The pros of eating at a lower trophic level are that fewer acres would be needed to support one human life, a person would consume less toxins from the environment, and that competition for food would be far less than at a higher trophic level. The cons of eating at a lower trophic level are that you get much less energy from one unit than if you at a higher trophic level, you have to work harder to find enough food to sustain you and human population would increase if we all ate at a lower trophic level, thus eliminating the benefits of eating at a lower trophic level. Less developed countries typically eat at a lower trophic level because it is more affordable to grow food like soy, especially since soy has a much higher level of protein than a cow, which would be expensive to buy.
Over the last five days, a few of the foods I have eaten that are from a lower trophic level are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes, chewy bars, french fries, vegetables, and rice. Some foods from a higher trophic level that I have eaten are a hot dog, Hawaiian pizza, and chicken. I would say that about 30% of my diet comes from a higher trophic level and 70% comes from a lower trophic level.
