energy
Human population

Understanding the problem is one thing, how

we respond is quite another

Two Proposed
Approaches
2 Speak

to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the

land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a
sabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six
years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. 4 But in the
seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a
sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your
vineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the
grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of
rest. (Lev. 25:2-5 and Lev. 23:39, Lev. 26:34-35)

Intensify Industrial Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture integrates three
main goals: environmental stewardship, farm
profitability, and prosperous farming
communities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture)
Essentially, SA is the industrialized approach
with attempts to reduce systemic problems of
monocultures:
Reduce pesticide use
Reduce soil erosion
Increase soil organic matter

Use Fertilizer More Efficiently

Quantity
Timing
Placement
(NUE ~40%)

Protect Soils with No-Till

Yield
implications
Weed control
implies
pesticide use
GMO
Roundup
Ready
technology

Build a New Food System Model

Agroecology: Defined as the application of
ecological concepts and principles to the
design and management of sustainable
agroecosystems (Gleissman, 1998)
Used imprecisely as a
Collection of practices: polyculture, organic
Theoretical movement toward an alternative food
system

Emergent qualities of ecosystems: energy

flow, nutrient cycling, population
regulation/biodiversity

Nutrition Transition
Do you not know that your bodies are temples
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your
own; you were bought at a price. Therefore
honor God with your bodies. (I Cor. 6:19-20)

Global Nutrition Transition:

As people get wealthier they eat more

U.S. Consumption Choices

( 1970 => 2000)
Calorie intake +24.5%
Refined grains +9.5 pct pts (45%
increase)
Fats and oils +9.0 (66% increase)
Sugars +4.7
Fruits and veggies +1
Dairy and eggs -1.5

+57 lb meat, -33% eggs

Eating out 32% of food consumed
From 46% overweight in 1980 to
62% in 2000

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 1985
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 1990
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 1995
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2000
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2001
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2002
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2003
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2004
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2005
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2006
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2007
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2008
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2009
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

BRFSS, 2010
(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5 4 person)

No Data

<10%

10%14%

15%19%

20%24%

25%29%

30%

More (Calorie Rich) Food

[not the same as nutrient rich!]

M. Nestle, Eating
Made Simple (Sci Am)

Healthcare Efficacy
2 Some

men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a

mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
man, Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven. (Matt 9:2)
Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also
drove out many demons (Mark 1:34)

World-class, Expensive
Miss directed? Should we treat
Symptoms
Causes

Two types of disease (just like acute and chronic hunger)

Infectious virus, bacterial, protozoan
Chronic

CHD
Hypertension
Many cancers (colon, breast, prostate, )
Diabetes II

Epidemiological Transition is a CONSEQUENCE

of Nutrition Transition (Infectious to Chronic)
Developing Country
~50% deaths due to
infectious disease
Predominant diseases
Respiratory/parasites
(16M)
Tuberculosis (3M)
Malaria (2M)
STDs (AIDS, 1.5M)
Hepatitis B (1M)
Dengue, Ebola (0.5)

Developed Country
Infectious disease
deaths are negligible
Predominant diseases
Coronary heart
disease
High blood pressure
Diabetes II
Cancer

Disease Incidence
Cause

Developed

Developing

1990

2020

1990

2020

Infectious

7.8

4.3

48.7

22.2

Cardiovascular
disease

20.4

22

8.3

13.8

Coronary heart
disease

9.9

11.2

2.5

5.2

Stroke

5.9

6.2

2.4

4.2

Diabetes

1.9

1.5

0.7

0.7

Cancer

13.7

16.8

Neuropsychiatric
disorders

22

21.8

13.7

Injuries

14.5

13

15.2

21.1

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

Health Spend History: % GDP

NY Times,
Economix, 2009

Executive Office of the President

Council of Economic Advisers, June 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf

U.S. Healthcare Spend:

2013 Per Capita and GDP %

U.S. Healthcare Cost-Benefit

http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/spend.php

What could (should?)

a sustainable food
system look like?
14 if

my people, who are called by my name, will

humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land. (II Chron. 7:14)

Let food be thy

medicine
Hippocrates

Few Nurses Lived Healthy (3.1%)

