I love meat. Oh, how I love meat. The worst thing about being pregnant (and for me, that was a looooong list) was having to eat beef well-done. Yuck. Even the best chef has trouble keeping a well-done steak tender. Don't tell the pregnancy police, but I ordered my meat medium when I was gestating Babydoll. I also ate Brie, lunch meat and drank coffee. Once, I had some spicy tuna roll. Shocking, I know. Before I go off on a tangent, let me get to the point of today's blog:
Grass-fed beef. Have you had it? It is beef at its finest. It is also expensive, and can be difficult to track down, especially if you live in a barren region like I do. The meat you buy at the grocery store is likely to come from factory farms. And guess what? Factory farms are bad news. Here's why (you know I love a list!):
1. Cows are herbivores. By nature, they eat grass. Animals raised in factory farms are fed an unnatural diet (soy, genetically modified grains), and sometimes their feed even contains garbage, candy, chicken by-product, and until 1997, by-products from other cows. Oh yeah, dude. I'm serious. How disgusting is that? Scientists are fairly certain that is how Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (aka Mad Cow Disease) came to be. Now that you're retching, allow me to continue.
2. If you've driven in the country, you've most likely passed by fields where cattle are strolling in the sunshine, grazing on grass, mooing contentedly. These are happy cows. The meat at your grocery store? It doesn't come from these cows. Cattle in factory farms are kept in confinement pens (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs). All the time. They don't graze. They don't roam. If the pen is outside, they might get some sunshine...if the cow on top of them falls down.
3. As you can imagine, animals confined this way are at greater risk of disease. Factory farmers combat this by adding antibiotics, hormones and steroids to their feed. Like rBST in your milk, those antibiotics, steroids and hormones end up in your meat. Ew. And when your body is exposed to a constant stream of antibiotics, it builds up a resistance. Resistance means that any antibiotics your doctor prescribes you may not work; resistance also causes bacteria to evolve into stronger and stronger strains.
4. Factory farm workers are often undocumented immigrants. The hazardous work environments present on factory farms go unreported because illegal workers think they have no employment rights. It's ironic, isn't it? Millions of Americans are against illegal immigration, but every cheeseburger you bite into supports it. In the words of my brother, "Check yourself, fool."
I could go into greater detail about the health hazards of factory meat, but Babydoll will be waking up soon, and I'd really rather get into the awesomeness of grass-fed beef. I'll keep it short and sweet:
1. Grass-fed beef is leaner. In fact, it generally contains about the same amount of fat as a boneless, skinless chicken breast. It also has fewer calories than grain-fed beef. Woot!
2. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is amazing. It's been shown to help reduce cancer risks, among other benefits. The meat from grass-fed cattle has five times more CLA than grain-fed beef. Woot!
3. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant; it helps lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. Grass-fed beef is four times higher in vitamin E than grain-fed beef. Woot!
Now for the bummer: grass-fed meat is rarely available in a conventional grocery store. If you want to make the switch, or even just try it once, look for a Whole Foods in your area. Just a heads-up: be prepared to pay at least twice what you're used to paying for beef. It is completely worth it, I promise. Perhaps the cost will influence your family to go meatless once or twice a week (I'll write about that in the coming weeks). If you don't have a Whole Foods in your area, check out my new favorite website EatWild. It's a comprehensive list of pasture-based farms selling beef, pork, chicken, lamb, eggs and dairy either in your region or willing to ship to your door (I've found this be a cost-effective choice, if you have the freezer space).
*When you go to cook your super awesome grass-fed beef, make sure you cook it to about 10 degrees below your preferred temperature. I'm not sure why, and Babydoll is doing her "I'm awake, Mama!" cooing, so I can't Google it for you. I just know that I almost ruined a pair of very pricy filet mignon steaks on Valentine's Day by overcooking them. Our medium steaks turned out to be medium-well, even though my very accurate thermometer registered them at 135 degrees.
Got some meaty questions? Let me know.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
rBGH...rBST...WTF?
BD asked me this morning what was the difference between rBGH and rBST...uhhhhh. Hmmmm. I knew that GH stood for Growth Hormone, and that was the extent of my knowledge. I don't drink milk due to lactose intolerance, and I skip a lot of other dairy products, too (except cheese. Oh, the bliss of a good French Brie).
