Speaking of Red Meat

[Streetcorner Philosopher]

I am not a vegetarian, but I've cut way back on my meat consumption. This is incredible for me condsidering how much of a meat and potatoes (and beer) man I used to be. I used to think vegetarians were teetering on edge of nutball, but the more I learn about meat the more it starts to make sense. Here's a couple things to consider before you take your next bite of an animal:

When there is a diseased cow -- say she has cancer or some other horrible disease -- what do you think happens to her after her diagnosis? Are profit-motivated farmers likely to forego the profits she can generate by not slaughtering her and placing her into the food supply? No! of course not. Short of having mad-cow disease, you can count on virtually every cow -- healthy or not -- to be ground up and put on your supermarket's shelf.

Here are a few quotes and bits of information to consider:

"The animals are diseased, and by partaking of their flesh, we plant the seeds of disease in our own tissue and blood." Counsels on Diet and Foods, pg. 386. (1896).

40%-50% of all the antibiotics produced in our country are fed to animals....People who eat meat have a higher risk of getting cancer because of the carcinogenic preservatives added to meat like nitrites, nitrates, and other preservatives added to mask the grean discoloration that occures as the eat ages." Presription for Dietary Wellness, pgs. 144-147.

Female hormones fed to cattle for growth are possible culprits behind the increase in female disorders like sever hot flashes, painful menses, breast lumps and even cancer of the uterus and breast." Prescription for Dietary Wellness, pgs. 144-147.

Personally I believe you can do the Atkins diet without eating meat. There's nowhere in Dr Atkins book that says you HAVE to eat meat. His bottom line is about carbs and net carbs. And if you think about it, when you eat meat it's generally not the meat itself which tastes so good....it's the barbeque or the hickory flavor or the other flavors that's used to prepare it. Think about a piece of steak: If you were to cook your steak in the microwave or by boiling it, it would taste terrible. Same with chicken or pork. It's not the meat itself which tastes so good, it's the flavorings and methods of cooking which provide most of the flavor. SCP

[yelah22]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

I am curious to see a typical daily menu of yours. Could you share? I'm assuming you eat tofu, right? I've never tried it but my friend swears crumbled up and disguised well it tasted like ground beef.

[cleochatra]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Actually, those are good points. Luckily, there are ways to counteract those possible problems:

1) Buy grass-fed beef only. They are not pumped with antibiotics because the cows can digest grass. Corn-fed cows are the ones who are always sick and require the antibiotics to stay alive long enough to slaughter.

2) Buy hormone-free beef.

3) Buy from a butcher who certiifes he offers these things or buy a brand such as Laura's Lean Ground Beef (sold in many stores now).

When the consumer demands a better product, he/she gets a better product. Beef is no different than anything else. An educated consumer makes all the difference.


And yes, I agree that there are definitely vegetarians who are able to follow this way of eating and do just fine.

To each his/her own.

Interesting topic, SCP!

[yelah22]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Goodness gracious I learn something everyday. You are so smart, Cleochatra! How did you learn all those tidbits? I have been seeing Laura's Lean Ground Beef around lately and did actually buy some. Maybe I'll always get it now. Good tips as always, Cleochatra!

[jimmie 48]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

scp, you must not have any faith in the governments requirements concerning meat.

how many people in the united states actually get sick from diseased cows, anyway? i'm talking bad diseased meat sold from the market, not undercooking or spoiled meat that came from not handling it properly after purchased. those instances would be the fault of the purchaser.

now i would love to have a beef for dinner.

[cleochatra]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

yelah-- wyell, *spit* they breed's em smart in pooblik skewl! LOL! But seriously, I've done a lot of reserarch into meat because I didn't realize I was feeding my kids antibiotics and hormones for so many years. I will also only buy milk from the local dairy that is certified hormone and anti-biotic free. I pay more for certified beef, but I like knowing the only more sure-fire way I knew what I was feeding my family would be to get my own heiffer! Frankly, my neighborhood doesn't look too kindly on farm animal ownership.

