Italian Bioengineer Develops 3D-Printed Vegan Steak From Plant-Based Proteins (dezeen.com) 297
Italian bioengineer Giuseppe Scionti from Spanish startup Novameat has invented the "world's first" 3D-printed meat-free steak made from vegetable proteins, which mimics the texture of beef. From a report: Vegan ingredients such as rice, peas and seaweed, which provide the amino acids needed for a healthy diet, are turned into a food paste that is 3D-printed to form a raw, steak-like substance. Despite an abundance of meat-free products already on the market that taste similar to animal meats, Scionti found that these are limited to imitation burgers, chicken nuggets or meatballs. None of the offerings reproduce a piece of "fibrous flesh" such as steak or chicken breast. In an effort to reduce the impact of animal agriculture and to improve people's nutrition, the Milanese researcher set out to create a plant-based alternative to "fleshy" meat products.
It isn't steak... (Score:4, Informative)
if it isn't meat...
Re:It isn't steak... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:It isn't steak... (Score:5, Informative)
It is the carnivores who think it is an advantage to make vegetables look and taste lime meat.
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You spelled "omnivore" wrong.
To the average human palate, meat tastes good. Our entire physiology is adapted to accept meat as nutrition. The ethical arguments against cruelty are the strongest vegans have, and I generally agree with them. However, a lot of animals are killed to allow our crops to grow, so that argument is not absolute. However, matching a lot of the nutritional profile to meats is useful. If you can make a vegetable based thing that actually tastes like meat, has the texture, etc., I'll ha
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Your parent replied to a "totality projection". The "we are not obsessed" is true if one person (your parent) doesn't fit the GP's "totality".
Learn to follow threads.
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I am pretty sure the point of those frozen faux "meats" is to allow an easy transition for those who would like to experiment with vegetarianism.
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I eat meat most days. However I'll try and eat anything tasty and nutritious. I have loved travelling the planet and trying local dishes.
While I love meat I'd be perfectly happy to eat my proteins in other ways as long as it satisfies above - whether it mimics meat or is its own thing, I'm happy either way. If keeping an open mind and having enjoyable food lowers my impact on the planet that's great. Our children or grandchildren might not get a choice.
BTW, I often enjoy a A Beyond Meat burger from A&W,
Re:It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
Why are vegans obsessed with making stuff that isn't meat into something they can call "meat"?
Mostly, they aren't. Many vegans aren't interested in fake meat. It is more for non-vegans that crave meat but want a healthier, greener, more humane, or whatever, option.
Most vegan "beef" is pretty bad, but fake chicken is pretty good.
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Mostly, they aren't. Many vegans aren't interested in fake meat. It is more for non-vegans that crave meat but want a healthier, greener, more humane, or whatever, option.
Most vegan "beef" is pretty bad, but fake chicken is pretty good.
Exactly,
And I really wonder what's the objective of vegan with that sort of research. I mean, let's say they succeed to make a lab steak that's cheap and taste the real the thing. What's gonna happen?
Sure, people will go with their pocket and, eventually, realeat will disappear.That sound great for the cow/pig/chicken, right?
Except that they don't exist anymore. Nobody is gonna bread 100 million livestock for fun.
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You do know it's not about maximising the number of animals don't you? If Friesians die out never to be seen again fine. The problem is the ethics of causing pain and suffering for something that isn't needed.
Well, if we blindly follow that logic, we should wipe out every species on earth. Nature isn't like Bambi's movie where every animal lives in harmony, it's a constant struggle for survival. We should level the whole planned and lives on plants grown in a lab.
Re:It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
Vegan's aren't interested, it's us meat eaters who are. I've tried some of these non-meat burgers and they are excellent. Environmental concerns aside, if I can eat something as delicious as that but more nutritious, lower calorie, doesn't require so much infrastructure to enforce animal welfare... Well it's a huge benefit to me.
Between vegan steak and lab grown meat we could enter a new age of delicious meat products that are healthy to eat regularly and offer new culinary delights.
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I've tried some of these non-meat burgers and they are excellent.
Yes, but are they nutritious and healthy ? It's a highly processed food aimed at delivering maximum addictive flavor made from the cheapest ingredients.
