What are sake benefits and side effects every ethical consumer must know? Here are sake pros and cons and how buying them will impact your health, the environment, animals and laborers.
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on sake benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about sake benefits and side effects. This will include sake benefits for your health and potential risks, sake water footprint and carbon footprint, sustainability, if sake is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if sake is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about sake benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Top Sake Benefits And Side Effects
Health
Sake side effects may include:
- birth defects when pregnant
- brain shrinkage
- dementia
- depression
- impaired brain function
- impaired judgement
- memory loss
- alcoholism
- cancers of the mouth, throat, colon, breast and liver
- chronic disease
- cirrhosis
- fatty liver disease
- heart failure
- liver damage
- physical accidents
- weight gain
Sake health benefits may include:
- warding off allergies
- bone health
- boosted immunity
- heart health
- increased HDL (good) cholesterol
- lower high blood pressure
- prevent degenerative bone disorders such as osteoporosis
- prevent degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
- reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol
- slow tumor growth and reduce the risks of certain kinds of cancer
- strengthen skeletal muscles
- lessen visibility of freckles and sun spots
- skin health
- slow the onset of wrinkles
Additionally, sake is…
- Alkaline 8.0 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
Environment
Water footprint: likely low, it takes 2,172 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of husked, brown rice / 260 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of husked, brown rice
Carbon footprint: high, 3.5-3.3 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of alcoholic beverages, a car driving equivalent of 8.75 miles or 14 kilometers
Destruction: moderate, sake production is moderately sustainable, alcohol production negatively impacts the planet with the process of growing the ingredients necessary to produce alcohol, grains, potatoes, rice, botanicals, sugar cane, and agave are all significant ingredients in the alcohol industry, which require a significant amount of fertilizer, land and use of machinery to produce beverages that aren’t necessary for human survival, resources could be diverted to providing food and beverage aid for those in need
Sake is…
- Moderately Sustainable
Animals
Kills: none, sake production does not require any animals to be killed
Harms: none, sake production does not require any animals to be used
Indirectly kills or harms: none, no animals are indirectly killed or harmed from sake production as long as toxic chemicals have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as pesticides harm and kill wildlife and ecosystems by contaminating soil, water, air and plants that animals eat
Sake is…
- Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems unless organic
Laborers
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Sake…
- May involve worker exploitation, laborer issues, human rights concerns
Where does most sake come from?
Japan. There are 1,800 sake brewers in the world and 1,400 of them are located in Japan.
Is sake nutritious?
Sake is high in selenium, an amino acid mineral that has many health benefits.
sake is alkaline.
Is sake alkaline or acidic?
Sake is alkaline.
What is the pH level of sake?
Sake has an 8.0 pH level once digested. Nearly all alcohol is acidic with the exception of sake!
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
sake is gluten free.
Is sake gluten free? Yes, sake is gluten free. Sake does not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
sake is not a common food allergen.
Is sake a common food allergen?
No, sake is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to sake but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
sake likely has a low water footprint.
Does sake have a high or low water footprint?
Sake likely has a relatively low water footprint compared to other foods and beverages.
What is the water footprint of sake?
It takes 2,172 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of husked, brown rice / 260 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of husked, brown rice (a key ingredient in sake production).
Did you know that water is a finite, non-renewable resource?
How much water does it take to produce an apple? A serving of rice? A steak dinner?
We need to be aware of “water footprints”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. As it turns out it takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
sake has a high carbon footprint.
Does sake have a high or low carbon footprint?
Sake has a relatively high carbon footprint compared to other foods.
What is the carbon footprint of sake?
It takes around 3.5-3.3 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of alcoholic beverages, a car driving equivalent of 8.75 miles or 14 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating carbon emissions, some factors may include…
- farm equipment
- animal feed production
- hothouses (greenhouses)
- food processing
- packaging
- transport
- refrigeration
- freezing
- package waste and more
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
sake is unsustainable.
Overall, is sake eco friendly? Is sake sustainable?
Sake production is relatively unsustainable. Alcohol production negatively impacts the planet with the process of growing the ingredients necessary to produce alcohol: grains, potatoes, rice, botanicals, sugar cane, and agave -all significant ingredients in the alcohol industry. Such ingredients require a significant amount of fertilizers, land and use of machinery to produce beverages that aren’t necessary for human survival. Resources in alcohol production could be diverted to providing food and beverage aid for those in need.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
sake is vegan.
Is sake vegan? Y
es, sake is vegan. Sake is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice and not an animal product or byproduct, therefore making it a vegan food.
Animals of factory farming are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. Growth hormones allow all kinds of animals to become fatter faster and live short lives.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
sake is a product that may or may not have labor issues.
Is sake a product with laborer concerns?
At this time there are no major concerns with sake production but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening!
It’s important to stay aware of human rights concerns and worker exploitation that may come with specific brands.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Sources:
Alcoholic beverage, rice (sake) – FoodData Central
Japanese Sake GI to Protect Brand Japan in Overseas Markets
