Burger Bowls + Pickle Ranch 🍔
And the conversation around water consumption.
Everyone is talking about AI and water right now. I recently read about how we are reaching a state of “water bankruptcy” - which is beyond terrifying. Because of that, data centers are the villain of the moment. And look, it’s not nothing. There should be far more regulations around AI, including where data centers are being built and what governments are using this technology for.
But here’s what’s missing from that conversation entirely.
It takes roughly 450 gallons of water to produce a single quarter-pound hamburger. A single 100-word AI prompt uses about one bottle of water. Both matter, but they are not the same conversation, and the meat and dairy industry has spent decades making sure we don’t notice the difference. They have been experts at not only consuming and polluting our resources but also paying off politicians to avoid any accountability through climate legislation.
Livestock accounts for over a quarter of all of humanity’s water use, and feed crops alone account for 41% of all the water used in agriculture. Beef and dairy are the quiet giants of this water crisis and they are nowhere near the headlines they deserve.
This isn’t about guilt. It’s about information. Because once you know, you can’t unknow it. And the beautiful thing is that eating differently is one of the most direct, tangible things you can actually do about it.
Which brings me to these burger bowls. 🍔
Walnuts and black beans are doing the heavy lifting here instead of beef and not just because they use less water. Walnuts bring healthy fats, omega-3s and protein. Black beans bring fiber, iron and plant protein that your body (especially an endo or PCOS body!) genuinely needs. Together they create a texture and depth that is shockingly close to ground beef, with a fraction of the environmental cost.
But eating differently is only part of it. Vote for people who treat water like the public resource it is. Pay attention to your local water board elections - these are the races that actually determine who controls your watershed and they happen with almost zero public attention. And keep talking about this. The meat and dairy industry has spent decades making sure this conversation doesn’t happen. The best thing we can do is have it anyway.
The full recipe is waiting for you below. Make it this week! 🌿
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