week of 2/20/02
 
 
 

Think before you eat meat
By John Beckman
The average American consumes more animal protein (largely meat) than almost any other person in the world on an annual basis. It’s become an integral part of our affluent culture and lifestyle, along with being at the top of the energy consumption chart, burning more gasoline and throwing away more trash than the rest of the world.

The Cattleman’s Association, Pork Producers Council and others involved in marketing meat products have worked long and hard to get legislation passed, genes spliced, feedlot production systems designed, foreign countries involved in production and export marketing, and advertising campaigns working to encourage American consumers to buy their commodities and boost profits.

In recent years there have been setbacks for these groups as research and scares about the hazards of a high meat diets have surfaced, causing people to question some of what they have been led to believe by the meat products industry. Catchy phrases like “the other white meat” and “USDA certified top choice” have led folks to believe that the industry is looking out for the consumer’s best interest.

Or are they merely cover-ups? I decided to do a little research and see what the fields of science, medicine and ethics have to say about our daily diet of bacon, burgers and barbeque.

Historically, high meat diets have been the exception for most of the world’s people, normally reserved for the aristocracy, kings, landed gentry and the like. These people could afford (or command) to have someone else capture and prepare the evening feast for them. It was rare — once the humble masses became settled civilizations — that meat showed up at meals except for celebrations and on the days of lucky hunts. Even in this country, vegetables and grains usually made up the bulk of daily intake, accompanied only occasionally by wild game and fowl, or the steer or pig raised by a neighboring farmer.

It wasn’t until the advent of refrigeration (and electricity) that meats could be easily transported and stored over long distances, increasing markets for distant producers and allowing for a regular supply to consumers. Nowadays we get Argentine beef, lamb from New Zealand and other animal edibles from around the world, but how can we be sure that we are getting products that are safe for the environment and to human health?

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (pcrm.org) has petitioned the federal government for biohazard labeling to clean up its act regarding the regular occurrence of animal feces on meat labeled “inspected for wholesomeness.” Feces is the major source of bacteria on meat (salmonella, E.coli, campylobacter and listeria) and cause for more than 5,000 deaths annually in the U.S. International Science News (unisci.com) reports with data from 35 countries indicating that diets with a higher intake of animal products show a strong correlation of increased mortality in breast cancer patients, producing estrogen and insulin-like growth factors which debilitate the individual. We have all heard the reports from Europe of mad-cow disease being linked to neurological disorders and deaths in humans, causing the burning of thousands of animals in an effort to undo problems created by producers feeding dead animals and garbage to their herds. And unless you’ve been asleep for years, you know that large quantities of growth hormones, vaccines and antibiotics are routinely pumped through the vast majority of America’s livestock to keep them alive until ready for slaughter and your dinner table.

From an ethical standpoint, the question of how we treat animals has been argued for centuries. Pythagoras, the mathematical whiz who helped us understand the intricacies of the triangle, once said, “As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower beings, he will never know health or peace. As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other.”

Pro-life is not a new idea. Many people in the world are vegetarians by faith alone. India and Israel lead the world in sheer numbers of people practicing meatless diets, where animals are often viewed as sacred, another creation of the Divine like themselves. Meat-free diets are not only for Hindus, Muslims and Orthodox Jews. Don’t think that by being a good Christian you’re automatically allowed unlimited burgers by your beliefs. Veg4lent.org, a Christian organization, on their web page is “promoting a vegetarian diet for Lent as both an experiential opportunity and a transitional period throughout the whole of Christendom.” The web site JesusVeg.com indicates that Christ would have all of His followers living a vegetarian life. There are also passages about not killing and eating animals in the Bible and in the Dead Sea Scrolls, if you want references from these sources.

Animal Rights organizations have long promoted vegitarianism as a more humane way of treating our fellow creatures rather than confinement operations and savage mutilation and slaughter. The Sierra Club advocates eliminating meat on the grounds of the pollution generated and the vast quantities of water and energy used to produce it, which could be better used growing grains and other foods, feeding many more with less.

I was raised like many with meat at nearly every meal. In the past 20 years I’ve cut my intake of munching on the flesh of dead animals to one or two meals per week. I still succumb to the occasional greasy burger, fried chicken or sloppy sandwich, but my diet now has a lot more variety and less fat and toxins than before. I know it’s better for me and for the planet. My food choices can’t fix all of the world’s problems, but I can keep from adding to them by living simply, and eating a little lower on the food chain. Imagine if millions of Americans did the same.

“I’ll have the meatloaf platter please, hold the meatloaf”

(John Beckman is a building contractor, organic farmer and operations manager at Unahwi Ridge Community in Jackson County. He can be contacted at www.unahwiridge.com)