The consumption of meat has been occurring for millions of years. We are taught that it is a requirement in having a balanced diet, which contributes to a ‘happy, and healthy lifestyle’. According to Kadya Araki, a nutrition and bodybuilding coach from Breakingmuscle.com, meat should be our main source of protein because it “provides all of the essential amino acids human bodies need”. Disregarding the concern on how our food is handled, people are being inculcated into the mindset that what we’re consuming on a daily basis is nourishing. We should stop supporting weight-loss organizations that fund the meat industry.
The mission of weight-loss organizations is to not only help people lose weight, but to be at a point where they are healthy and comfortable in their skin, while trying to prevent them from reverting back to their unhealthy habits. They provide many resources that are presented in advertisements, newspapers, etc., which introduce their objective to people in order for them to consider their programs. Although these companies present themselves as paradigms of nutrition, they also exchange affluence with the meat industry, infamous for holding cattle and many other animals on farms in grungy conditions that prepare them for slaughter. To the common man, the relationship between these companies should be polar but somehow they still intertwine with one another. According to the www.nytimes.com, the article “The Unhealthy Meat Market” written by Nicholas Kristof, a columnist who was raised on a farm himself, argued that the conditions of these farms consist of being overpopulated and surrounded by waste and trash.
This environment is so toxic that these animals begin to develop illnesses, which, then, travels due to being put in such a compact space. Most farms don’t see this as an issue, for they are only there to help in the process of breeding and slaughter. With them sustaining the amount of animals in the thousands, they produce an immense quantity of waste. Also, having lakes and rivers surrounded by these farms act as a dump for the farmers to put the waste in. With all of this sewage accumulating, the fish and other organisms are dying. Of course, with these businesses prospering there is no time for this epidemic to be resolved, so nothing is bothered.
Even though these conditions hurt these animals much more, we are still affected by it. With us being the consumers, we never worry about if our food has been injected with any kinds of chemicals because we believe our food to be healthy, just like the brands convey it to be. According to Betterhealth.vic.gov.au, there are many unfortunate cases of people who suffer from Antibiotic Resistant Infections (DHHS), deriving from the steroids that have been inserted into the animals.
When this occurs, bacteria has the ability to reject it or multiply based on the amount of antibiotics that are digested. Not to mention, waste is projected out from sprinklers to act as a fertilizer for vegetable farming, meaning that people within the area inhale these fumes on a daily basis. This is very damaging because people who live in these areas may have asthma and this practice could make it even worse. When we start to look towards our doctors and dieticians, we should receive efficient and beneficial information from them.
Even though they are mindful of the dangers surrounding how our food is being handled, they aren’t fully educated on the matter considering that they spend a minimal amount of time learning about nutrition (NCBI). If they are considered to be trustworthy individuals, then they are to reevaluate the future of nutrition. Meat is not a necessity in our meal plan, considering that our bodies weren’t made to support it. According to www.npr.org, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations conducted a 2010 study which stated that Americans (per person) consume at least 270.71 lbs annually. At most, it takes two days for meat to be digested so with this excessive amount of meat being eaten, our stomachs began to become weaker.
The acid in our stomachs won’t be able to function properly due to the amount of stress that’s put on it. For example, according to bodyecology.com, “As you age, your stomach acid tends to decrease anyway. Add a poor diet of processed foods and you may find that you have both digestive and immune problems.” This predicament is already an issue in itself, so adding a bad diet into this lifestyle would cause everything to go downhill insinuating that you would develop low stomach acid.
Our acid is made to break down proteins, produce digestive enzymes, and prevent disease; when operating oppositely, we become protein malnourished: This means that our stomachs wouldn’t be able to prevent toxins from littering in our bodies and our blood would become acidic, mainly because protein in acidic by nature. Additionally, you become mineral deficient: this also means that since your blood is becoming more acidic, it will start to search for any source of minerals that reside in the body in order for it to get back to its original state. Sadly, once your stomach has undergone this amount of stress, it’s unable to bounce back from it. According to www.vegsource.com, the length of our intestines also play big role in the digestive process. When carnivores eat, it goes through their intestines, which are extremely short, and begin to digest and ‘rot’ in their stomachs quickly.
On the other hand, we have longer tubes that are meant to break down an immense amount of indigestible fibers that are found in plants. Although, it creates an environment where any kind of bacteria has the ability to multiply and cause inflammation. In an article on www.npr.com called “Humans Are ‘Meathooked’ But Not Designed For Meat-Eating” written by Barbara J.
King, she establishes another factor that debunks the myth of the human body being able to support meat: It’s because of our facial structure, but mainly our mouths. In other words, with humans originally being herbivores we never did and still haven’t evolved into developing sharper canines unlike dogs, lions, and tigers. Logically, they inhibit these sharp teeth because it enables them to tear through the raw meat, which we can’t do on our own.
