Hey guys!
So I must say that I have been reading and learning so much information that I feel overwhelmed- in a good way! My head is spinning and my emotions are all over the place, but it's ok because I know that I am supposed to be doing what I am doing! After the European E Coli scare, I really started thinking about why they don't just make a few obvious changes and put an end to E Coli as we know it. I know that it wouldn't be easy because it would affect too many pocketbooks - aka the meat producers and government - but who cares! Is our health and safety really not worth it?
In a 1998! (that's 13 years ago) study done by Cornell, they look the differences in corn vs grass fed beef. I don't know where you are, but in Texas this is a big deal. We are all about eating a big, juicy steak the size of our plate. I, on the other hand, am thinking - and have been thinking for some time - about becoming vegetarian or vegan. Meat has honestly started grossing me out, especially with the amount of information that I have learned!
I want to start out by giving you the overview of E Coli.Their article states that, "E Coli is a normal bacterium in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, and most types are not harmful." So after reading that, I wondered what could cause it to be harmful. I am not oblivious to what happens in today's beef industry with the over-crowded feedlots, the use of anti-biotics and hormones, and corn fed diets. I feel that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this stuff out, but hey, let's just look at the facts. So how did corn-fed diets for cattle become such the go-to diet anyways? Last time I checked, cows were supposed to eat grass. Well during WWII, farmers were producing more grain than the US population could eat so they started feeding it to cattle. They soon realized that they could fatten them up a lot faster for slaughter with grain (corn). During that time, it would take 4-5 years to fatten a cow to 1,200 pounds, but with the discovery of feeding them corn, it cut the time to 14-16 months. Wow! That is so great, right? Well it sounds great, but what are the effects?
Healthytheory.com states that, "the stomachs of cows are naturally pH neutral. A corn-based diet, however, creates an acidic environment that contributes to a host of health problems. Corn-fed cattle are prone to serious health conditions such as bloat, diarrhea, ulcers, liver disease, and a weakened immune system. To combat these health problems, cattle are continually fed antibiotics, which leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that increasingly render modern medicine ineffective." All I can say is... the poor cows! So they are suffering, and we are ruining their digestive and immune systems in the process. Sounds like the kind of cow I want to get my meat from. A sick one. - Total sarcasm.
I would think we would want them at optimal health so that we can get the healthiest product to feed to consumers, but it's all a money game. So where does E Coli come in with all of this? Well corn leads to a very acidic intestinal tract which is a perfect home for E Coli. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, states that "the lethal strain of E. coli known as 0157:H7 is believed to have evolved in the gut of feedlot cattle. The development of a more acidic environment in cows’ intestinal tracts created an acid-resistant strain of the pathogen, which is able to survive the acidic conditions of the human stomach and prove fatal." In the documentary Food, Inc., Pollan states that switching feedlot cattle to a grass diet would eliminate 80 percent of the E. coli in the cows’ digestive tracts.
E Coli 0157:H7 can lead to bloody diarrhea and kidney failure in humans, that ultimately, could lead to death if not treated immediately. That's such a scary situation, but it happens more often than we think. Sure, we have had big outbreaks of E Coli here in the States just like they did in Europe, but what people aren't getting is that there are people that die, here in the United States, all the time from E Coli. Just a few weeks ago, a 2 year old girl and her older brother were both hospitalized for E Coli. The little girl did not survive, but her older brother was able to pull through. It's heartbreaking that preventative changes could be made, but they're not.
Next time you're in the grocery store, look for organic, grass-fed beef. I know you can get it at Whole Foods and other specialty stores. Make sure it's hormone and antibiotic free also. Antibiotic use is another topic that I could talk about forever, but I will shorten it for your sake, and just say that it doesn't help E Coli. At all. Don't let the media and other people make you think that E Coli comes from vegetables or that you should avoid them at all costs either! Vegetables, cannot produce it, but they can definitely transport it if they are contaminated with some corn-fed, E Coli tainted manure. Reduce the risk and eat beef that's grass-fed (or no beef at all). You're less likely to eat an E Coli burger that way!
Besos,
Courtney
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