Adding to the obvious benefits, Laura's Lean Ground beef has the best flavor I've ever had in my life. If you go to her website she'll even send you a dollar off coupon, and if you have a Super Target nearby, that's the cheapest place to use that coupon.

/ending LLGB endorsement now

[2big4mysize]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

actually the newest science now says nitrates which convert to nitrites are actually good for us. I posted the links in the health news but it guards organs such as brain, heart, when low oxygen occurs like in heart attacks. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005...ain817531.shtml

Makes me wonder what Dr Atkins as a trained cardiologist would say about nitrates now.

And we have many goalie vegetartians here on ADBB we have a FAQ for then so they can adjust their induction to match the induction Dr Atkins used for his vegetarian patients. Dr Atkins in DANDR anly said vegans would find his plan hard to follow.

[ttdriver]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

I'D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE UP MEAT!




Betty

[Streetcorner Philosopher]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

scp, you must not have any faith in the governments requirements concerning meat.

how many people in the united states actually get sick from diseased cows, anyway? i'm talking bad diseased meat sold from the market, not undercooking or spoiled meat that came from not handling it properly after purchased. those instances would be the fault of the purchaser.

now i would love to have a beef for dinner.

Well that's a good question. It's hard to pinpoint an answer. But we DO know that society in general is becoming more and more diseased...and doctors seem to have no anwers: Cancer, Lupus, Fibro-myalgia, depression, anxiety disorders, etc. Personally I think most of this stuff is sugar-related. I believe if people were to cut sugars to a minimum, many of these disorders would mysteriously vanish. But I think meats probably play a role as well. If you think about it, when you consume an animal you're consuming every antibiotic, every hormone and every disease it ever have had. Not only that but you're consuming a 'dead' food. Unlike a fresh fruit or vegetable, which contains live enzymes, meat is nutritionally dead when it comes to health-promoting vitamins or enzymes.

Now having said that, I'm finding it difficult to completely cut out meat. Not having turkey on thanksgiving is not an option. Likewise my life wouldn't be complete without an occasional chicken fajita. But I'm slowly working on reducing my overall meat intake.

My sample daily menu might look like this:

breakfast: SMALL bowl of oatmeal w/cinnamon and peanut butter, 8 ounces of freshly-juiced granny smith apples, 1 red plum

Lunch: 1 large tuna salad from Subway with olive oil dressing; lots of veggies (this is my big meal of the day)

Dinner: 16 bean soup, steamed broccoli w/butter

Late night snack: a ripe peach, some cottage cheese, or a granny smith apple dipped in natural peanut butter.

[cleochatra]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

But I think meats probably play a role as well. If you think about it, when you consume an animal you're consuming every antibiotic, every hormone and every disease it ever have had.

Again, that depends on the source of the meat purchased. These days it is becoming easier and easier to find quality meat that has never known antibiotics, disease or hormones. It's awesome!

Your menu looks great, SCP! I can't wait to get to maintenance!

[not2late]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

But I think meats probably play a role as well. If you think about it, when you consume an animal you're consuming every antibiotic, every hormone and every disease it ever have had.

This is interesting because I during the spring, summer and fall, I grow the majority of the vegetables I consume during those months. As a gardener, I know that whatever is in my soil is incorporated into my edible vegetables/fruits. In other words, if my soil is low in some minerals, my produce and fruits will have a lower content of those minerals. Conversely, if my soil is "high" in some minerals, my produce and fruits will be high in them, which is why there is always a caution not to grow edibles near roadways or on contaminated soils, because plants grown in that environment have a higher percentage of bad stuff like lead, antimony, etc.