So I turned to my old friend, Google. What did we ever do before Google? I vaguely recall something called an encyclopedia. But you had to go to the library (remember those?), and find the right volume and OPEN a book. That's just too much work.
rBGH stands for recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. rBST stands for recombinant Bovine Somatotropin. Both are a synthetic hormone (marketed as Posilac and originally manufactured by Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the history of the world) that is injected into dairy cows to increase their milk production. Obviously, more milk equals more profit for dairy farmers. So where's the harm in it?
Soooo glad you asked!
1. It's bad for the cows. Use of the synthetic hormone increases mastitis in dairy cows, decreases their fertility, and can cause foot problems, among a whole host of other disorders, but it only increases the cow's milk production by 10%. In Canada, use of rBST is banned because its use has been deemed cruel to animals. Canada, I heart you.
2. Cows that have mastitis secrete pus. Cows that have mastitis receive antibiotics to combat the infection. Both of those end up in the milk. Yes. Gross.
3. The synthetic hormone is made using a genetically engineered e. Coli. Yes, that e. Coli.
4. The countries belonging to the European Union prohibit meat and dairy containing rBST/rBGH. They also prohibit the import of all meat and dairy products from the United States. You know why? Because our FDA says rBGH/rBST is safe, and the EU doesn't trust the FDA (nor should they, but I'll write about that another time). Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have also banned the use of rBGH/rBST because their studies have shown that the impact on both the animals and on humans is highly damaging.
5. Humans who consume dairy and meat products containing rBGH/rBST have exhibited greater likelihood of developing breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Mmmmmm, cancer-milk. That same synthetic hormone blocks the body's natural early defenses against microscopic cancer cells.
6. Studies are beginning to show that children who drink rBGH/rBST milk begin puberty earlier than children who drink organic milk. We're talking as early as age 6. 6!!! That's first graders with breasts and acne. 50 years ago, children began puberty around the age of 13. 50 years ago, hormones weren't added to our food. See the connection?
You need to know what's in your food. You really need to know what's in your children's food. If you don't already regularly read labels when grocery shopping, you should start. Milk and other dairy products are just the tip of the iceberg. Major retailers, such as Wal-Mart, actually stopped carrying rBST/rBGH milk due to consumer demand. That's huge. But it doesn't stop with milk. Most cheese and butter made in the US contains the hormone-milk. Check.The.Label.
Oh, and when you do check the label, you might see this phrase: "The FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk from rBST-treated and untreated cows." Uh, FDA, please allow me to call bullshit on you. The reason why all dairy products manufactured without the hormone have this labeling? Because Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the history of the world, filed suit against Oakhurst Dairy of Maine, claiming that Oakhurst utilized "unfair business practices" when it labeled its milk as having no artificial growth hormone. As part of the settlement, Oakhurst, and all dairies, had to begin using the above statement on its packaging.
Yeah, dude.
So there is the answer to BD's question. Do you have anything you'd like me to research? Ask and you shall receive, my friend.
So I turned to my old friend, Google. What did we ever do before Google? I vaguely recall something called an encyclopedia. But you had to go to the library (remember those?), and find the right volume and OPEN a book. That's just too much work.
rBGH stands for recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. rBST stands for recombinant Bovine Somatotropin. Both are a synthetic hormone (marketed as Posilac and originally manufactured by Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the history of the world) that is injected into dairy cows to increase their milk production. Obviously, more milk equals more profit for dairy farmers. So where's the harm in it?
Soooo glad you asked!
1. It's bad for the cows. Use of the synthetic hormone increases mastitis in dairy cows, decreases their fertility, and can cause foot problems, among a whole host of other disorders, but it only increases the cow's milk production by 10%. In Canada, use of rBST is banned because its use has been deemed cruel to animals. Canada, I heart you.
2. Cows that have mastitis secrete pus. Cows that have mastitis receive antibiotics to combat the infection. Both of those end up in the milk. Yes. Gross.
