Facts about Animal Foods

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There has been much speculation about farm raising methods and the hormones that chicken, cattle, and pigs are injected with to increase their growth. Overcrowded farms routinely use antibiotics and sulfa medicines to prevent diseases, but the drugs can harm consumers. The result of these drugs are superstrains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which we all know is not a good thing. All the toxins found in animal foods come from overuse of chemicals. Pesticides are found in the food given to cattle, pigs, and chickens. They leak out to rivers and lakes polluting freshwater and saltwater fish species.

Steinman’s goal in publishing his book was to inform his readers of the dangers that existed in their foods. He has found that safety of foods ultimately boils down to the consumer. We are responsible for our choices because the government isn’t. Steinman says “when you know the facts, you can take action to protect yourself.”

Steinman tells us about hog and the conditions in which they were raised. “In the traditional hog barn, all this feces and urine interact with the environment and form a witches’ brew of toxic gases that includes ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. Hogs, confined  to tiny stalls, inhale these fumes twenty-four hours a day” (p. 77). These hogs become sick and begin losing weight. The solution? Ranchers go to a local feed store and buy big sacks of antibiotics because a physician’s prescription is not needed. This leaves us with sick hogs loaded with antibiotics and sulfa drugs. Not something you want on your dinner plate.

According to studies, more than 80 million hogs are slaughtered annually but only a fraction of a percent are tested for chemical residues. Antibiotics are not the only things connected with negative effects, but hormones as well. “Hormones are given to between 65 and 99 percent of the cattle raised for slaughter in the United States” (p. 79). Growth hormones are also sold over the counter without careful inspection for hormone levels in animal foods. According to medical experts, improper use of hormones can cause cancer and no doubt premature sexual development. Dr. Kenneth Stoller from the Department of Pediatrics at UCLA Medical Center, “points out that calves raised humanely, in a healthy environment with proper nutrition and exercise, do not need continual doses of antibiotics and other drugs” (p. 83).

It’s a never-ending vicious circle. Consumerism demands and if the farming industry cannot keep up then it resorts to using drugs deemed as toxic to increase output to the markets. The basic solution is to eat less meat! Steinman has already found and there are many studies that also show that a whole-foods plant-based diet is sufficient and satisfying for the human population. We just need to change our eating habits. Eating right definitely has its advantages not only on the physical human body but on the environment as well.

For more information concerning issues of animal welfare, please visit the Humane Society of the United States. The battle for “free-ranging” animals is not quite there. There are still debates and issues concerning ethics. There’s an article I came across written by James McWilliams called  An Inconvenient Truth- Free-range Meat Isn’t Natural. He addresses the issue of whether “free-ranging” is actually any different because the animals are still slaughtered for their meat.

Steinman, David. Diet for A Poisoned Planet How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print.

Facts about Fruits & Veggies

During Steinman’s research, he found out what chemicals are applied to market produce.

Photo by: cosmichealth.net

Fact #1: Wax, which contain fungicides, pesticides, carcinogens, and neurotoxins, are applied on fruits and vegetables to enhance color and preserve them. Special mild detergent are developed to help remove them.

Fact #2: Federal law requires that supermarkets disclose the presence of wax on any produce at the time of purchase.

Fact #3: If wax is not present, then fungicides are.

Fact #4: Citrus crops are fumigated after harvest. Benomyl, a post-harvest pesticide, is an animal carcinogen. Another, ortho-phenylphenol, is known to depress the immune system.

Fact #5: Dried fruits and nuts are fumigated to control beetles, flies, moths, and worms. Methyl bromide, a possible carcinogen, is applied to all chemically grown nuts and dried fruits.

Fact #6: Wild European mushrooms have excess radiation as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster as well as imported apple juice concentrate. Look for apple juice made from organically grown U.S. apples.

The big debate is whether organic is healthier for you or not. Dr. David Katz, an associate clinical professor of public health and medicine at Yale University, explains “In general, we know that the more fruits and vegetables people eat – organic or not – the healthier they tend to be. Thus the adverse health effects of such chemicals are more than offset by the benefits of eating produce. Put another way, not eating fruits and vegetables is more toxic than eating fruits and vegetables with some traces of pesticide.

Dr. Philip Landrigan, professor and chairman of the department of community and preventative medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, stated “The evidence is strong – and validated by the National Academy of Sciences – that pesticide levels in conventionally grown foods can pose a threat to human health, especially to the health of infants and children.”

Their advice? Organic food for the younger ones is a good choice. As for adults, it’s your choice. According to Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s associate professor  Keith-Thomas Ayoob, “the mountain of studies that have extolled the virtue of eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables – a lower risk of many cancers and heart disease for example – were done by looking at conventionally grown foods, not organic.”

I am striving to buy organic to avoid the chemicals, pesticides, and additives used. Plus organic farming practices contribute to reducing pollution and conserving water and soil quality. Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian with Nutrition Communication Services, advises shoppers to be smart and ask whether certain organic products are really worth it.

Childs, Dan. “Are Organic Foods Better for You?.”abcNEWS. abc NEWS Medical Unit, 11 26 2006. Web. 18 Jan 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2687094&page=1

Steinman, David. Diet for A Poisoned Planet How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print.