For example, in order for humans to eat meat it has to be cooked to a certain degree for our teeth to be able to gnaw at it, otherwise we’d be killing ourselves and pulling out our teeth at the same time. Although these animals have their fair share of sickness from it (which is rare), they still eat like they do because it’s all they know. Given these points, meat does not align with our bodies very well. Although we dont drop dead when we eat some, there are still different kinds of ways that we are negatively affected by it. But why do we constantly put the enjoyment of a meal over the long term effects knowing that it’s going to be harmful? It’s just like being lactose intolerant and eating a big bowl of macaroni and cheese all while being aware of what’s to come in a few hours. From being diagnosed with low stomach acid to not being an efficient meat-eater, we can all stop the dangerous habit if we just turn to the facts and listen. Dieticians offer diets to people with certain infirmities, which become the bane of their health. According to www.
heart.org, The American Heart Association stresses that in order to make healthy consumption choices, you must be consuming the right amount of calories that are displayed in each food group. For example, the site’s sustenance recommendations consist of, “Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and nontropical vegetable oils”, which are all supposed to keep your body on track from acquiring illnesses or having any type of mineral or protein deficiencies. Although this sounds like a good idea of trying to reassure people about the safeties of what they’re eating, what’s being projected is not always the way of how it should be. Almost every website that promotes the benefits of a healthy diet retains identical repetition in what they advocate for their reader to eat. For example, in the articles Diet and Physical Activity: What’s the Cancer Connection? from www.cancer.
org and Eating Well During Cancer Treatment from www.webmd.com, both provide the ideal things to eat in order to reduce the risk of getting cancer. They advise their readers to “Pick lean meats and fish over fatty red meat and processed meats”, or “Limit how much processed meat and red meat you eat”, in order to keep track of what they’re eating so they’ll be able to maintain their weight.
As can be seen, you begin to pick up a pattern that’s occurring; they’re either telling you to limit the amount of processed meats you eat or to just ditch it completely. Whether we think our meat is processed or not, there is no debate in which answer is true because we all know the answer. The meat industry makes billions of dollars every year, so what sense does it make for them to stop the farms and factories that they’ve established just to lose all of that profit that was made? The publishers know what’s going on, but nothing is being done because their money gets in the hands of the meat industry which, then, goes on to making more false titles associated with meat.Notably, in the article Harmful Chemicals In The Meat You Eat, from www.streetdirectory.
com, it’s stated that, “As far back as the 1930s, research shows that estrogen affected the growth rates in both cattle and poultry.” The basic function of the hormone Estrogen is to assist in the development of the human physical stature—which is predominantly found on the XX chromosomes (www.livescience.com).
These news don’t bring much shock considering that hormones are used all of the time, but the action of utilizing human-native chemicals in animals are beyond incomparable. Of course, there is only so much Estrogen that is passed up for examination, so like every other limited resource, a replica has to made in order for them to continue with the experiment.The article goes on to say, “By the 1950s, a synthetic (man made) estrogen, DES, was being used to increase cattle size. However, DES was found to cause cancer and is no longer used to “fatten” up cattle and chickens.” According to www.grit.
com, it takes up to 6 weeks to raise a chicken, 4 months to raise a pig, and almost a year and a half to raise a cow. Having to go to the extreme of actually establishing a hurtful chemical just to enhance the size of an animal really shows the amount of patience they don’t have. Not to mention, people bought and ate this food, so just imagine the number of people that dropped dead because of this. Even though this practice was said to be discontinued, who knows if the toxins in meat could possibly be a factor in the cause of cancer? They bestow subliminal messages through advertisements upon their consumers in order for people to become obese in the event of them having to turn to weight loss organizations that will potentially assist them in the process of becoming healthy again. Television has been influential in the United States since the 1960’s. The accumulation of advertising and broadcasting has become banal in the practice of marketing, whether it’s enticing the American people to endorse their products or to show antipathy towards their opponent.
In particular, most commercials are aimed towards children that persuade them to buy certain toys, clothes, or even foods. According to parents.com, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that, “74 percent of infants and toddlers watch TV before the age of 2. With on-demand services, 24-7 cable kid channels, and heaps upon heaps of baby-oriented programming, we now have constant access to media that specifically targets very young children.
” This is conveying that they are already being exposed to massive amounts of content that want the children’s approval of the marketer’s product. As adults, we are more knowledgeable in the fact of what we’re contributing our money to, but as for children, they are more naive and are more likely to succumb to what they’re being told to buy. Take fast food commercials for example: Companies such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s are the main chains that bribe children to buy their food with toys. According to medicaldaily.
com, “83 percent of the children asked their parents if they could visit at least one or both of the fast food chains, and 29 percent of the children actively collected happy meal toys.” Regarding the propaganda for the toys, that’s not the cornerstone of what these companies aim to sell as their initial product, but of course, this is what’s showcased in commercials so that children can persuade their parents to purchase it. In the McDonalds minion advertisement (https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=zAGRVQG2dyc), it shows the minions enjoying their happy meals (for which it includes them as one of the toys in the box) and the children in the commercial displayed how happy they were to have it. Children that view this commercial will want to be as happy as the children in the commercial were with the toys so they will ask their parents to go buy it.According to apa.org, “Children’s exposure to TV ads for unhealthy food products (i.e., high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks, fast foods and sweetened drinks) are a significant risk factor for obesity.
” In present times, studies have proved that children who watch massive amounts of television are more at risk of being obese, rather than children who watch a reasonable amount (http://www.medicaldaily.com). Under those circumstances, this created the cycle of the ripple effect: Children are gaining weight two times as much, which leads them to be more susceptible to illnesses, then they will have to go seek doctoral help.
As you can see, this is how fast food companies work hand in hand with the weight loss industry. Everything we see, think, and do is propaganda based on what we’ve been exposed to ever since we were children. We’ve been told that our meat is always 100% safe and in good hands, we’ve been told that our doctors are always right, and we’ve been told that they want the best for us when they don’t. With being exposed to all of the loopholes that take place, and now being aware of them, we should not remain quiet about it. The wickedness of these organizations has grown to another level that it shouldn’t have been able to in the first place. As a society, we need to highlight the matters of safety and security that we lack in the food department, or we as the human race will perish in the hands of a sick system.
