Tagged: Vegetarianism

Is synthetic meat ethical? - Open Parachute

Ken Perrott • Nov 30, 2017 •

• animals,
• artificial meat,
• consuming science,
• ethics,
• food,
• Health and Medicine,
• meat,
• Science,
• sunfed foods,
• synthetic meat,
• Vegetarianism

I am deeply ashamed of it now – but at the time it seemed like an experience I couldn’t afford to miss. It was so exotic – and I was travelling. Twenty years ago I ate at a restaurant in Johannesburg, the Republic of South Africa,  which specialised in meat dishes – from game animals. It was a real feast. Stews of … Read More

Size Matters: the challenge of being a green consumer - Chthonic Wildlife Ramblings

Brendan Moyle • Jul 26, 2017 •

• biomass,
• bivalves,
• ecology,
• extinction,
• GHG emissions,
• global warming,
• habitat,
• habitat loss,
• methane,
• Mussels,
• ruminants,
• Veganism,
• Vegetarianism

The one thing that has really changed in the last century is the size and scale of human effects on the environment.   This isn’t to say we didn’t have impacts before. As humans spread over this globe, many vertebrate species became extinct. Whether it’s the giant mammoths or giant moas, humans alter the world around them.  What … Read More

Surviving Obesogenic NZ - Chthonic Wildlife Ramblings

Brendan Moyle • Dec 05, 2016 •

• cycling,
• Diet,
• exercise,
• Obesity,
• running,
• Vegetarian,
• Vegetarianism,
• weight loss

Much has been made recently of the growing obesity rates in NZ.  And the “obesogenic environment” is attributed as one of the underlying causes.  We are collectively less active than optimal, have too much food readily available, and many eat inadequate quantities of fruit and vegetables.  Fad-diets rise and wither away as the promised short-cuts to lose weight can’t be … Read More

Does Vegetarianism cause a mutation that leads to cancer? - Chthonic Wildlife Ramblings

Brendan Moyle • Apr 01, 2016 •

• cancer,
• Diet,
• evolution,
• human evolution,
• LCPUFA,
• mutation,
• Vegetarianism

The short answer. No. Longer answer: Newspapers are fond of stories that breathlessly announce discoveries as revolutionary.  Fossils never add anything to our knowledge incrementally.  They will always rewrite the theory of evolution.  Cancer is another popular target for revolutionary new treatments or causes.  So it was with some skepticism I read that, quote, “Scientists have found vegetarianism can cause a … Read More

Commitment through our identities - The Dismal Science

Bill Kaye-Blake • Dec 05, 2012 •

• akerlof,
• Christchurch,
• culture,
• economics,
• food,
• identity,
• jason potts,
• marginal impact,
• restaurants,
• revealed preferences,
• Sciblogs,
• vegetarianism

One of my favourite Christchurch restaurants is Welcome Cafe. Why? Because it’s a vegetarian restaurant, so I have my pick of anything on the menu. I had dumplings last time I was there — I have no idea why more restaurants don’t make veggie dumplings. Here are two ways of looking at my dietary practice: [...] … Read More

Are Vegans and Vegetarians More Empathic Than Omnivores? - Skepticon

Darcy Cowan • Jun 18, 2010 •

• Animal welfare,
• emotion,
• empathy,
• Omnivore,
• Psychological,
• Sciblogs,
• Vegan,
• Veganism,
• Vegetarian,
• Vegetarianism

Humans are naturally omnivorous, our digestive system is adapted to cope with both animal and vegetable matter. Obviously we can’t eat everything, we wouldn’t get as much sustenance out of a mouthful of grass as a cow does. Termites can deal with the high cellulose content of wood and derive energy from that source while [...] … Read More