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3. Meat and Poultry
Many health experts are realizing that vegetarian diets can be healthier than diets that include meat and animal products. Vegetarian diets are especially helpful for preventing cardiovascular illness and promoting a healthy weight.
Meats contain ample protein and red meats are rich in iron. However meats and poultry contain plenty of compounds you do not want, too. Many people avoid red meat for fear it contains too much fat, but eat lots of poultry. Poultry is loaded with harmful hormones and chemicals. It is now common practice for meat producers to add salt water and other chemicals to their products.
This doesn’t just happen with poultry. Check the label of a turkey or ham. It may be up to 30% chemically-laden liquid. You are essentially paying up to 30% for water and undesirable chemicals when you purchase many meats. In addition to not being healthy, these waterlogged meats do not sear well or taste as good as natural meats. While promoted as being more tender, the meats are often simply mushy.
Poultry is often raised in deplorable conditions. They are fed grains containing hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals. Many animal feeds are made with byproducts of dead animals. It’s safest to eat only organic poultry; studies indicate that you are more likely to contract a food borne illness from meat that comes from grain fed animals as compared with grass fed ones.
If you choose to eat meat, consider purchasing organically raised meat locally. You can see the animals and ensure that they are being raised humanely. If you do buy organic meats, enquire to determine if the pasture that the animals feed from is organic. In the USA, organic pasturing is not a requirement for meats labeled as organic. If the pasture is not organic, you may still be exposed to residue from pesticides and fertilizers.
Meat from free range animals is leaner than meat from confined, grain fed animals. Wild meats are the healthiest of all. Meats from wild and grass fed animals contain higher amounts of healthy omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins than those from commercially raised animals.
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