An Honest Look At Meat-Eating

I recently made the decision to open my Facebook posts to the public. Figured I needed more exposure (especially for my writing) than the 5% of the 5000 friends that would see my posts if I kept them private (friends only).

Not sure if it was a good decision or not. 

Yesterday I commented it was a week until payday and my food budget hadn't stretched as far as I'd wished; I was going to have to go without meat for a few meals. I am a traditionalist; meat, potatoes, veggies are a meal. No huge biggie, I've done it before. I can live on veggies, rice, and noodles for a week. I do have some chicken broth, so at least the rice will be meaty-flavored.

Somehow, that little innocuous post became a tirade with multiple posts against eating meat. Now, before I get started:

I have NOTHING against those who choose the vegetarianism or veganism life. One of my best friends is pesco-vegan (basically vegan with an occasional fish). More power to her. It's just not the lifestyle for me.

First, a nutrition lesson:

FACT: Humans need protein to survive. Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids; we need to consume from food nine of them (i.e., nine are essential because our body can't produce them).

FACT: Those nine essential amino acids must come from food; our bodies require these nine essential amino acids to function optimally.

FACT: Two of those essential amino acids are found fully and complete in animal meat and products.

FACT: Yes, you can 'create' those two amino acids by combining certain legumes and vegetables.

FACT: You need iron in your diet. Animal meat is high in iron.

FACT: A lot of vegetables are high in iron as well. (And no, spinach is not, relatively speaking, high in iron.)

So yes, it is possible to be a vegan or vegetarian and be healthy, but it takes research and a little more work to make sure you are getting the essentials your body needs to function properly.

Now, a history lesson:

FACT: Ever since our ancestors came out of the trees and onto the savanna, they have eaten meat. Meat met most of their nutrition needs. There is no denying the fact that our body is designed to eat meat. (Just look at our teeth.) The discovery of fire made almost all meats more palatable and easier to digest.

FACT: Even when we settled down into agrarian societies, we still ate meat. For some, during the winter months after a poor harvest, meat was the only thing that kept them alive.

FACT: A lot of animals are carnivores. For example, if you try to feed a cat a vegetarian diet, IT WILL DIE.

FACT: There are millions of cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, turkeys, etc. on farms in the USA alone. Without human intervention, they would starve, become easy prey, and generally, not thrive. But this would happen only after a few hundred generations, as there are so many of them right now.

FACT: Dairy cows need humans to milk them. If they are not milked and do not have a calf to take their milk, their udders will literally rupture. Extremely painful and more than likely, deadly.

FACT: A majority of farm-factory animals are mistreated. (I get this, I do. Which is why I support small local farms whenever I can.)

So, now that you know your nutrition and your history, we can discuss this like adults.

A majority of Americans eat meat. That is not going to change, no matter how much you rant and rave about animal cruelty. As we learned above, yes, with some effort and research, you can live without meat, it is easier to eat meat and not worry about what foods you have to combine to keep your body working. It's a fact of life that we tend to take the easiest path. (Which is why I have the utmost respect for vegetarians and vegans WHO DO IT RIGHT.)

Of course, being that as humans we tend to take the easiest path, there are quite a few vegans and vegetarians who don't do the research and are doing harm to their bodies. I knew a vegan who lived on french fries and apples. Is it a wonder she was always sick and had no energy? If I had to guess, she was extremely anemic [low iron] (which, if not treated, can lead to organ failure). I wonder about her to this day.

This world has enough problems without people attacking others about their diet. My post was more about economics that it was about my diet. We've all been there; the food budget just didn't reach far enough. I've had friends offer to buy me food - which I politely declined. I HAVE food. Just not particularly the food I want to eat. I'm not a vegetarian. I like my bacon, steaks, seafood, chicken ... and I know where most of it comes from. I lived on a farm; neighbors had cows. I've seen them born and I've seen them loaded on the truck for slaughter. I've seen chickens taken by their necks and swung around by an old lady to prep for a fried chicken dinner. I've caught and cleaned fish.

Do I sometimes feel a little regret? Eh, perhaps if I'm honest with myself, yes. But then I remember we have bred these animals to be dependent upon us, to serve us. How do I make the distinction between a pet and food? It's hard sometimes. Some cultures consider horse a delicacy; ours, it's repulsive to think about eating horse. Some cultures consider dogs a cheap meat; we can't even fathom eating man's best friend. It's all relative.

I'm an omnivore. I enjoy meat, milk, cheese; I enjoy vegetables and fruit, and even the occasional bread and pasta. What I don't enjoy is being told falsehoods about nutrition (you WILL get smacked down for that) or being told that I'm committing murder or about the suffering of the animals. I know where my food comes from and I know the problems associated with factory farming. I choose to support local farms when I can and strive to turn factory farming around to a better treatment of animals (through boycotts, petitions, and letter-writing).