3. The synthetic hormone is made using a genetically engineered e. Coli. Yes, that e. Coli.
4. The countries belonging to the European Union prohibit meat and dairy containing rBST/rBGH. They also prohibit the import of all meat and dairy products from the United States. You know why? Because our FDA says rBGH/rBST is safe, and the EU doesn't trust the FDA (nor should they, but I'll write about that another time). Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have also banned the use of rBGH/rBST because their studies have shown that the impact on both the animals and on humans is highly damaging.
5. Humans who consume dairy and meat products containing rBGH/rBST have exhibited greater likelihood of developing breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Mmmmmm, cancer-milk. That same synthetic hormone blocks the body's natural early defenses against microscopic cancer cells.
6. Studies are beginning to show that children who drink rBGH/rBST milk begin puberty earlier than children who drink organic milk. We're talking as early as age 6. 6!!! That's first graders with breasts and acne. 50 years ago, children began puberty around the age of 13. 50 years ago, hormones weren't added to our food. See the connection?
You need to know what's in your food. You really need to know what's in your children's food. If you don't already regularly read labels when grocery shopping, you should start. Milk and other dairy products are just the tip of the iceberg. Major retailers, such as Wal-Mart, actually stopped carrying rBST/rBGH milk due to consumer demand. That's huge. But it doesn't stop with milk. Most cheese and butter made in the US contains the hormone-milk. Check.The.Label.
Oh, and when you do check the label, you might see this phrase: "The FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk from rBST-treated and untreated cows." Uh, FDA, please allow me to call bullshit on you. The reason why all dairy products manufactured without the hormone have this labeling? Because Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the history of the world, filed suit against Oakhurst Dairy of Maine, claiming that Oakhurst utilized "unfair business practices" when it labeled its milk as having no artificial growth hormone. As part of the settlement, Oakhurst, and all dairies, had to begin using the above statement on its packaging.
Yeah, dude.
So there is the answer to BD's question. Do you have anything you'd like me to research? Ask and you shall receive, my friend.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Hoppin' on the bloggin' bandwagon.
Okay. I give. I'll start a blog.
I follow several blogs. Most of them are written by fellow parents, like Chiarore, Danoah, Bree, and (you must read this lady's blog) Pregnant Chicken. When I need ideas, advice, info, a laugh, I love reading others' blogs. So why not start my own?
BD and I gave birth (well, *I* gave birth. Nobody else gets credit for that slice of hell.) to our daughter, Babydoll, on December 28, 2010. Today, she is six weeks old. She is, of course, the most amazing child ever in the history of the world. Witness her cuteness and you'll agree.
See? How freakin' cute is that kid??? Her cute factor increases daily. She's also an awesome baby...sleeps a lot, eats well, smiles and coos, and is only occasionally fussy. But I digress.
So we've got this kid, and it occurred to me, while pregnant, that we've got to make the world a better place for her. The purpose of my bloggin' is to document my efforts to green up our household. Got any suggestions for me? Send me a note. By the way, I hate the phrase "Shoot me an email." I can't explain why I hate it, I just do. So I'll never use it, and if I hear it from you, you should duck and cover.
I'm gonna watch "Food, Inc." now. If you haven't seen it, Netflix it. Be prepared to change the way you eat, shop for groceries, view Corporate America, etc.
I follow several blogs. Most of them are written by fellow parents, like Chiarore, Danoah, Bree, and (you must read this lady's blog) Pregnant Chicken. When I need ideas, advice, info, a laugh, I love reading others' blogs. So why not start my own?
BD and I gave birth (well, *I* gave birth. Nobody else gets credit for that slice of hell.) to our daughter, Babydoll, on December 28, 2010. Today, she is six weeks old. She is, of course, the most amazing child ever in the history of the world. Witness her cuteness and you'll agree.
So we've got this kid, and it occurred to me, while pregnant, that we've got to make the world a better place for her. The purpose of my bloggin' is to document my efforts to green up our household. Got any suggestions for me? Send me a note. By the way, I hate the phrase "Shoot me an email." I can't explain why I hate it, I just do. So I'll never use it, and if I hear it from you, you should duck and cover.
I'm gonna watch "Food, Inc." now. If you haven't seen it, Netflix it. Be prepared to change the way you eat, shop for groceries, view Corporate America, etc.
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