January 21, 2017
Things to Consider
Unless you are vegan or vegetarian, most of us enjoy a delicious steak, juicy burger and chicken on our salad. We know that protein is necessary to build new cells, maintain tissues, and synthesize new proteins that make it possible for you to perform basic bodily functions. What many people don’t consider before taking that first bite is where that meat is coming from.
A few things to keep in mind when buying your meat is how the animals are treated and cared for prior to coming to the grocery store or market:
- The hormones progesterone, testosterone, and the synthetic hormones trenbolone acetate,and progestin melengestrol acetate make animals grow faster and produce leaner meat for food.
- Dairy cattle are often treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase milk production.
- Antibiotics are administered to ward off infections caused by often cramped and unsanitary living conditions. These hormones and antibiotics remain in the animals ones they are sent to the butcher to be consumed by us.
“Because hormones are fat molecules, which are dissolved, they can stay in fat tissue and create builds up that gradually will reach a dangerous stage. Compared to men, women have higher level of fat in their bodies in nature. This is one the reasons why women are more prone to the harmful effects of hormones added to food. The risk of getting breast cancer increases due to the imbalanced hormone and too much eating meat that involves hormone-supplement process. Besides breast cancer on women, consuming meat containing growth hormones can trigger prostate cancer and some other cancers. Even though these cancers are caused by many factors, including genes, fat consumption, smoking habit, and unhealthy lifestyle, the hormones in meat also contribute to worsen the risks.” (Marcus, 1994, cited in Swan et al., 2007)
Looking for free range, organic, hormone and antibiotic free labeling is often the best place to start.
Buy local and get to know butchers in your area and where they source their meat from. Limiting your consumption of red meat and sticking to leaner cuts is often best for overall health in general.
Chantal