So the takeaway from all this? To each, their own diet. I just hope that each and everyone one of you eat healthfully, regardless of what diet regimen you follow.

Does Marching Really Help?

There is one problem with this ... the people in charge today JUST DON'T CARE. Millions marched last week - not even a blip on the radar for the Repugs in charge. THEY DON'T CARE. They have power for the first time in 8 years and they are going to abuse it left and right and no matter how many marches there are - THEY DON'T CARE. They will never care. Until we VOTE them out, they don't care. You can march up and down the National Mall, you can march outside their homes, outside of embassies ... THEY DON'T CARE. It won't change their minds in the least.

I personally feel we should take our energies elsewhere for the next two years. Instead of marching, go to communities and register people to vote. Hold townhall meetings and discuss the issues. Write Op/Eds to counter 'alternative facts.' When election day comes in 2018, drive the elderly to the polls, volunteer for campaigns you believe in.

Now I know this isn't a popular view, to have such a disparraging view of marches, but I just don't think they do much. Yelling, chanting and holding signs for a few hours while walking around ... I don't get it. Those in power have shown time and time again - THEY DON'T CARE. Do something that will make them care. Work downstate ballots, off-year elections, start with the elected school boards and move up to the governorships. That's something you can do NOW that has definitive results.

Now I need to go find an app that will elimiate the Orange Babboon off my FB pages because I can't stand to see his smug face.

My 600-lb Life - Thoughts

I'm currently watching 'My 600-lb Life' on TV. Now I'm overweight, have been all my life, but never to this point. A lot of these people have enablers in their lives; otherwise, how could they maintain that weight when they can't leave the house?

Anyway, not my point here. Regardless of how anyone gets that overweight, our approach to weight loss is so backassward, I don't know where to begin.

Before a person can get weight-loss surgery, they typically have to prove they can stick to a diet, otherwise the surgery will be for naught. However, this particular doctor in this program is so out of it, so unempathetic, I wonder how he stays in business.

First, most of these people eat in excess of 10,000 calories a day. His first order? Cut down to 1500 calories. Um, what?! The poor patient has been eating crap and calories for so long, her body won't even register 1500 calories as being a full day's supply! Maybe a snack, but not enough to satisfy over the course of a day. He obviously doesn't know anything about how hunger and satiety work.

While I understand sometimes drastic measures must be taken, as in these cases with the morbidly obese, we need to catch these people before they are in a life-or-death situation. Before they reach 300, 400, 500 pounds someone can intervene and stop the enablers and show how to live and eat properly.

Okay, so we're all fat (last stats show 67% of Americans are overweight or obese), now what? Get out those measuring cups and measure out 1/2 cup of veggies, a slice of meat no bigger than a deck of playing cards, 1/2 a muffin, 1 egg ... etc. Yeah, we all know we eat more than what the serving size says. Really, 6 serving in a pint of ice cream? Suuuurrrreee.

Say you're used to eating a whole box of mac and cheese, whole can of veggies, 7-8 fish sticks, followed by a large soda by yourself for a meal. Now you're supposed to cut that back by 80% and feel full?? Sorry, ain't happening. You might stick to your new 'diet' for a few weeks, but never really feel full and the moment you plateau, you're back to your old habits.

Let's equate this with smoking. For most long-time smokers, going cold turkey isn't feasible (not that it hasn't been done, it's just not very effective). We offer nicotine patches and a step-down program. Makes sense, no? Still offer the nicotine 'fix' but lower the dosage over time until the cravings cease.

So why don't we do this with weight loss? Why not offer a step-down program? Have the patient track his/her eating habits for a week, noting exactly how much he/she eats, then design a step-down system for them that keeps the cravings more at bay. Now, I know there won't be much weight loss using this system, but the patient won't be miserable and constantly craving food (and especially foods that aren't good for them). Instead of that whole box of mac and cheese, start off by eating only 3/4 of it. Drop the fish sticks from 7-8 to 4-5. Try to replace the large soda with tea with a no-calorie sweetener (or at least juice, which yes, still has sugar, but at least has nutrients in it).

Small changes can make a big difference. After a couple of weeks, the 3/4-box of mac and cheese may seem too much. Down to 1/2-box, and finally, the recommended serving of 1/4-box. It's not going to happen overnight, and may take months to re-train the satiety center of the brain, but it can be done. Once the portions are under control, we can then concentrate on the actual foods and hopefully, add a bit of exercise in.

Yes, it's a slow and arduous process, but I believe it can be successful in the long term. And note, this is not a diet. I don't believe in diets. I believe in changing eating habits and permanent lifestyle changes.