Re:It isn't steak... (Score:4)
Well they ain't cheap, I'll tell you that much.
In the longer term it should be possible to make them very good. Plant food is much cheaper than meat to start with, so there is plenty of margin to work with. There is a market for good food too, and of course we can regulate it to ensure that manufacturers don't get silly.
Put it this way, it can't be any worse than Turkey Twizzlers.
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Yes, but are they nutritious and healthy ? It's a highly processed food
Meaning what? Define processing. There are plenty of healthy processed foods. There are plenty of processed foods loaded with everything bad for you.
What is processing? Do I need to reconstitute something? Do I need to grind down offal and sell it as meat? Do canned fruits count? They are processed. What about wine, most of that contains additive 220 so you can consider that "processed" too for a certain definition.
I hate hearing the term "processed food".
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Vegan's aren't interested, it's us meat eaters who are. I've tried some of these non-meat burgers and they are excellent. Environmental concerns aside, if I can eat something as delicious as that but more nutritious, lower calorie, doesn't require so much infrastructure to enforce animal welfare... Well it's a huge benefit to me.
Between vegan steak and lab grown meat we could enter a new age of delicious meat products that are healthy to eat regularly and offer new culinary delights.
This.
My teenage son is recently vegan and I'm trying to meat him halfway as it were. Along the way I've found that I actually prefer some of the new vegan burgers like the Beyond Burger to real meat. (The Impossible Burger is too greasy IMHO.) He likes them too, because before he became vegan, he was mostly constructed of bacon and hamburgers.
Despite what some vegan fanatics will try to do to the archeological record, humans have been omnivorous for our entire history, This means that we have accumulated th
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I've tried some of these non-meat burgers and they are excellent.
Can you name some brands to consider trying? And maybe what you're comparing them to? I have some vegan friends and every attempt at a dinner party has often resulted in something that compares favourably only to a Mcdonalds meat patty and to be honest I'm not sure there's any meat in that either.
I keep hearing about good tasting alternatives, but I've yet to actually experience any.
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Beyond Burger was good.
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it's for people who don't like the idea of not having meat on their plate every day. now they can still eat 'meat', and hope they will open up to the idea since the vega-meat isn't that bad at all.
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Most vegans aren't interested in eating anything that looks like meat. I think people are making these imitation steaks, etc. for non-vegans who want to avoid unhealthy meat fat and chemicals and environmental damage.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:2)
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
On the 1 hand, I love meat. On the other, I am aware of my cholesterol levels and other health issues. You come up with a good enough meat alternative (dripping juices, crispy edges, suitable for BBQ) and I'll tell you to "shut up and take my money".
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:4, Informative)
I am aware of my cholesterol levels and other health issues.
Exercise and weight control is going to help you a lot more than cutting meat out of your diet. Blaming meat (even red meat) is so 1990's. Get with the times. Oh and yes, I AM a doctor.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm an unrepentant carnivore, but if you gave me something where the cost and flavor was about the same but it came without the need for animal husbandry and the associated environmental effects, I'd be very open-minded.
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Proper animal husbandry is far, far better for the environment than the industrial land rape that is the modern grain agriculture required to make fake meat. Pasture land is so much healthier than corn/bean fields.
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Animal husbandry requires massive amounts of grain agriculture. If it was all pasture land, sure, you might have a valid point. But livestock are typically fattened on soybean and corn based feed. More of the corn grown in the US is used to feed animals than is used to feed humans.
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No, it doesn't require that. Just because much meat is grown via feedlot currently, doesn't mean that's how it has to be done, let alone that it's the best way. Having people eat corn and beans directly instead of having cattle turn the corn and beans into meat first, does not remove the industrial land rape that is modern grain agriculture. Raising corn and beans is an environmental nightmare.
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No, it doesn't require that
Right, but grain agriculture doesn't "require" what you are saying either. Yes, raising corn and beans is an environmental nightmare, but more corn is raised for animal feed than for human consumption. More soybeans are fed to animals than to humans. Yes, you can mandate that animals are pasture-fed only. But you can also mandate sustainable grain and legume production. Both scenarios are purely hypothetical at the moment.
