Carnivorous or Vegetarian, the Do's and Dont's - Part 1
It seems today that there are so many different ways claimed to lead to greater health covering the full spectrum from extreme meat eating to a virtually plant based diet. This is not meant to be a discussion over the ethical issues between being a vegetarian or a carnivore. If you are interested in such a debate perhaps one place you may wish to look is an article by Paul Chek called Vegetarianism - Inside out. My intentions in this discussion are focus on the nutritional pro's and con's of such eating habits. Lets start by looking into the problems associated with eating a meat dominant diet.
The challenges of eating good meat start long before we get to the supermarket - they begin on the farm and the conditions which the animal is grown in. The demand for a plentiful supply of low cost meat has pushed farmers towards more intensive methods of animal production that turn out large numbers of animals that have fewer nutrients and lower life force energy. Chickens reared 20,000 at a time in a relatively small barn, spending 23 hours a day under artifical light have become the norm. This is what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been so actively campaigning against in his Chicken out Campaign over the last 2 years. Pigs intensively reared in sow stalls is now illegal here in the UK, but our demand for pork loin, chops and bacon mean that we import several million tonnes of pork from the EU where standards of farming still allow sow stall meat production. This is what Jamie Oliver was campaigning about recently on his channel 4 tv show Jamie Saves our Bacon. Fish farming, intensive dairy farming and battery egg farming all leave behind a trail of inhumane conditions and poor quality animals. A great cartoon series that highlights the problems with modern intensive meat production is called The Meatrix.
The limitations of intensive meat, poultry or fish farming unfortunately affect the nutritional value of the end product. Muscle tissue quality is decreased, connective tissue structure is weaker, vitamin and mineral levels are diminshed, fatty acid levels become unbalanced, animals carry higher levels of body fat and animals are generally higher in stored toxins with higher rates of disease. Lower nutrition in the food that is eaten will lead to lower nutrition and health in the individual eating the product. Fewer nutrients in the food will be much less satisfying and therefore lead to increased hunger, appetite and cravings. We all know where increased hunger will lead us!
The next consideration is what happens to that animal from the time it leaves the farm to when it is sold in the supermarket? Over cooking, drying, hydrolyzing, irradiating, adding water and other additives all affect the quality of the final product. Food processing techniques often damage and lower the nutrient content. Legally the word 'meat' allows as much as 25% connective tissue (ligaments, tendons and bone) to be included in the product. A pork sausage by law must contain 26-32% meat as a minimum, but bearing in mind a quarter can be connective tissue this can reduce the actual meat content to only 20%. This is worrying but then the next concern is to ask yourself what the remaning 80% of the sauage is? Rather than provide the answer make the point of following through and checking the ingredients list next time you buy some sausages. Meat often has preservatives and flavour enhancers added to it. If you want to more fully understand these chemicals and how they affect us why not look them up on the Food Reactions website. I suggest you look up sodium or potassium nitrite(E249 & 250) and monosodium glutamate (E621). You may also wish to look into the ways in which food manufacturers hide MSG within food ingredients lists. Jacks Samuels campaign Truth in Labelling has done a fantastic job over many years to expose this damaging, yet highly profitable industry.
Although all of this information can be a real turn off, the answer is not to avoid animal products, but to learn to discern between low and high quality produce. Perhaps a very simple but effective tip is to reduce the number of steps between the farm and the consumer. Although the supermarkets have over 80% of the food chain in the UK under their control we don't have to role over and let them take over the remaining 20%. Buying locally produced food that has very few transportation miles and is grown or reared in quality conditions will increase the nutrient value whilst decreasing the toxic load or burden that low quality commercial farming will create.
Beef, pork, lamb and chickens should be reared outdoors and all but the pigs should be on rich green pasture. This will increase naturally occuring vitamins A, D and K, a vital nutrient called CLA and provide a better mineral balance. By purchasing from a farm shop or another small retailer you will likely remove many unecessary processing steps. However you still need to ask questions and be sure you understand the quality of the food you are buying. If you are unsure then check out the Food Finder guide to be more informed of good suppliers.
Part 2 of this blog will focus on plant foods and a vegetarian lifestyle.
