In The Physiology of Taste, written in 1825, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote,
"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." This is the origin of
the popular phrase, "You are what you eat." It’s no secret that America is
facing an unprecedented obesity epidemic. So, just what are Americans eating?
Cows fed Junk Food
According to an article in
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the average American eats about 44 kg
(about 97 pounds) of beef every year. That number may be shocking to some people. However,
it’s not nearly as shocking as the news
reported by The Daily Green concerning the latest addition to the diet of the
American cow: "potato chip and chocolate waste not fit for the junk food aisle at the
grocery store."
That’s right. Farmers are feeding cattle potato chips and chocolate scraps. Ever
wonder what happens to those broken potato chips and chocolate candies? It’s bad
enough that many children are permitted by their parents to eat this kind of junk food.
Now, to make matters worse, they are experiencing even more ill health-effects through a
meat-based diet, courtesy of farmers whose primary concern is turning a huge profit.
Cows Should eat Grass
Ask a little kid what a cow is supposed to eat, and the little kid will almost always give
the correct response: grass. What’s up with American farmers? Why are they so
confused? Studies
have shown that beef produced from cows that eat the diet that nature intended is much
more beneficial to human health.
What Else are Cows Eating?
However, cows have been given things like corn to fatten them up quickly for the last
fifty years, according to The Daily Green, but corn is something that isn’t
easily digested by cows. In fact, eating corn creates an acidic environment in the cow’s
stomach that encourages the growth of E.coli. This, of course, requires the cow to be
treated with antibiotics.
Of course, cows are also given growth hormones, and CNN reports that some farmers think
regular feed is too expensive and are feeding their cattle chicken manure. (Maybe it's so
expensive because it’s irradiated -- most animal feeds are irradiated, too.) If that’s
not bad enough, the FDA allows all
sorts of chemicals, contaminants, drug residues, and euthanized animals in animal feed. By
the way, it’s no secret that many of the drugs found in animal feed are linked to
weight gain. Anyone hungry?
You Are What You Eat
For those who think they can escape all of this ugliness by eating organic beef, think
again. While eating organic, grass-fed beef is certainly healthier than eating the meat of
cows that have been fed corn, chicken manure, chocolate, potato chips, euthanized animals,
and irradiated feed laden with chemical residues, organically-raised cows still have to go
to the slaughterhouse. For a great description of what happens at the slaughterhouse, be
sure to read the chapter entitled "The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet" in
the book called Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the FDA is pretty worthless when it
comes to protecting the health of the American people. The FDA even allows chemicals to be
added to meat to make it look nice and red at the grocery store so that it will appear
fresher longer. You are what you eat. Looking at the backsides of most Americans walking
down the street, this is most certainly true. (naturalnews, 9.12.2008, Joanne Waldron (see all articles by this author)
http://www.naturalnews.com/z024168.html
About author
Joanne Waldron is a computer scientist with a passion for writing and sharing
health-related news and information with others. She runs the Naked Wellness: The Gentle
Health Revolution forum, which is devoted to achieving radiant health, well-being, and
longevity.