Even amidst the hype about links between red meat, cancer and cholesterol, some of us can’t deny those cravings for a good steak. But, we can avoid some of the most harmful side effects of consuming beef, if we’re conscious.
Know Your Meat
Cows are natural vegetarians and thrive on grasses. However, in an attempt to fatten and sell them quicker, some farmers supplement their diets with grain. In the worst cases, animal by-products make it into cow feed. Since cows cannot readily digest these foods, they are also given antibiotics to keep them alive.
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Say No to Sick Cows
If your roast comes from a cow that required antibiotics, you are not getting the best available meat. Europeans realized this more than 20 years ago when they discontinued the use of American meat.
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You Are What You Eat
Many people with gluten intolerance find it difficult to digest red meat. This may be linked to the cow’s diet. If the cow is eating grain – so are you. And when you cannot digest your food, you are in for a book’s worth of adverse affects.
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Say No to Sad Cows
A recent article in the Chicago Reader called “Please Kill Me,” refers to the affect a cow’s stress level has on the final product. A farmer notes that he does not want to transport his Organic Cows across town for slaughter because the trip would frustrate them and result in tough meat. Most farmers agree that cows have no memory. But, treatment at slaughter or just before slaughter can damage the cow and the consumer. Check out PETA’s website to get an idea of how animals are slaughtered in this country.
Go Beyond Organic
Consuming prime cuts of organic grass-fed beef ensures that you are getting the cream of the crop. However, eating meat leaves behind by-products that can remain in your body and feed Cancer and other illnesses.
Cultured Vegetables contain live enzymes that help your body digest meat and turn harmful by-products into essential amino acids. You may also add Digestive Enzymes to your animal protein meals for a similar affect.
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Forego the Fries
If you can muster up enough courage not to order “fries with that,” you will digest your meat faster and it will have less time to putrify and cause damage in your gut. Combining starches with animal protein can confuse your digestive acids.
But, if the bun and the fries make the meal for you, just be sure to combine your lunch with plenty of raw and/or cultured veggies. Gluten free breads and red potatoes fried in unrefined coconut oil at medium heat is an ideal alternative to “saying no” to the carbs altogether.
Best Time to Eat Your Steak
You must already be aware of nutritionist Adelle Davis famous mantra coined in the 1960s: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” Therefore, eating your steak at noon is healthier than steak at dusk because your body has more active time to break down nutrients.
Most people add side dishes to their meat meals and if you thus make your dinner heavy, you are less likely to burn those calories before you go to sleep. Your body then will store as fat what you were unable to burn off.
Gina Laverde is a Chicago-based writer and researcher whose expertise in natural health stems from her experiences with Body Ecology Diet, Blood Type Diet and homeopathic remedies. Gina believes that we’re in the midst of a serious world health crisis, and that the key to survival lies within our guts.
sam says
It’s as simple as this – If you kill to eat, what you eat will kill you
Rob says
“It’s as simple as this – If you kill to eat, what you eat will kill you”
Hmmm. How do you apply this logic to carnivorous members of the plant and animal kingdoms?
Your statement might be more accurate if phrased in the first person:
“If I kill to eat, what I eat will kill me.”
I conclude from my own experience and research that the answers are more complex than simple. Many modern meat eaters do not kill to eat, never see their food when it is alive, and do not know who raises and prepares the food. These situations can lead to quality problems and unhealthy food.
Many of the healthiest groups of people on earth consume animal foods.
The omnivorous chimpanzee, our closest genetic relative, naturally hunts meat for food. Chimp hunting activity increases when females are in reproductive cycles, and more babies survive from meat eating mothers.
Good luck in your quest.