Our world is full of processed meat. The majority of meat is processed to such a high degree that meat now looks absolutely nothing like meat just 50 short years ago. The “meat” at fast food restaurants is the most processed. Much of this “meat” is full of preservatives, antibiotics, steroids and fillers to dilute the meat and cheapen the price. I saw a commercial the other day on tv for 10 chicken nuggets from burger king for $1.49. Think about that for a minute, less than a buck fifty for 10 “chicken nuggets”? really? think about the chickens being raised, slaughtered, processed, packaged, stored, shipped, prepared (heated up) and served by the burger king employee for 1.49.
How does food, especially meat become that cheap? it can’t be, unless it’s processed to such a high extend that it can be profitable. You have to think, for $1.49 not only are there all those costs but burger king has to profit also. How can a chicken live, be slaughtered, processed, packaged, shipped, then prepared at a burger king, served by a burger king employee… 10 nuggets for $1.49!
Obviously there has to be profit in there also, so all the people involved, the processing, packaging, shipping and serving costs quite a bit. Chicken nuggets (and other meats) are processed to such a high degree that they no longer look like food. Meat in general is not what meat was 50 years ago.
Processed meat is mainly what you see everywhere in supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants, or anywhere else that serves meat. Processed meat has it’s own health risks that cannot be ignored, if you choose to partake your health is at risk every single time and continues to be harmed by this processed so called food.
Processed Meat is:
- Preserved with preservative chemicals after being canned, frozen or cooked. The preservative chemicals are harmful to human health and could even be carcinogenic, depending on the chemical.
- Legally allowed to contain rodent hairs! The FDA allows a certain amount legally.
- Processed with carbon monoxide in order to keep the meat a red color to appear fresh. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and more. Lower amounts may not cause this but it’s still a toxic substance nonetheless. No human or animal studies have been done to see if it’s a carcinogen or not, so that’s up in the air. It very well could be though considering the other negative health affects caused by it can correlate to other chemicals that are also carcinogens.
- About 70% of poultry (chicken, turkey, geese, ducks etc.) have been given arsenic based drugs. Arsenic is a toxic heavy metal that causes many problems in the human body including hormone disruption and much more.
- Food dye’s are used to color fish and other meats in order to make it look healthier, fresher and more appealing. Food dye’s are known to hinder brain health and development.
- Up to 80% of pigs are fed a drug known as Ractopamine which is an extremely controversial drug for it’s health effects on human’s consuming these pigs. This drug is illegal in all of Russia, China and Europe.
- Meat such as chicken nuggets and hot dogs are the worst. They are the most preserved and processed meats and are meat scraps (think wasted meat) that isn’t used in food and meals otherwise.
So processed meat has negative aspects obviously and meat is much more processed and toxic than ever before. Meat is seen as a business and a profitable one at that. What effect does eating processed meat have on our health though? What does the preservatives, dyes, chemicals and fillers in the meat do to our health if we choose to partake in eating it long term?
Well, it’s not pretty, it’s not even attractive at all. Processed meat consumption has the following effects on the health of a human being:
- Higher risk for stroke: The American Heart Association found a 13% increase in risk of stroke from eating processed meat daily.
- Double the increase in risk of lung disease! A 2007 study found that men who eat processed meat had a double the risk of developing lung disease compared to men who never or rarely partook in eating processed meat.
- Double The Risk For: Cancer, Heart Disease & Diabetes. A British medical journal and Harvard study both concluded that processed meat doubled the risk of cancer, heart disease & diabetes in a study done with women.
- The risk for cancer, and many forms of disease rise dramatically by eating processed meat. If more studies were researched i’m sure obesity would factor in here as well along with many other ailments and health conditions.
The lesson? avoid processed meat. The worst processed meat is obviously going to come from fast food sources. That burger or hot dog, those chicken nuggets, these are the absolute worst and should be avoided at all cost. The meat that you get at your grocery store isn’t much better than the meat from a local fast food joint or restaurant. These animals are still pumped with antibiotics and fed GMO feed.
Eating less processed meat lowers your risk of developing many deadly diseases as well as increases your life of quality today. If you can’t quite eating processed meat completely at LEAST cut it down drastically. Eat less, avoid fast food completely and make that little improvement.
Image: http://www.pcrm.org/media/infographics/processed-meat-infographic
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