(Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle)

There's Nothing Wrong With Eating Red Meat (if it's the right kind

There is a lot of misinformation circulating in America concerning meat - especially red meat. Health authorities tell us to limit our consumption of red meat while others say stay away from it altogether.

But what the government fails to mention is that there are two classes of red meat - conventionally-raised, i.e. CAFO, and naturally-raised. What separates these two processes makes all the difference in the world.

All of the negative press that you hear today about red meat is limited to conventionally-raised and processed meat. Almost every study, if not every study, performed to date has been done on the predominantly available red meat found in your local supermarket (factory-farmed red meat.)

If you are familiar with how your conventional meat is sourced, you will not be surprised of the negative health effects. The cows are treated like non-living machine parts. They are crammed in large buildings, away from natural sunlight and fresh air.

Prior to the 1950s, before the factory-farmed system (also known as confined animal feeding operations, CAFO), cattle roamed pastureland. By the 1970s, this natural system was replaced by CAFO. Seventy-five percent of American cattle are trapped in this system.

The conditions are so deplorable that cows are susceptible to disease. In order to fight the inevitable consequence of the unnatural living conditions, the animals are given antibiotics. They are also given growth hormones to pump up their weight before slaughter.

Pesticide-laced grain (mostly corn) forms the major part of cattle's diet. These poor creatures are also fed sawdust mixed with ammonia, shredded newspaper, processed sewage, and other inedible garbage such as road kill. This trash is mixed with insecticides, antibiotics and synthetic hormones.

The natural food diet of cattle is grass. Grain, much of which is genetically modified, is injurious to the animal's digestive system - causing trauma.

Trace amounts of antibiotics and synthetic hormones are stored in the cow's fat. No effort is made to remove these chemicals before slaughter, and they wind up in the meat you purchase at the local grocery store.

Also keep in mind that the majority of the corn grown in America is genetically modified (GM); studies have shown that GM ingredients cause cancer in laboratory animals.

Laboratory rats who were given a GM potato to eat developed potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, and partial atrophy of the liver.

Prior to factory-farming, cattle was raised on open ranges. They ate the food that God made them to eat - grass, forbs, etc. And of course, they had unlimited access to fresh air and sunlight.

Without exaggeration, the meat you buy today is from sick and stressed out animals. It's no wonder a consistent diet of it is linked to heart disease and cancer.

On the other side of the coin however is free-ranged, organically (naturally) raised animals. Animals have been raised this way from biblical times until the 1970s. Sacrificing animal health and welfare for modern-day efficiency and profit is a relatively new development.

Even eggs from pasture-raised hens are many times more nutritious than eggs from commercially produced eggs. Researchers have documented the following differences between commercially-raised hens and free-ranged hens. Eggs from free-ranged hens have:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 2/3 as much vitamin A
• 3 times as much vitamin E
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2 times as much omega-3 fatty acids
• 7 times as much beta-carotene

Whether cmmercially produced red meat or eggs and dairy products, free-ranged is the way to go. It is natural, safe, and healthy. It's a win-win-win situation. You win, the animals win, and the farmer wins.

You win because you are feeding yourself and your family nutritious food. Red meat and dairy products from free-ranged animals supply less cholesterol and saturated fat and much more healthy fats. And believe it or not, these products will keep you at a healthy body weight. They will also keep you and your family disease-free.

The animals win because they are raised in a stress-free environment. They are also fed their natural diet, and as a consequence, are not prone to unnatural disease and sickness.

Finally, the farmer wins because in the long run, the consumer will buy exclusively from him. In the short term, he is contributing to a healthy environment and raising animals he can be proud of. And since more and more consumers are becoming informed, will earn a greater market share and profit.

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