Meat and Eggs

The protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients supplied by meat are all great for us, and meats should be a part of most people’s diets. That said, the meat on the grocery store shelves these days leaves a lot to be desired. From chickens to turkeys to cows to pigs, pretty much every animal we eat is subjected to a horrifying series of hormone injections, antibiotics and other drugs, forced feeding (with pesticide laden food), forced inactivity and other inhumane practices that fatten these animals up as quickly as possible so that they can be brought to market for more profit. Of course, all of these practices result in violently unhealthy animals who are subject to high rates of infection, cancer, and other diseases. All of this is well known by the FDA, and the terribly harmful effects of these practices on the animals are well documented. They remain legal because the position of the FDA and the food manufacturers is that none of them make meat any less nutritious or healthful.

This is pretty absurd. We know that the hormones and drugs we pump into animals end up in their meat, and, thus, inside our bodies. Eating a steady supply of hormones and antibiotics is bound to play havoc with the chemistry of the gut. For instance, the antibiotics in commercial meat probably kill off our normal flora – the healthy bacteria that protect us from infection. No one knows what the effect of consuming 2nd hand hormones in meat is over the course of a lifetime. The fact that there isn’t “hard evidence” that it does us harm is cold comfort. We’re fond of reminding people that there was no “hard evidence” that smoking was harmful for decades, and through the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s we heard the same dodges from cigarette companies that we hear from commercial food companies now.

In addition to all of the artificial chemicals they are pumped full of, the horrible conditions that commercial meat animals are raised under place them under constant stress. Their bodies are awash in stress chemicals 24-7. All of these chemicals end up in their meat as well, and we consume them.

Leaving the chemical details aside, it makes basic sense that healthier animals are going to produce healthier meat. For one thing, wild animals have much leaner meat than commercially raised, force fed animals. Animal fats, while good for us in moderation, are damaging to our health when we consume too many of them. Industrially fattened commercial meat animals pack a lot more fat onto our plate and, ultimately, onto our bodies. In addition, the fat in commercially raised animals is of very different quality than the fat in wild animals. For one thing, it has less omega 3 content (the healthiest type of fat) and more omega 6 and saturated fat content.

 If you really question whether there’s a difference, try this experiment: buy some grass fed organic ground beef from a health food store, and some commercial ground beef from a normal grocery store. Grill them both, and collect the fat that cooks out. The fat from the commercial beef has a runny, mucous like texture. The fat from the organic grass fed beef will be more solid, and more like candle wax. If the difference is that obvious to your eyes, imagine how different these fats must be to the cells of your digestive system?

 Next, consider that our bodies evolved over millions of years to digest natural fats, using them for energy and to build new cells.  Unnatural fats have been around for less than a century, and our bodies haven’t adapted to eating them. Omega -6 rich animal fats, produced by force feeding animals grans - are decidedly unnatural. A number of studies have found a correlation between eating a lot of animal fat and various diseases. Of course, all of these studies were done with commercial meat. Do you think it’s possible that the hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides in that meat, and all of the chemical differences in the fat of those animals created by their unnatural diet had something to do with the results?

In the end, you’re best off trying to stick to organic meats raised on natural foods. For cows, this means grass feed. Look for organic grass fed beef at health food stores or farmer’s markets, or shop for it online and have it shipped to you frozen. For chickens and turkeys, try to buy free range organic if possible. Even most free range birds are fed grains to fatten them up, but they're still far better for you than commerically raised birds. Organic meats are more expensive, but it’s worth it to avoid all of the issues with commercial meat. Most people do better only eating a small amount of meat anyway – maybe 5-7 ounces per day, which helps cut down the cost.

The same rules go for eggs as for meat. Look for free range organic eggs. They aren’t that expensive, so free range organic eggs can be a great way of getting quality animal protein and fat at a reasonable price. With both eggs and meat, “all natural” is generally better than commercial, but it still a long way from organic. No one regulates what “all natural” means. Organic products have to be certified according to national guidelines.

A number of local farms adhere to strict standards in the production of their meats. If you find a farm that raises their cows on grass and raises their chickens and turkeys in pastures they're probably producing very high quality meat even if they're not certified organic.