Humans have eaten meat for food since the dawn of man and it has always remained a major source of protein. In recent years we have witnessed a monumental shift from diets based primarily on carnivorous habits to vegetarian and vegan diets. Health rhetoric, news and medical reports constantly advocate the superiority of vegetarian and vegan diets over meat-based ones. But are the answers really that black and white? Trying to find out where the real truth lies can be difficult.
Research shows that strictly vegetarian and vegan diets can be considered unhealthy in many ways, especially when care is not taken to ensure adequate daily intake of vitamins, nutrients and minerals. This statement in no way endorses diets that lack an adequate supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and sprouted whole grains; it just means that diets that include healthy meats in moderation are likely to provide the best nutritional support for most people.
Since all people are slightly different in various biological aspects and needs, you should take extra care in tailoring your diet to the specific needs of your body. The Metabolic Type Diet is an excellent book that does not illustrate a "fad diet" but rather a guide to observing and deciding which foods work best for one's needs by using the right types of foods in the right amounts.
So the problem with meat isn't that all meat is unhealthy. The problem is how most meat is produced and what quantities of meat are demanded and therefore consumed by the public. Many factors in meat farming have changed since the dawn of time. The reality of factory farm conditions (which produce meat under the most appalling conditions available) should be a clear wake-up call to anyone who claims to be a thinking human being. The amount of waste, disease, animal cruelty, health and environmental damage caused by the mere presence of factory farming should be enough for most citizens to rise up and rampage.
"Environmental damage from factory farming costs the United States more than $34.7 billion a year," Environmental Protection Agency
Because the culture of our society is so tied to consumption, it is not easy to change opinions and habits. But the momentum is already underway. Look in local communities in newspapers, bookstores, health food stores and online. You will be surprised to find groups of people committed to cleaning up current farming practices and making changes in many different places.
It's not too difficult to find documentation showing the damage done to our planet by the existence of industrial or commercial farms. As communities grew in wealth, so did the demand for more and more products, including meat. To create this horribly mutated food product, we've destroyed millions of acres of rainforest and other valuable land, increased the cultivation of soybeans, corn, and grains to have enough food for animals, and significantly increased our petroleum consumption to transport both animal feed and meat has contributed to the global greenhouse gas problem and has led to the development of superbugs and other drug-resistant strains of disease due to environmental conditions Dirt in facilities that administer continuous doses of antibiotics and other drugs.
The issue of livestock feed is of crucial importance. Cattle are not designed to eat grain, soybeans and corn. These animals are meant to eat grass, and too often that is the exception rather than the rule. When cattle eat grass, the meat is lower in fat and therefore lower in calories. Grass-fed meat also contains the right amounts of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which keep the cardiovascular system working.
Studies also show that "eggs from free-range hens can contain up to 10 times more omega-3 fatty acids" than birds raised in a feeder house. The American diet is saturated with too much omega 6 and omega 9, which upsets the body's delicate balance. This change in the amount of omega-3 fatty acids can also contribute to cancer.
Factors associated with industrially farmed meat have adverse effects on the health of ordinary people and the environment. As a nation, we are in a health crisis. No trivial amount can be tied to how the process of meat production has transformed its once natural methods and positive impact on the earth into something that hardly resembles real farming.
One way to solve some of these problems would be to reduce meat consumption. In the United States, meat consumption is about 200 pounds (including fish and poultry) per person per year. Changing meat consumption levels should be based on massive educational efforts and a change in basic philosophies about meat consumption. It's not really about eliminating meat altogether. The key is moderation and wise efforts to produce healthy, high-quality meat from animals that have been treated humanely. We must demand quality instead of quantity; that is, meat raised under humane and wholesome conditions. The result would be lower meat production rates and consequently less wastage of natural resources such as oil, water and animal feed and ultimately a significant reduction in the presence of greenhouse gases in our environment.
In most areas, consumers can do research to find out which farmers produce and sell organic grass-fed meat. Look in health magazines, health food stores, and online. Health food stores in many areas often carry a selection of healthy meats. By supporting these farmers and traders, you are affirming what matters to agriculture and health. They also allow these entrepreneurs to continue their business so you have healthy meat for the future. Remember, the less commercially produced, factory-farmed meat you buy, the more obvious it becomes that people are demanding healthy meat on their tables.
From a health and economic point of view, animal grazing and grazing makes more sense compared to mass-raised animals where disease and disease are prevalent. It's easy to see why animals raised organically and naturally for meat should be the preferred alternative to the status quo of factory and commercial farms. To learn more about the dangers of factory farming, get involved and make change, visit The World Animal Foundation. You can also learn how you can be instrumental in helping bring about important changes in the law by visiting the petitions page and signing an important petition to end factory farming.
You can read thousands of reports describing the horrific damage that meat consumption (red meat being the most specific) has done to our health, from the colon and digestive system to the cardiovascular system and other body systems. What many studies fail to mention is that these problems stem from the massive consumption of meat raised in unsanitary conditions. Studies like these advocate eating poultry and fish over red meat, but don't worry about whether the meat from these animals is even safe to eat. Chickens and turkeys raised on average fattening farms do not offer better meat options than their red meat counterparts under similar conditions. If we changed the levels of meat consumption and the way our meat was raised, we would see a tremendous change in the health and well-being of everyone, from ourselves to the entire planet.
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