ChrPerspInSci Dornbos FoodFaith 20141003

8/10/2019 ChrPerspInSci Dornbos FoodFaith 20141003

1/69

Food x FaithConsumptive Choices Could Solve TWOBig Global Problems AND Save Money


2/69

AND Save Money?

Ever see a coupon you didnt like?

Can you go out to eat without an

inducement?


3/69

Two Big Global Problems

1. Environmental degradation

2. Global food security


4/69

Food x Faith

Premises

Environmental impacts of food are huge

Christians strive to live faithfullyAll 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


5/69

Thesis Statement

Reformed Christians, in the practice ofour faith, should adopt a whole food

plants-based diet to better serve,protect and restore Nature at globalscale, including our own bodies as

temples, all the creatures now andthose to be.


6/69

Environmental

DegradationThe first big problem.

Psalm 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work

of your fingersPsalm 19:1b the skies proclaim his handiwork

Deut. 10:14 To the LORD your God belong theheavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and

everything in it.


7/69

Creation Care


8/69

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


9/69

Grand River @ Grand Haven:

Sediment Load


10/69

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


11/69

Ecological Report Card(Worldwatch Institute, 2001)

Agroecosystems (17% ofterrestrial surface)

Food production capacity is

GOOD All agroecosystem services

are currently FAIR-POOR

Future agroecosystemgoods and services to

decline

Other ecosystemsheavily impacted by foodproduction practice


12/69

Global Food SecurityThe second big problem.Gen. 1:22, 1:28 multiply and fill the earth


13/69

The World Food ProblemB.D. Singh (India, visiting Texas A&M; ASA, Nov 3 2013)

1. Growing population

2. Emerging climate change

3. Stagnant productivity gains for 20 years4. Environmental pollution, low soil fertility

5. Increased pesticide and fertilizer use

6. Lack of new arable land


14/69

Thomas Malthus Two Postulata, 1798http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/malthus/malthus.0.html

First, that food is necessary to theexistence of man.

Secondly, that the passion betweenthe sexes is necessary and will

remain nearly in its present state.

Interpretation?


15/69

Powerful Predictions

(Assuming my postulata , I say, that thepower of popu lat ionis indefinitely greater thanthe power in the earth to produce subsistencefor man.)

Population, when unchecked, increases in aexponential ratio.

Subsistence increases only in an arithmeticalratio.

(A slight acquaintance with numbers will showthe immensity of the first power in comparisonof the second.)


16/69

Growing Human Population


17/69

Yield Increases


18/69

When More People, Less

Grain/Person


19/69

Emerging Climate Change (NOAA)For every 1C increase in air temperature, crop productivity declines 10%.


20/69

Metaphorical Easter Island?(Jared Diamond, Collapse)

Discovered 900 AD Isolated: 2300 mi from

Chile

Statues: ahu & moai implyadvanced civilization Population crashed from

30K to 111 Lost capacity for

agriculture, fishing, forestry Causes of collapse:

deforestation,overpopulation, erosion,out of touch elite


21/69

Forget quaint notions of sustainability Historypredicts we wont survive (Jared Diamond, ASA Meeting)

Of the 12 problems that plagued pastcivilizations, 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


22/69

Two Proposed

Approaches2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter theland I am going to give you, the land itself must observe asabbath to the LORD. 3 For six years sow your fields, and for six

years prune your vineyards and gather their crops.4

But in theseventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a

sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune yourvineyards. 5 Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest thegrapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year ofrest. (Lev. 25:2-5 and Lev. 23:39, Lev. 26:34-35)


23/69

Intensify Industrial Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture integrates threemain goals: environmental stewardship, farmprofitability, and prosperous farming

communities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture)

Essentially, SA is the industrialized approachwith attempts to reduce systemic problems of

monocultures: Reduce pesticide use

Reduce soil erosion

Increase soil organic matter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewardshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(accounting)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farminghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farminghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(accounting)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewardshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment


24/69


25/69


26/69

Agroecology: Defined as the application ofecological concepts and principles to thedesign 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, populationregulation/biodiversity

Build a New Food System Model


27/69

Nutrition TransitionDo you not know that your bodies are templesof the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you

have received from God? You are not yourown; you were bought at a price. Thereforehonor God with your bodies. (I Cor. 6:19-20)


28/69

Global Nutrition Transition:

As people get wealthier they eat more


29/69

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


30/69

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults

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

No Data


31/69



No Data


32/69



No Data


33/69



No Data


34/69



No Data


35/69

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

No Data


36/69



No Data


37/69



No Data


38/69



No Data


39/69



No Data


40/69



No Data


41/69



No Data


42/69



No Data


43/69



No Data


44/69

More (Calorie Rich) Food

[not the same as nutrient rich!]

