You Are What They Eat
(Why you should care, how the animals you eat, are treated)
Living conditions:
The living conditions of the animals we eat have an effect on their health and ours. In the last 50 years, livestock have gone from living on farms to Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s). CAFO’s are crowded animal factories where animals are mistreated, fed “shit”, and injected with hormones and antibiotics. The following are how these things effect the quality of the meat and our health.
Stress:
When the animals live in a stressful environment, the meat has less flavor, tenderness and a shorter shelf life as a result.
Antibiotics:
Since the 1950’s antibiotics have been used on factory farms to increase rate of growth and to compensate for poor diet, crowded, stressful, unsanitary living conditions. Over using antibiotics, especially for non therapeutic purposes, can lead to the evolution of drug resistant bacteria. This is leading to or has already led to certain bacterial infections being untreatable in humans.
Hormones:
Artificial growth hormones are given to animals to increase meat and milk production. Dairy cows are given growth hormones to increase their milk production. When they stop producing milk they’re slaughtered for meat. Both the milk we drink and the beef we eat are laced with hormones. The 6 most common hormones used in the US are known to increased risk for prostate and colon cancer in beef eaters.
Diet:
Animals digestive systems have evolved to eat certain foods. When animals are fed foods that are not in harmony with their digestive system, the animals become unhealthy. When the animals are unhealthy, their meat is unhealthy.
In order to cut cost, here are some of what animals are fed:
•Same species meat
•Diseased animals
•Feather, hairs, skin, hooves and blood
•Manure and other animal waste
•Plastics
•Drugs and chemicals
•Unhealthy amounts of grains
So What Can I Do?
Look for labels that say….
- “Animals treated humanely”
- “Grass fed” (beef)
- “Animals not treated with hormones and antibiotics” (milk, pork, poultry, beef)
- “Free range” (eggs and poultry)
- “Vegetarian diet” (eggs poultry)
Benefits of Humanely Raised Meat…
- A grass fed diet boosts the cows health and the quality of their meat.
- Contains less total fat.
- More heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
- More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E.
- Grass fed cows contains higher ratios of healthy fats.
There’s a Reason Why…
- 1 out of every 2 people get cancer.
- Girls start getting their periods younger and younger.
- More guys are loosing their hair at a younger age.
- Antibiotic resistant strains of bacterial infections are on the rise.
The culprit could be no further than our dinner plates.
Gradel Fitness 