While you are working on that, we could significantly reduce grain and soybean product
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Your understanding of modern agriculture and economics is severely lacking. Very much beef is raised on land that simply cannot be used for any type of human consumable vegetable crop, be it corn, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, whatever. You simply cannot get a human consumable crop from it. There is no such thing as ecologically sustainable grain and legume production-- anything that could remotely be considered sustainable cannot be done at a profit. Without the artificial fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide
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No, we don't have that product in the US.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:2)
Thou assumeth too much. I am neither fat, nor inactive. I am able to keep cholesterol at manageable levels by daily swimming and my wife's healthy cooking. (i make sure i don't eat more calories than i expend) However, this has turned swimming/cycling into a chore and most meals into a joyless necessity. If I could have the pleasure of juicy meats without the calories, I'd pay premium for it.
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Exercise and weight control is going to help you a lot more than cutting meat out of your diet.
Pick a lifestyle change to work on. Guess which one is more realistic.
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You might want to check out https://cholesterolcode.com/ [cholesterolcode.com] if you're still suffering from the mistaken belief that the cholesterol you get from eating meat or eggs has any sort of negative effect on your health. High cholesterol levels are strongly associated with longevity.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
You give no reason why conscientious meat eaters shouldn't try to create vegetable based meat alternatives. I eat meat and of course enjoy it, I also eat a couple of 'fake-meat' products that taste good but still aren't as tasty as the meat versions, as a meat eater I'd like them to create fake-meats that taste as good as the real thing, are more humane and are better for the environment.
The clock is ticking for the human race and we're not doing much to slow it down, our species won't last long at this rate.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:5, Interesting)
Or it could just be that that person likes the taste of meat but not the harming of animals and don't actually have any interest in what other people do. People who don't eat meat don't force anything on you, I really don't understand these tantrums from meat eaters about us.
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99% of vegans give the other 1% a bad name. Be honest, most vegans are on a religious crusade to get people to stop committing the sin of killing animals for food. They first come to veganism from an ethical belief that it is immoral to kill animals and any health effects are secondary. I've seen countless fundamentalist Christians try to bend science to support things like literal 6-day creationism, so it's easy to recognize when vegans do the same.
Re: It isn't steak... (Score:2)
The noisy ones aren't the majority and even if they were, they're not forcing anyone to do anything.
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if it isn't meat...
Ya. It's a "steak-like substance". (Says so in TFS)
Probably tastes like "despair" [youtube.com].
[ from Better Off Ted [wikipedia.org], Season 1, Episode 2, "Heroes" ]
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I love that episode.
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Re:It isn't steak... (Score:5, Insightful)
think nutmeats and tuna steaks.
BTDT. (Score:2)
(Soylent Green is people!)
3D printed? (Score:3, Insightful)
Really? If a paste going through a nozzle counts as "3D printed", every tube of Cake Mate needs a new label.
Seriously, I thought 3D printing hype died down years ago?
If you'll excuse me, I have to go 3D print some paste on my toothbrush before I go to bed...
Re:3D printed? (Score:5, Insightful)
Really? If a paste going through a nozzle counts as "3D printed"
No, it's but everything being made in it's entirety from a robot controlled extruded is pretty much going to be labeled "3d printed". The correct term is additive manufacturing. Feel free to flip a table or two because it's not going away.
Re:3D printed? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:3D printed? (Score:5, Funny)
3D printed steaks have been around for years.
The question is if this new method using vegetable proteins is any improvement over polyamide or ABS. Double-blind taste tests have been inconclusive.
Re:3D printed? (Score:5, Informative)
The problem with faux meat is replicating the structure and the fat distribution. Textured protein does an okay job at the filamentous part, but can't distribute fat through the produced chunks. Also the chunks are limited in size.
With fused deposition modeling (ie. 3d printing) you can replicate that structure to some extent and distribute fat throughout, in far larger chunks than can be produced by textured protein extrusion.
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The "printed" part refers to arranging the extruded material in a specific pattern under computer numerical control (CNC). As opposed you the uncontrolled shape of toothpaste that you extrude by hand.
