Hey there. I wanted to share a few thoughts on eating meat (read: Animals).

Some time ago I thought of an experiment I'd like to do. It was to stop eating meat and any products that are Animal derivatives as well as anything that is packaged for 30 days. This means I would be left with fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, grains nuts and seeds. And plenty of water but I don't drink any fizzy drinks anyway. I decided to go for it and I'm very happy that I've done so.

There was a number of benefits from this and I plan to write an article about it later. As for the reasons that led me to the experiment, I'm going to cover these here.

Now to clear things up:

I'm NOT saying that eating meat is bad. That we, humans should not eat meat at all. I'm not a vegetarian or vegan.

I'm here to merely share my opinion and some interesting information.

What I'm trying to say, is that the methods with which we "produce" meat (and food in general) have to be looked at.

I know that you like your steaks and all but, how is it made? Is it healthy? What's in it? Are you asking yourselves these questions?

There are a number of factors which in my opinion should be considered. I'll list them here.

1. Stress

When you look at a human body, you can observe what damage can be done to it through living in a stress for prolonged periods of time. Stress has an impact on all of the vital organs. You can develop heart problems, high blood pressure, immune system disorder and more.

You can read this article to find out more about the effects of the stress on the human body. The below infographic might give you a better idea of the impact of Stress on the body.

Infographic by Positive Health Wellness.

What does it all have to do with animals, you could say. Well in my opinion there is no difference between human and animal body in this context. Stress has the same effects on the human body as it has on every other animal's body.

Animals are treated very badly, they live in poor conditions. This results in constant stress. Does it matter? I think it does

2. Hormones and Antibiotics

Let's take a dairy cow as an example. Usually cow gives milk for about 8 - 12 weeks after having a baby. That's not economical. Industry won't have it. The cow is being given rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) hormone also called rBST (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin) which is a synthetic (man-made) hormone to extend that time for another 8 - 12 weeks.

A 1991 report by Rural Vermont, a nonprofit farm advocacy group, revealed that rBGH-injected cows that were part of a Monsanto-financed study at the University of Vermont suffered serious health problems, including an alarming rise in the number of deformed calves and dramatic increases in mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udder, which causes inflammation, swelling, and pus and blood secretions into milk. These findings are supported by Health Canada’s 1998 report, which concluded that the use of rBGH increases the risk of mastitis by 25 percent, affects reproductive functions, increases the risk of clinical lameness by 50 percent, and shortens the lives of cows.

To treat mastitis outbreaks, the dairy industry relies on antibiotics. Critics of rBGH point to the subsequent increase in antibiotic use (which contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria) and inadequacies in the federal government’s testing program for antibiotic residues in milk.

Reference: Sustainabletable.org

3. Food animals eat

Additionally to antibiotics and hormones a number of drugs are being added to the animal feed.

According to FDA, the types of drugs that may be used in feed include:

antimicrobials (such as antibacterial drugs) to fight infections
anticoccidials to fight coccidial parasites hormonals to suppress estrus (the female “heat” cycle) in cattle
anthelmintics to fight parasitic worms
sulfonamidics to fight certain types of infections
beta agonists to promote leanness in animals raised for meat
anti-bloating drugs to prevent swelling of the stomach compartments or intestinal tract of cows caused by excessive gas

In my opinion, these drugs wouldn't be needed if these animals have been kept in good living conditions. Some of those are not needed at all.

Animals being fed all sorts of things to make them grow bigger in the least amount of time and money possible. Because the biggest emphasis is being put on money here, our health comes secondary. All the bad stuff that's in the animals food is being passed onto us when we eat it.

These animals are sick, deformed, often infected with parasites. How can the meat of the sick animal be good for you? Ask yourself this question. Please.

Please watch this interesting video to see how is it being done.