The other issue about plant foods is the use of pesticides, fertilizers and "boosting" agents used by commercial growers. Again, whatever is tossed on those veggies and fruits can find their way into your body. Granted some of these chemicals can be washed off. But consider veggies and fruits that are lightly waxed, like cucumbers and apples. These veggies and fruits are waxed for a number of reasons including to help preserve them because waxing prevents them from drying out and to make them look pretty because waxing gives them an attractive shine. How much of the pesticides are trapped between the peel and the wax coating? So I guess you could peel the apple before eating it. BUT the peels contain nutrients, like pectin which has been shown to be beneficial to our health.

So, if you really want to be careful about the foods you ingest, you should not only buy organic meats, but also organically grown vegetables, fruits, grains and products made from organic vegetables, fruits and grains.

[cleochatra]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Excellent point, megs... as per usual!

[not2late]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Oh yeah, I forgot to add....

I get my protein mainly from poultry, fish and seafood. While I would be happier if I got the majority of those proteins from fish and seafood, I can't for contamination reasons. All fish and all seafood are contaminated with "heavy metals" like lead, arsenic and with other chemicals because we've used the water as a trash dump. Farmed fish and seafood have the same or more (depending on the source you read) contaminates as do their "wild" counterparts.

So, I guess the lesson is to be careful with any food we eat and don't get stuck into the rut of only eating the same foods over and over and over again. Doing that will only increase your exposure to these food contaminates.

Editing to add...

Some of you might wonder what "boosting" agents are. These are chemicals commercial growers add to those plants in order for them to reach ripeness on time to send to the market. One of these boosting agents is magnesium sulfate, Epsom salts. Commercial growers will add that to the plant water in order to make veggies and fruits like tomatoes ripen faster.

Which leads me to the other point about commercially grown fruits and veggies. Many veggies and fruits ripen after being picked. So in order to satisfy market demands, these veggies and fruits are picked immature and are forced to mature (they gas them) so that when they reach your supermarket they are "ripe". That's why a supermarket tomato tastes like cardboard in comparison to a tomato you grow yourself and you pick as vine-ripe. Some people believe that these "forced" veggies and fruits have less nutrient content in comparison to their garden-to-plate counterparts. Moreover, as fruits and veggies sit, they lose nutrients.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Megs, how much do you think you can trust the "Organic" vegetables you can purchase at the grocery store? Like you said, what ever is in the soil goes into the plant, whether or not the Gardener put it there or not! So how do they certify those veggies? do they go on how they were grown, or do they actually test the individual veggies to see what they contain.

I'm guess I'm kind of a skeptic, because I think it would be almost impossible to truly grow a vegetable in this day and age w/o something bad getting in to it.

[not2late]

Re: Speaking of Red Meat

Megs, how much do you think you can trust the "Organic" vegetables you can purchase at the grocery store? Like you said, what ever is in the soil goes into the plant, whether or not the Gardener put it there or not! So how do they certify those veggies? do they go on how they were grown, or do they actually test the individual veggies to see what they contain.

I'm guess I'm kind of a skeptic, because I think it would be almost impossible to truly grow a vegetable in this day and age w/o something bad getting in to it.

That's a very valid concern MoG. The government has "standards" for the organic label.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/FactSheets/LabelingE.html

Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.

I'm sure they have a protocol for these inspections, but I don't know what they are. If the inspection includes soil testing and random testing of the produce, it would make me feel better than the inspector just making sure all the fertilizer bags in Joe Organic's shed don't contain sewage sludge and other things....

Anyhow, here's a link to the kinds of bacteria and the veggies and fruit they've been found on. And another on the pesticide contaminated ones.
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/safety/
http://drbenkim.com/articles-pesticides.html

The one thing about growing your own is that you can get your soil analysed if you want to and you can control the amount (if any) pesticides and other additives used on your crops. I don't use pesticides on my food plants. Well...let me qualify that. I use "pesticides" in the form of companion plants. Companion plants are plants that have natural pesticide properties like marigolds and calendulas. By growing these companion plants with other plants, you reduce the pest population attacking your plants. I also use natural predators like praying mantis and lady bugs (they eat aphids).

That's just my personal hang-ups about pesticides and things of that nature.