This has in fact been around for a while in the food industry, e.g. confections with CNC printed decorations.
Look at me! (Score:2)
I invented a process to turn ribeye steak into tofu.
Why is this not a thing, I wonder?
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I have a better machine for turning vegetable protein into ribeye steak:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
And given the cattle produce lots of meat, and only a small amount of ribeye, it would make sense to start making fake steaks with ground beef instead of tofu.
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I don't think you can patent the process of taking a dump.
Non-viable replacement (Score:3, Interesting)
1) It takes 30 minutes to print a 100g "steak" which appears to be a little larger than a quarter.
2) No information on it's taste or consistency. Being translucent is not a good sign.
I really want someone to make a replacement for meat, not because I give a shit about the animals but because they are heavily subsidized and damaging to both the environment and our bodies. This isn't going to cut it.
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1) It takes 30 minutes to print a 100g "steak" which appears to be a little larger than a quarter. 2) No information on it's taste or consistency. Being translucent is not a good sign.
I really want someone to make a replacement for meat, not because I give a shit about the animals but because they are heavily subsidized and damaging to both the environment and our bodies. This isn't going to cut it.
I guess I'd try it, but it doesn't sound too appetizing.
Since we're on the subject of personal ethics, might as well give my own. I wish to cause animals as little pain as possible, but understanding that humans are inherent omnivores, I accept that meat is a part of our dietary need. So I eat meat. I enjoy it. I don't care what vegans think, and having worked with several, at this point pissing them off is not a negative thing.
But whatever. I like food that tastes good. And I've found some veggie bu
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No moral choice can re-sequence your DNA and magically turn you into an herbivore.
While a vegetarian is certainly still capable of being an omnivore if someone only eats plants then for all practical purposes they are an herbivore. We're animals capable of free thought, no DNA re-sequencing necessary,
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The following was quoting the above and should have been in quotes, "No moral choice can re-sequence your DNA and magically turn you into an herbivore."
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"No moral choice can re-sequence your DNA and magically turn you into an herbivore".
While a vegetarian is certainly still capable of being an omnivore if someone only eats plants then for all practical purposes they are an herbivore. We're animals capable of free thought, no DNA re-sequencing necessary,
Your rationale is something that might be used to promote breatharianism.
Fixed the quotes for you.
Rick is still correct. Humans are simply not designed to be vegans, or even vegetarians. Yes, a person can make a choice that they only eat a certain thing. One of the vegans I actually liked was a fruitarian - she made the choice to only eat fruits. But the choice she made - or anyone who defines themselves by what they eat - is made by a moral or preferential choice, and has nothing to do with what we
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"And if a person wants to be a vegan - they must tailor their diet very specifically and very carefully in order to survive in a healthy manner."
So it's completely possible to be a human herbivore. Thanks for making my point.
For the record, I eat plenty of meat. I just find your line of thinking stupid.
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Well, that's one way to enter the "Caves of Steel". It may be a better option than some of the others.
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I believe it's bleedin' obvious that this prototype or proof of concept is not ready for mass production.
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It's a proof of concept, not a product being offered to you. You should be welcoming this, it's a step towards the ultimate goal of a high quality synthetic steak, the thing you actually want.
If all you do is shit on everything until it's absolutely perfect you will find that it takes much longer to get the things you want than if you try to be constructive about it.
ASCII Much? (Score:2)
lol (Score:2)
"Despite an abundance of meat-free products already on the market that taste similar to animal meats"
ROFL
Good luck naming one. Maybe after so long without tasting a juicy steak or burger you forget what one tastes like... and I do mean entirely forget.
I already eat plant-based steaks (Score:3)
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Yeah, BSE totally comes from the cows eating grass. L
Why this is important. (Score:2)
You don't need 3D printers for this (Score:2)
We've been making fibrous food for centuries, it's called noodles. Surely you can "print" a vegan-friendly steak-like material in mere seconds using the same method.
100 grams every 30 minutes will never sell, my family would need to have a 3d printer working on this for 16 hours a day to survive off of this "meat", and we would most definitely not prefer vegan "steak" unless it's substantially cheaper.
if you can add in "blockchain" and "mobile first" (Score:2)
this becomes the most millennial thing i've ever read on /.
