For lunch I prepared a tuna melt sandwich with a 2 scoop protein shake to wash it down.

Tuna is extensively fished throughout the world’s oceans, with some species such as the bluefin potentially facing extinction due to over fishing. Large fishing trawlers are used catch the tuna, which are powered by diesel engines and require large amounts of fuel to operate. These boats are also made from steel hulls, which ultimately require iron ore to produce the steel. Iron ore is also mined and processed using large excavation equipment which also require refined fossil fuels to operate.

A trawler style boat fishing for tuna. Many fish are now grown on fish farms; however, this is not yet viable for tuna. Japan is the largest tuna consumer and is also the leader in tuna farm research.

Whey protein is synthesized from cow’s milk, the protein is extracted from the milk in a separation and purification process resulting in a dehydrated powder. Dairy cows need large pastures to freely graze and hay during the winter months. Hay usually contains a mixture of oat, barley, and wheat all which require farm land to grow. These crops require fertilizers for high yields and worthy profits for the farmer. One of the main components of fertilizer is nitrogen, which is produced using the Haber process. In this process natural gas is the main reactant in combination with nitrogen gas and a catalyst. Natural gas is a popular and versatile fossil fuel as it has a wide range of applications including personal cooking, hydrogen production, and of course fertilizer production.

A photo of a natural gas plant.