You are what you eat.

My plan to take a weekend break from blogging has been interrupted in a very sad way. I guess what happened this morning is a sign that I should enlighten people about mass produced food. Since there is really no gentle way to approach this, I am just going to jump right in...

We all know about the steroids, hormones and antibiotics that are pumped into the meat we eat, but most don't understand why. I don't know about every animal, so I will just touch on the ones that I have read about. Cows for one, are now being fed corn (instead of grass) and a grain mixture of cow, chicken and pork parts. This poor diet that the cow's body is not designed for results in their bodies basically rebelling (this is where the antibiotics come in). Also most the mass produced meat everyone eats is raised in a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation). These CAFOs have been described as human cities long before the days of modern sanitation (14th century London). Since they are crowded in together and unhealthy from eating the wrong food for their bodies - they need more antibiotics. For cows, they are fed corn because, well, everything we eat is based from corn - we have a surplus of it and it must be used. Corn offers cheap calories to get cows fat and produce "nicely" marbleized meat for a growing human population. They also need steroids and hormones, because they need to get fat faster. I could really go on all day about how poorly the animals are treated, how disgusting the conditions are, etc. but I have plans so I will just tell you the end result of us basically pissing on Mother Nature. The manure from these corn fed cows can't be used. In fact, there have been reports of fish in streams that get some run-off from CAFO cow manure having abnormal sex characteristics. So, a farm essential - manure - is now toxic waste. Also do not be naive - the USDA, the FDA, all of the government organizations that were started to "protect" us - approve of this. I hope that this gave you some understanding of where your cheeseburger you got at the bar last night came from.

Now for pigs, yes again, antibiotics, steroids and hormones. Everyone knows the diet for mass produced pork is unfathomably disgusting, but I personally think the worst part is how they are treated. Pigs are smart animals (believe it or not, they are smarter than any dog). Since they are intelligent, being crammed into a CAFO with other pigs, injected with chemicals and forced to eat food they normally wouldn't does not go over well. A common reaction has been frustration, so when they have another pig's tail in their face all day they tend to bite it. The other pig being indifferent to it's miserable CAFO life does not stop the biting. The end result - infection -this means death (wasted meat) or a need for antibiotics. So to avoid the cost of antibiotics or wasted prematurely dead meat - they are now snipping pigs tails down to a point where if another miserable pigs bites it, it will hurt like hell. This pain results in the normally indifferent, depressed pig to squeal and get the biter off of them. End result - no wasted meat or antibiotics, but a lot of pain for the intelligent, now depressed pig. You are what you eat people...

Now for the egg laying hen. This is the animal I know the least about. I do know, however, when you eat mass produced eggs they are coming from the worst conditions of all. These hens are kept in tiny cages and will never spread their wings as long as they live. Again, you are what you eat...

Just to make it clear - I loves me some meat. Steak, bacon, chicken, all of it is very yummy. But, since I know these things about mass produced meat and I will not eat just anything. It needs to be from a local farm. I feel this industrialized meat we are eating is to blame for a lot of our Western diseases. Depression is on the rise - gee could it because we are eating depressed, really lifeless animals...We have super bugs like MRSA - could it be because we load our bodies full of antibiotics every time we get a steak at Outback? Just something to think about. If you are interested in eating an animal who has lived a full, happy life just go to eatwild.com. You can find local farmers there. And, no, your organic store is not cutting it. They found a niche and it is now industrialized too, but this topic is for another day.

For those of you who still think these animals are just dumb and lifeless, what I saw this morning proved otherwise. Take a look for yourself. Do big, dumb animals mourn the deaths of others? The cow in the water died while in labor (my landlords did not get to her in time), the cow in the back has been by her side, staring all day. I am sad about this cow and her baby's death, but I am at peace knowing that she lived a full, happy life eating grass - the way Mother Nature (a.k.a. God intended).




The point I am trying to make with this is that regardless of whether or not it's edible we are all God's creatures and we should respect life in general. Americans are so desensitized and just look at food like something to be consumed without any thought for what life was given for it to be on their plate. No wonder we are all obese - half the stuff we eat does not even have any life energy left in it. Native Americans always believed that the buffalo and the plants gave themselves to people to be eaten. They respected what God gave to them and looked at their dinner as a life that was sacrificed. People need to start moving away from this mass consumption before there is nothing left but cancer. It is time to start respecting all of God's creatures, it is time to start supporting your local farmers and it is time to move away from America's industrialized food chain.