No mention of taste (Score:2)
Why a 3d printer? (Score:2)
Good (Score:2)
Nasty and Disgusting (Score:2)
Please tell me how this horrificly over processed fake meat is any better than the soy'd, GMO monstrosities that we already have today?
Vegans need to stop making imitations and make creations of their own. Vegan steak, please. How about a 4 day cured and smoked watermelon?
https://www.foodandwine.com/ne... [foodandwine.com]
Why is this news? (Score:2)
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Why would you insult someone who is trying to improve the world? You may not realize it but the level of animal products per capita in the US is unsustainable and therefore will need to be replaced with something. It's better we figure out how to do so sooner rather than later.
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Strawman argument, that's not "improving the world." Your definition of "improving the world" is not accepted.
What nonsense to say it's unsustainable. It is very sustainable and only an engineering problem to make more meat.
Re:vegan goodie goodies need to die in a fire (Score:4, Interesting)
It is very sustainable and only an engineering problem to make more meat.
Everything is only an engineering problem. The question is, when does the cost become too high to continue?
I looked into your past posts because I had a feeling you might be one of the many people worthy of the label "foe" but I found you to be an intelligent and interesting person. You are rough around the edges like rusty razor blades but not the typical "out of your fucking mind" extremism that fails to comport to logic that's become the staple of post-2008 Slashdot. Congratulations, you win nothing.
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Your definition of "improving the world" is not accepted.
THAT. THat, thAT. THAT's the problem. Who decides who's right? The SJW / PITA / whatever people have already decided they're right and everyone else is wrong and in some cases must be immediately stopped. Discussion? Convincing other people? Who has time for that?
Let's say we all agree that pollution is bad and needs to be reduced. THEY want to remove all coal plants, I want to remove half, YOU want to remove the single absolute worst offender (by whatever standards.) Who's right? We ALL are. W
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Indeed. I've recently patented the '3D cow pasture' - it's a bit like vertical gardening, except with cows.
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trying to improve the world?
Because one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. Improvement is subjective.
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Hey, I want to improve the world, too! Here, help me spread this weaponized virus that will kill 90% of the humans on the planet, then stop and leave us alone!
Someone else walks up to you and says:
Hey, I want to improve the world, too! Here, take this bomb and go blow up that Mosque full of muslims, then take this assault rifle and go kill as many blacks as you can!
Re: I don't get vegans (Score:2)
Re:I don't get vegans (Score:5, Insightful)
If you try to apply logical and rational thought to a vegan die-hard, you are going to be really disappointed.
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Perhaps you should go look at some human biological evolution or some animal evolution for that matter. Omnivores pretty much eat meat whenever they can, meat is typically opportunistic but it's a huge advantage for those that can get it. It's the reason we evolved the way we did and the reason we can get really sick long term if we don't eat any meat at all (by choice or otherwise) - vitamin B12, dehydration and iron deficiencies (resulting in reduced development in children) being the primary ones.
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We are not omnivores, neither our teeth nor our digestive system is ready for meat.
Our teeth are just fine for chewing meat. They aren't very good at biting through thick hide, or for killing animals, but that's because we've used spears and knives. Our teeth aren't very good for eating fruit (makes them rot), or eating hard plant matter (wears them down too quickly).
Our digestive system is also just fine for meat. Compared to other apes we have a longer small intestine. We also have bigger kidneys to help process excess protein.
Oh, of course if we cook it, then we can eat meat
Yes, and our teeth have adapted to that habit. If you eat
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Again a flawed argument. Meat is neither richer in protein nor richer in calories compared to plant based food. Of course grass is not what I talk about.
I do eat meat, but I do not convince myself it is somehow healthy or even necessary to eat.
Humans evolved on a diet that included fish, milk, eats, and red meat. Lacking any of these means a diet lacking in the vital vitamin B-12. People can live on a diet lacking animal products today only because of synthetic B-12 supplements. This is not anything close to a "natural" diet. A diet that requires synthetic additives to meet a vital nutritional need is quite likely not all that healthy, and quite possibly not "sustainable".