M. Nestle, EatingMade Simple (Sci Am)


45/69

Healthcare Efficacy2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on amat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to theman, Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven. (Matt 9:2)

Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He alsodrove out many demons (Mark 1:34)


46/69

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


47/69

Epidemiological Transition is a CONSEQUENCEof Nutrition Transition (Infectious to Chronic)

Developed Country

Infectious diseasedeaths are negligible

Predominant diseases Coronary heart

disease High blood pressure Diabetes II Cancer

Developing Country

~50% deaths due toinfectious disease

Predominant diseases Respiratory/parasites

(16M) Tuberculosis (3M) Malaria (2M) STDs (AIDS, 1.5M) Hepatitis B (1M) Dengue, Ebola (0.5)


48/69

Disease Incidence

Cause Developed Developing

1990 2020 1990 2020

Infectious 7.8 4.3 48.7 22.2

Cardiovasculardisease

20.4 22 8.3 13.8

Coronary heartdisease

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 4 9

Neuropsychiatricdisorders

22 21.8 9 13.7

Injuries 14.5 13 15.2 21.1http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html


49/69


50/69

Executive Office of the PresidentCouncil of Economic Advisers, June 2009

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf
http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf


51/69

U.S. Healthcare Spend:2013 Per Capita and GDP %


52/69

U.S. Healthcare Cost-Benefit

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


53/69

What could (should?)

a sustainable foodsystem look like?

14

if my people, who are called by my name, willhumble themselves and pray and seek myface and turn from their wicked ways, then I willhear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin andwill heal their land. (II Chron. 7:14)


54/69

Let food be thymedicine

Hippocrates


55/69

Few Nurses Lived Healthy (3.1%)Healthy Living Reduced Coronary Events 82%


56/69

Animal Fat Consumption is Correlated

with Breast and Prostate Cancer

Carroll, K. K. (1975) Experimental evidenceof dietary factors and hormone-dependent

cancers. Cancer Res 35:3374-3383.


57/69

The China StudyWestern v. Traditional Chinese Diet

Study Metrics >50 diseases 65 counties 130 villages

50 adults pervillage

Blood, urine,food, histories

1983-1984 367correlations

Campbell et al., 1998 Diet, Lifestyle, and the Etiology of Coronary ArteryDisease: The Cornell China Study (Am. J. Cardiology)


58/69

Diet Alone Can Reverse CHD

18 individuals, 49infarctions

Aggressive plant-based diet

12 year duration Reduced cholesterol No recurrent coronary

events, 75% with regression

Angiogram: 44 yr. oldcardiologist 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 NutritionPreventive Cardiology 171-177)


59/69

Diet + Statins

Nutritional, population, and interventional studiessupport the effectiveness of a plant-based diet andaggressive lipid-lowering to arrest, prevent, and

selectively reverse heart disease.


60/69

Challenge the

MessengersInfluencer motives: Food processors, Dairy/grainproducers associations, Pharmaceutical companies

II Timothy 4:3For the time will come when people will not put up with sounddoctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gatheraround them a great number of teachers to say whattheir itching ears want to hear.


61/69

Marketing Ethics v. Buyer BewareAre ED drugs (e.g., Viagra) ethical?

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


62/69

1. Forks over Knives whole foodsplant-based diet

2. King Corn farm subsidies,processed food and cheap meat

3. Michael Pollan

Eat Food Mostly Plants

Not Too Much

Other Messengers


63/69

Better (Best) Messenger?

The church on Nature (Creation)

Biblical truths speak to glory of Nature, itsbrokenness, our responsibility, and what will be!

Genesis

Leviticus

Job

Psalms I Corinthians

II Timothy

Revelation


64/69

Food x Faith: Consumptive Choices Could SolveTWO 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 currentagricultural land for restoration


65/69

If Less Meat, Improved GlobalFood Security

J.D. Singh (India) global food requirement! (from avegetarian 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 energyinefficiency (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


66/69

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 byimproving efficiencies: N, fossil fuel,

Problem . Labor!!! (anyone need a job?)


67/69

If Less Meat and Processed Food,

Improved Env. & Human Health Food, Livestock Production, Energy,Climate Change and Health (Lancet 370:1253-1263, 2007)

Food production - 35% GHG emissions

Meat production, esp. beef, >50% of foodemissions

Recommend contraction and convergencepolicy for meat consumption 90 g/p/day

Save $


68/69

And Save Money

$2.8T spent in U.S. during 2012 onhealthcare (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-

Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdf)

75% of healthcare costs due to chronicdisease(http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/chronic.htm )

Or, up to $2.1T is at play annually! delayed return, but seriously?
https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdfhttp://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/chronic.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/chronic.htmhttps://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdf


69/69

Conclusion

Reformed Christians should be selfmotivated to live within Gods will by

adopting a WFPBD plants-based diet totreat our body as the Spirits temple,thereby enhancing future global foodsecurity, improving environmentalhealth, and modeling a moreappropriate life style with the globalcommunity. (and save $)

Documents

ChrPerspInSci Dornbos FoodFaith 20141003