Factory Farming
The big names in American agriculture would like you to believe that your strip steak, salmon filet, scrambled eggs and bacon came from healthy, happy animals raised on good, old-fashioned family farms. But, as more Americans are coming to realize, behind those perfectly cellophane-wrapped meats, bright white eggs and plastic milk gallons are tales so gruesome and downright shocking that it's a surprise Hollywood has yet to make it a movie about it.
"It" is agribusiness, the term given to describe the mass production of meats, poultry, fish, eggs and milk in America today, and it's the topic of Ken Midkiff's new book, The Meat You Eat: How Corporate Farming Has Endangered America's Food Supply -- a book that absolutely every American who values their health, eats meat, believes in humanity, and/or values our environment should read!
If you've never heard about the unethical conditions and extreme environmental toll of factory farms or the many unsavory and dangerous additives to mass-produced meats and animal products, then be prepared for a huge wakeup call when you read this important book. And for those who have, this book will open your eyes to the real problem at hand-large and incredibly powerful corporations who are in control of the food supply-and offer you a solution that you can really use.
Unsavory Mass Farming Statistics ... Did You Know?
* About 70 percent of all antibiotics and similar drugs produced in the United States are given to livestock and poultry?
* Arsenic and selenium are sometimes added to livestock feed to stimulate appetite?
* Sanderson Farms, a chicken plant that is ranked 24th on the EPA's list of the largest polluters in the country, and whose Web site says, "100% Chicken. Naturally," released 2,195,343 pounds of toxic wastes into neighboring waterways?
* 3% of U.S. farms generate 62% of all agricultural production?
* An average farmed salmon steak contains nearly 10 times more toxic PCBs than a wild salmon steak?
The message of "The Meat You Eat" comes through loud and clear: Large corporations have taken over the production of food in America and, unless we get control back to the small farmers who take pride in producing healthy food from happy animals, our food supplies, our environment and our own bodies will suffer.
It is quite apparent that Ken Midkiff has done extensive homework on the topic (and, as he is the Sierra Club's Clean Water Campaign Director, has access to some "insider" facts), as this book is not a "rant" but instead is supported throughout by researched insights. Here are just a few of the examples that Midkiff cites:
* In McDonald County, Mississippi, where 13 million broiler chickens and hundreds of thousands of turkeys are produced, every stream is on a government "impaired water body" list.
* The smells coming from one hog farm, with some 80,000 hogs, in Missouri forced many residents to buy air conditioners because they could no longer open their windows for fresh air.
* School officials in an Ohio-town that's home to a chicken plant with 15 million chickens struggled just to keep flies away from students.
Clearly the environment cannot take too much more of this abuse before permanent damage sets in, but if this is the damage being done to the environment, imagine the damage being done to our bodies. Animals on factory farms -- this includes cows, pigs and fish -- are not raised to provide healthy food sources ? they're raised to make the maximum amount of money possible.
Maximum profit is why they are fed sub-par foods like grains, pumped full of antibiotics and hormones to fend of the diseases that fester in the large warehouses and make them grow quickly. Maximum profit is why they are raised in toxic environments full of animal wastes and chemicals, and then sometimes, as in the case of milk and some eggs, are pasteurized or heat treated to kill off dangerous pathogens (that are there in the first place because the conditions are so toxic).
In the end, as Midkiff makes clear in "The Meat You Eat," the animals suffer, the environment suffers, and the health of you and your loved ones suffers.
Let's Give Our Kids a Chance
At this rate, it seems that factory farms will soon make family farms a thing of the past, and our children and generations to come will not have access to the clean sources of food that many of us took for granted.
Farmland
One of the best parts of "The Meat You Eat" is a resource section in the back to find small, sustainable farmers in your area. These are the types of farmers that the big corporations draw pictures of on their product labels; the real "family" farms that our society is forcing into extinction. There is a listing for every state.
Aside from being free of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and other chemicals, animals that are raised on pasture, or on small, sustainable farms are happier and healthier:
* Factory-farmed cattle fed grains are more susceptible to E. Coli and other bacterial infections
* Meat from pasture-raised animals is lower in calories and "bad" omega-6 fats and higher in "good" omega-3 and CLA fats
* Eggs from poultry raised on pasture have 10% less fat, 40% more vitamin A and 400% more omega-3
* Factory-farmed animals live in highly stressful and inhumane conditions, making them predisposed to illness and food-borne pathogens
No matter what your personal political affiliation, SixWise.com urges everyone to take the time to read The Meat You Eat -- it's a quick read (the chapters are even broken down into easily manageable sections titled Big Pig, Big Chicken and Big Egg, Big Milk, Big Beef and Big Fish), an important read, and one that can help lead to a positive transformation in both a big-picture and personal sense.
"We have given up to the agribusiness corporations a crucial part of our responsibility as human beings and we must now think of ways to take it back."
- Wendell Berry, from the Foreword
From the FREE SixWise.com e-newsletter, the Web's #1 most read newsletter with original articles in all 6 areas of life leading to complete wellness.
DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant and... Read More
At any grocery store in North America right now, there... Read More
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the... Read More
Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More
It slows ageing, promotes healthy vision, has anti-cancer properties, increases... Read More
Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More
Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition program.... Read More
Cherries?A Supercharged FruitThe little red fruit that has been enjoyed... Read More
We know we need to eat a minimum of 5... Read More
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
If you're suffering from constipation, you are no doubt looking... Read More
Cholesterol. What images come to mind when you see this... Read More
Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you... Read More
What if there was a combination of foods that were... Read More
Recently, trans fats have risen to the forefront of the... Read More
How often do you pick up items at the grocery... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Glucosamine is readily produced in the human body and is... Read More
The Food Pyramid, first introduced to the US in 1992,... Read More
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according... Read More
Many of us sprinkle oregano on our pizza and stews... Read More
Eating orange mean absorbing vitamin C to our body, is... Read More
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a dangerous condition that can... Read More
Having a personal wellness program has become a concern for... Read More
If you want to build muscle, lose body fat or... Read More
Many people avoid avocados thinking them to be fattening, but... Read More
People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of... Read More
Do you know your ph? By getting ph strips at... Read More
Please feel free to comment, so that the article may... Read More
The reason I remember the first time I was served... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
America's major dietary deficiency - EFA a panacea for good... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
These are questions we have to ask ourselves? because after... Read More
What ancient tribes and people of the Amazon have known... Read More
You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you?You... Read More
I start from the premise that eating instinctively means eating... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
You know about Vitamins A,C, D, E ,and the B's... Read More
When it comes to food, we can't ignore the facts... Read More
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a dangerous condition that can... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
Beverages - and not just alcohol - are a significant... Read More
To research the health risks Sweet 'N Low and other... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
We know we need to eat a minimum of 5... Read More
Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention... Read More
Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body... Read More
Do you know your ph? By getting ph strips at... Read More
Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More
This is usually the forgotten element of most mass programs.... Read More
"What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional... Read More
Your Non-Conscious Mind is 98% of your full power. Over... Read More
The natural antioxidants in Oat Bran can significantly reduce blood... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
I first learned of Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI) in... Read More
The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has... Read More
The concept isometric has been a part of the health... Read More
Who suffers from Eating Disorders?Eating Disorder sufferers are male and... Read More
We sometimes hear about ways that we can take care... Read More
In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
You may have heard that essential fats are an important... Read More
Recently yet another super-heavyweight Iron Immortal died from a heart... Read More
Nutrition |