Healthy Living Reduced Coronary Events 82%

Animal Fat Consumption is Correlated

with Breast and Prostate Cancer

Carroll, K. K. (1975) Experimental evidence

of dietary factors and hormone-dependent

cancers. Cancer Res 35:3374-3383

The China Study

Western v. Traditional Chinese Diet
Study Metrics
>50 diseases
65 counties
130 villages
50 adults per
village
Blood, urine,
food, histories
1983-1984
367
correlations
Campbell et al., 1998 Diet, Lifestyle, and the Etiology of Coronary Artery
Disease: The Cornell China Study (Am. J. Cardiology)

Diet Alone Can Reverse CHD

18 individuals, 49
infarctions
Aggressive plant-based diet
12 year duration
Reduced cholesterol
No recurrent coronary
events, 75% with regression
Angiogram: 44 yr. old
cardiologist
32 mos.
No cholesterol drugs
From 156 (97 LDL) mg/dL cholesterol to 89
mg/dL (38 LDL)
(Esselstyn. 2001. Resolving the Coronary Artery disease Epidemic Through Plant-Based Nutrition
Preventive Cardiology 171-177)

Diet + Statins

Nutritional, population, and interventional studies

support the effectiveness of a plant-based diet and
aggressive lipid-lowering to arrest, prevent, and
selectively reverse heart disease.

Challenge the
Messengers
Influencer motives: Food processors, Dairy/grain
producers associations, Pharmaceutical companies
II Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound
doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what
their itching ears want to hear.

Marketing Ethics v. Buyer Beware

Are ED drugs (e.g., Viagra) ethical?

http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf

Other Messengers
1. Forks over Knives whole foods
plant-based diet
2. King Corn farm subsidies,
processed food and cheap meat
3. Michael Pollan

Eat Food
Mostly Plants
Not Too Much

Better (Best) Messenger?

The church on Nature (Creation)
Biblical truths speak to glory of Nature, its
brokenness, our responsibility, and what will be!

Genesis
Leviticus
Job
Psalms
I Corinthians
II Timothy
Revelation

Food x Faith: Consumptive Choices Could Solve

TWO Big Global Problems AND Save Money

If
We ate a WFPBD with less processed foods and meat
We reward efficiencies other than calories/hour of labor

Then
We can reduce grains used for meat production
We can reduce monocultures in favor of polycultures

And
Our health will improve, reducing healthcare cost
Yields will increase, providing theoretical food security
for a growing global population and 40% of current
agricultural land for restoration

If Less Meat, Improved Global

Food Security
J.D. Singh (India) global food requirement! (from a
vegetarian Hindu)
Individual diet: 2600 cal/day/person ~ 1000
kg/year/person
Cereals: 2400 cal/day/person
Pulses and oilseeds: 200 cal/day/person

Global today: 7.2 B MT/year

Global 2050: 9.5 B MT/year, 26% increase, or 0.7%
increase in productivity per year

Each step up in trophic level results in food energy

inefficiency (assuming CAFO efficiency)
1 calorie of beef => 8 calories feed (corn, soy)
1 calorie of pork => 4 calories
1 calorie of poultry/fish => 2 calories

If Polycultures, More Quality Calories/m2 &

Improved Environmental Health
Food production capacity (U.S.) could ~2X
Tilman et al., +238% (16 spp. grass, legumes,
forbs)
Shaeffer et al., +28% (8 spp.)
Picasso et al., +73% (2-6 spp.)

Reduce many environmental problems by

improving efficiencies: N, fossil fuel,
Problem . Labor!!! (anyone need a job?)

If Less Meat and Processed Food,

Improved Env. & Human Health
Food, Livestock Production, Energy,
Climate Change and Health (Lancet 370:12531263, 2007)

Food production - 35% GHG emissions

Meat production, esp. beef, >50% of food
emissions
Recommend contraction and convergence
policy for meat consumption 90 g/p/day

Save $

And Save Money

$2.8T spent in U.S. during 2012 on
healthcare (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-andSystems/Statistics-Trends-andReports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdf )

75% of healthcare costs due to chronic

disease
(http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/chronic.htm )

Or, up to $2.1T is at play annually!

delayed return, but seriously?

Conclusion
Reformed Christians should be self
motivated to live within Gods will by
adopting a WFPBD plants-based diet to
treat our body as the Spirits temple,
thereby enhancing future global food
security, improving environmental
health, and modeling a more
appropriate life style with the global
community. (and save $)