The argument was that humans are omnivores and therefore a diet of all
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Some people, like myself, are omnivores who know animals - sentients - suffer and die so I can have a meal. I don't like that, so I started minimizing my meat-eating. I love meat however. So if someone could give me something that tastes exactly like meat, I'd devour it.
As far as vegans (no dairy or eggs): the egg industry keep chickens in battery cages. If you understand what the battery hens endure, and you're smart enough to care, then you might try to avoid battery eggs. But that's easy to do because t
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I think the idea is that it can be made more cheaply, and if it tastes good enough, it will take over the market. This is probably correct, as with increasing competition for meat, the price will probably go up...and the Chinese have started being able to afford it.
The question is, "Will it taste good enough?". So far the answer has been "not really" for most people, and "yes" for some, and "Why mimic meat?" for others. But each incremental step causes an additional group of people to say "yes". When I
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Meat has an interesting textural quality mostly absent from vegetables and fruit and even when present with fundamentally different nutritionally qualities, which makes it impossible to emulate meals which people grew up with.
They want something familiar, without the murder.
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Turn in your nerd card.
Wouldn't that be Turn in your Geek card? Nerds tend to be less interested in DS-9 trivia.
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Turn in your geek card yourself. Gagh isn't specific to ST:DS9.
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Nope, those are called tribbles.
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Re:Cue the vegan-bashing... (Score:5, Interesting)
I'll bite. I eat meat. Meat is yummy. Your body has evolved so that things that are good for you taste yummy. By not eating meat, you are depriving your body of nutrients it needs to survive. Vegetarians and especially vegans have to be careful to supplement their diet with pills or sufficient quantities of specific plants which provide those nutrients. Thus indicating that theirs is the diet which is innately unnatural and unhealthy. You can make an argument against eating too much meat, but that does not translate into an argument for eating no meat at all.
The argument that eating meat is cruel is easy to shoot down too. If your reasoning is based on minimizing the amount of cruelty animals suffer, consider that the fate of nearly every living thing is to be eaten alive [youtube.com]. It just happens out of our sight most of the time. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Living to a ripe old age and dying of natural causes (organ failure) is something almost unique to humans and the few animals we adopt as pets. Nearly all wild animals die young, painfully, and frequently with what most people would consider close to the "maximum" amount of suffering possible. In contrast, the way we dispatch domesticated animals for meat is quick, painless, and humane. So you actually reduce the total amount of cruelty suffered by animals by replacing wild animals in the environment with domesticated ones, protect them from predators and disease with our fences and medicines, then dispatch them painlessly when you're ready to slaughter them.
Then there's the argument that meat is too resource-intensive. That the world's human population is growing beyond the land's capability to feed it, so we need to start eating lower on the food chain. Except that's false too. Nearly all of the world's population growth is happening in developing nations [wikipedia.org]. The developed countries (where most meat eating happens) have close to zero population growth; some even have negative population growth (their population is shrinking). So they're clearly able to feed their populations using the land and resources they have. If you want to reduce population growth, the key is to help all countries on the planet become economically developed. Regressing to an agrarian society is actually counterproductive, and will result in even faster population growth.
The only argument for vegetarianism / veganism I've heard which makes sense is the energy intensity one. You can feed the population using less energy per capita if everyone eats plants (even after accounting for supplements to make up nutrients normally obtained from meat). But the entirety of modern civilization is based on being able to generate more energy per capita than in the past. As a nation develops, the percentage of its economic output devoted to food production decreases [statisticstimes.com]. Since everyone still must be eating (the same amount of food is being produced per capita), that means the country is producing more energy per capita than before. And that excess energy is being spent on productive tasks other than food production. If there's plenty of excess energy, why not use some of it to raise meat if you want?
Note that if the scientists researching this are able to produce something which tastes like meat but requires less energy to produce than raising animals, I will have no qualms about switching to it. Less energy to produce translates into lower cost, so it'll be a simple economic decision. Contrary to the imaginations of vegetarians / vegans, knowing an animal died to feed you is not a part of the enjoyment from eating meat.
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How about some'a nice gabba-gool? You may as well 3d-print it and serve it, since I bet a lot of people don't know what it is anyway.