Chickens Are Eating Arsenic? Time to Buy Organic
Prozac. Tylenol. Benadryl. Though these may sound like the contents of a medicine cabinet, they are in fact the chemicals that are being routinely fed to industrially farmed chickens. According to Nicholas Kristof’s recent New York Times article “Arsenic in our Chicken?”, it gets worse: researchers have also discovered the presence of arsenic and banned antibiotics in poultry feathers.
As it turns out, feeding chickens trace amounts of arsenic reduces infections and improves the pinkish hue of the meat. Though there’s no evidence yet that these low levels of arsenic are harmful, the practice is still illegal in the E.U. and Canada – and as of last week, Maryland is to become the first state in the U.S. to ban arsenic in chicken feed.
As for Prozac, Tylenol, and Benadryl, Kristof reports that they are all used as sedatives to reduce anxiety among factory-farmed chickens. Crowded and often brutal conditions result in birds that are in constant distress, a state that stunts their growth and results in tougher meat. To counteract the drowsiness caused by these sedatives, chickens are also fed caffeine so they can stay awake longer and continue eating.
October is Vegetarian Awareness Month! How You Can Celebrate
Almost exactly two years ago, Integrative Nutrition founder Joshua Rosenthal discussed the nonprofit initiative, Meatless Monday right here on our blog. The movement encourages people to pledge to eat meat-free each Monday, the day most Americans begin their week and tend to set intentions for the days ahead.
This Meatless Monday is a special one, as it’s the first Monday of October: Vegetarian Awareness Month. Several organizations including the North American Vegetarian Society are urging people to abstain from meat this month, and are even offering prizes for those who make a pledge.
A vegetarian diet is one of the major dietary theories we examine at IIN, in keeping with the notion that no one diet is right for everyone. At times a major source of controversy, the decision to eat meat is a personal one. Some meat, when consumed in moderate proportions, provides an excellent source of protein and essential vitamins including zinc, iron and B12. There are also serious drawbacks to eating meat, such as the impact on the environment and health risks.
Many people choose to participate in Meatless Monday because it’s an easy way to make a difference, one day at a time. If everyone attempted to cut back on meat each Monday, we might see a major change in the environment, and in our health as a nation.
Did Your Food Come From a Farm or a Test-Tube?
Genetically Modified fruits and vegetables? Old news. The new food of the future? Test-tube-raised meat. Sound a little bit like a sci-fi movie? South Carolina scientist, Vladimir Mironov, M.D., Ph.D., doesn’t think so.
The claim?
Your hamburger will look, smell and taste just like red meat, yet it didn’t come from a cow. The idea of growing meat in a lab has a certain appeal to people who are becoming increasingly aware of the negative aspects of factory farming. If all meat is eventually grown in a lab, it would end a world of over looked animal abuse.
Mironov tells Reuters that “in-vitro meat” is the answer to an anticipated food shortage, and an end to the extreme carbon emissions that are produced from conventional farming of animals for meat. The test tube meat would reduce the need to farm animals for meat as well as provide a constant food source for the growing human population with out using a large amount of natural resources.
Meatless Monday
What’s for dinner at your house tonight? How about a meat–free dish? Just by reducing animal protein in your diet, you could lessen your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Many people have found that reducing animal protein consumption can help with low energy and sugar cravings. You can also improve the health of our environment by preserving natural resources like water and fossil fuels.
Join a growing number of people all over the country in the Meatless Monday movement and pledge to eat meat-free once a week. What will you eat in place of your meat entrée? Try incorporating more vegetables into your meal, which are high in fiber and will make you feel full and satisfied. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds are also a great meat alternative. They are high in protein, iron and magnesium and contain little to no saturated fat.
You’ll also reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.
People are confused about how to start making improvements to their health, let alone make sizable changes to the environment. Start with what you put on your dinner plate. Start today. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to make a difference. Michael Pollan recently stated on the Oprah show: “Even one meatless day a week — a meatless Monday, which is what we do in my household — if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million mid-size sedans off the road.”
Need recipe ideas? Check out Meatless Monday’s recipe page or our website. Just think about the health message you’re starting today and how you can extend it for the rest of the week. Go meatless and the possibilities are endless!
