John Robbins’s book Diet For A New America is a profound and shocking examination of the animal foods industry in this country. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, Diet For A New America reveals the many interrelated personal and planetary consequences of the way we eat. The book calls out for a societal turn toward vegetarianism, a nationwide awakening to the results of our actions.

Twenty years ago, author John Robbins gave up the Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream fortune in order to pursue his spiritual yearnings, a path which eventually led to the writing of this book. In an interview with Steven Bodian in Yoga Journal, Robbins said, “I started having a series of dreams in which a giant cow appeared to me. Then I saw a pig. And they would say things to me, powerful things about life and our relationship to them and the natural world. Finally I received a very clear message that said, You are to write this book. You will be guided the entire way. It’s not to be preachy, it’s not to charm or coerce people, it’s just to let the truth be known.”

Following is a list of facts, grouped into categories, excerpted from the carefully documented research for the book Diet For A New America.

—The Editors

Human population of United States: 243,000,000

Human beings who could be fed by the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. Livestock: 1,300,000,000

Sacred food of Native Americans: Corn

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by human beings: 20

Percentage of corn grown in United States eaten by livestock: 80

Percentage of oats grown in United States eaten by livestock: 95

Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90

Percentage of carbohydrate wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 99

Percentage of dietary fiber wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 100

How frequently a child dies of starvation: Every 2 seconds

Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on one acre of land: 20,000

Pounds of beef that can be grown on one acre of land: 165

Percentage of U.S. agricultural land used to produce beef: 56

Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce one pound of feedlot beef: 16

Pounds of protein fed to chickens to produce one pound of protein as chicken flesh: 5

Pounds of protein fed to hogs to produce one pound of protein flesh: 7.5

Number of children who starve to death every day: 40,000

Number of pure vegetarians who can be fed on the amount of land needed to feed one person consuming a meat-based diet: 20

Number of people who will starve to death this year: 60,000,000

Number of people who could be adequately fed by the grain saved if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 60,000,000

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Principal historic cause of demise of great civilizations: Topsoil depletion

Percentage of original U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75

Amount of U.S. cropland lost each year to soil erosion: 4,000,000 acres (size of Connecticut)

Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly associated with livestock raising: 85

Number of acres of U.S. forest which have been cleared to create cropland to produce a meat-centered diet: 260,000,000

How often an acre of U.S. trees disappears: Every 5 seconds

Amount of trees spared per year by each individual who switches to a pure vegetarian diet: 1 acre

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Driving force behind the destruction of the tropical rainforests: American meat habit

Amount of meat imported annually by U.S. from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama: 200,000,000 pounds

Amount of meat eaten by average person in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama: Less than the average American house cat

Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests and related habitats: 1,000/year

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Of all water used for all purposes in the United States, more than half goes to: Livestock production

Enough water goes into the production of the average cow to: Float a destroyer

Water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25 gallons

Water needed to produce a pound of meat: 2,500 gallons

Cost of common hamburger meat if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by U.S. taxpayers: $35/pound

Current cost for pound of protein from wheat: $1.50

Current cost for pound of protein from beefsteak: $15.40

Cost for pound of protein from beefsteak if U.S. taxpayers ceased subsidizing meat industry’s use of water: $89

Length of time world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate meat-centered diet: 13 years

Length of time world’s petroleum reserves would last if all human beings ate vegetarian diet: 260 years

Percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended) of most energy efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5%

Percentage of energy return (as food energy per fossil energy expended) of least efficient plant food: 328%

Pounds of soybeans produced by the amount of fossil fuel needed to produce one pound of feedlot beef: 40

Principal reason for U.S. military intervention in Persian Gulf: Dependence on foreign oil

Barrels of oil imported daily by U.S.: 6,800,000

Amount of oil U.S. would have to import to meet present demand if 10% of population became fully vegetarian: None

Percentage of raw materials consumed in U.S. for all purposes presently consumed to produce current meat-centered diet: 33

Percentage of raw materials consumed in U.S. for all purposes needed to produce fully vegetarian diet: 2

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Production of excrement by total U.S. human population: 12,000 pounds/second

Production of excrement by U.S. livestock: 250,000 pounds/second

Sewage systems in U.S. cities: Common

Sewage systems in U.S. feedlots: Nil

Percentage of harmful organic-waste water pollution attributed to U.S. human population: 10

Percentage of harmful organic-waste water pollution attributed to U.S. livestock: 90

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Leading source of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet: Meat – 55%

Second leading source of pesticide residues in the U.S. diet: Dairy products – 23%

Total pesticide residues in U.S. diet supplied by vegetables: 6%

Total pesticide residues in U.S. diet supplied by fruits: 4%

Total pesticide residues in U.S. diet supplied by grains: 1%

Percentage of U.S. mother’s milk containing dangerous levels of DDT: 99

Pesticide contamination in breast milk of meat-eating mothers compared to pesticide contamination in breast milk of vegetarian mothers: 35 times as high

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Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in factory farms due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

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Effectiveness of all “wonder-drug” antibiotics: Declining rapidly

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in factory farms due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

::

Percentage of total antibiotics used in U.S. fed routinely to livestock: 55

Response by entire European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban

Response by American meant and pharmaceutical industries to routing feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

For the entire story of how your food choices affect your health, happiness and the future of life on Earth, see https://www.johnrobbins.info/ 

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From the Winter 1989 issue of Inquiring Mind (Vol. 5, No. 2)

Text © 1989–2022 by the author.