“Eat your meat, it’s good for you” is a phrase most of us will have heard growing up. From a young age we are taught that meat is an essential part of the human diet and that if you do not eat it, you will be weak and nutrient deficient. This idea is reinforced all throughout society by family, schools, nutritionists, the media and more. Of course, meat does provide humans with many essential nutrients and minerals, but, what if I was tell you that medical science tells us that meat consumption is a major cause of some of the world’s biggest health issues, including cancer and diabetes and that cutting down the amount of meat we eat may help reduce the prevalence of such issues. In October 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released findings of a comprehensive study which they done. Their research found that there is a definite link between the consumption of processed meats, such as bacon, hot dogs and deli meats and the increased risk of colorectal (colon) cancer, which happens to be a leading cause of death in New Zealand. In fact, it was discovered that eating a 50-gram serving of processed meats every day, an amount which many people exceed, increases the risk of cancer in the colon by 18%. They also believe there is sufficient evidence linking meat consumption with pancreatic and prostate cancer. They also classified meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco smoking and asbestos, meaning there is a huge level of scientific
Smoking added to excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of these cancers even more. A maximum of four drinks a day for men and two drinks for women is recommended. Surprisingly enough, frequent consumption of smoked cured and nitrate preserved meats has also been shown to cause cancer. The codes of 249, 250, 251, and 252 on labels of corned beef, bacon, and smoked sausage indicate that the meat has been cured or preserved. These products increase the risk of stomach cancer and should be eaten in moderation. (http://www.petermac.unimelb.edu.au/DIET.html)
In the article, “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan, he argues that, “people that eat the Western diet are prone to a complex of chronic diseases.” Since meat is available everywhere in the United States, everyone is able to get their hands on meat and processed meat on a daily basis. We can eat more than double our weight of meat in the entire year, that just shows us that we tend to eat a heavy meat diet on a daily basis but we are too stubborn to change that. Pollan also states that, “the flood of refined carbohydrates has pushed important micronutrients out of the modern diets.” We live in a world that wants stuff to be done as fast as possible and well that includes food. Since we mass producing meats with the use of drugs and other forms of processing it causes some of the important nutrients that we need to leave the food. In Pollan’s article, it states that, “since healthcare is an industry, it stands to make profit on new drugs and procedures to treat chronic diseases than people changing their eating habits.” Not only are we harming ourselves in not making the proper eating choices but the healthcare industry will stay idly by in order for them to release a new drug to make money. In order for us to improve our health we have to take the first move into that direction
. . 30 to 40 percent of all cancers are caused by diet”(Davis and Melina 32). The consumption of meat has also been liked to Osteoporosis; “When you eat meat, your blood becomes acidic . . .In order to balance all the acidity, your bones come to the rescue by releasing some of their minerals”(Silverstone 17). “Diets”, in America revolve heavily around meat and dairy products; no wonder cancer is the second leading cause of death.
The red meat studied included beef, pork, lamb and other processed meats. Resent publications detailed the results of the study that began following their participants in 1982. It showed that those with high red meat consumption had a 30-40% increased risk of colon cancer and those who consumed high amounts of processed meat were at a 50% higher risk. High red meat consumption was defined at 3 oz. for men and 2 oz. for women daily. High processed meat consumption was defined at 1 oz. eaten 5-6 times a week for men and 2-3 for women. Even the consumption of white meat, like chicken, showed a 3% increase in risk verses those with a vegetarian
For example, Simon (2013) states, “...high consumption levels damage our health and costs billions of dollars to treat.” Simon portrays that eating a wide variety of meat is no longer healthy for individuals. Moreover, it can age and promote growth amongst individuals quicker. Some effects have even gone as far to be as detrimental as cigarette and tobacco use. As the public generally becomes more and more aware of such concerns, there are two possibilities. The first being that people decide to not change what they eat, and therefore, suffer from the costs that come along with a multitude of health problems. The other alternative, is for an individual to decide to change their diet. In turn, the businesses that function around serving meat, will have to restructure and remarket to the general
Everybody loves meat. From steak to pork chops, it’s all good, just not good for you. In the past few decades, as our population has increased exponentially, so has our demand for food. Because of this, we have changed in the way we get our food. The way that the food is produced has changed and because of this the health risks increased and the environment is also affected. People need to know that there are consequences.
But no less than in our DNA, the sights, scents, and rituals of meat eating are in our cultural DNA" (The War of Delicious pg. 5). Meat in today's culture is no longer healthy for humans, we do not realize this because as it states in the quote, 'eating meat is in our cultural DNA'. Meat is no longer healthy for humans because it is all processed and has artificial materials in it. "On October 26, the WHO officially identified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning the quality of the evidence firmly links to cancer" (The War of Delicious pg.1). Cancer?! Who knew that what we, as humans, were eating could actually give us cancer and could kill us? Some of the reasons processed meats cause cancer are because of nitrates and nitrites, heme iron, and high temperatures. When handling meat we must be extremely cautious when it comes to high temperatures and meats it comes very dangerous because meat that is cooked at high heat can produce carcinogens. What is the cancer risk of eating processed meats? The cancer risk is if you eat 50 grams per day of processed meats. This
In his essay, “Against Meat”, found in the They say/I say readings, author Jonathon Safron Foer analyzes how he became a vegetarian and how it affected his future lifestyle. Foer delves into his childhood and explains what caused him to become vegetarian, as well as the people that influenced his decision. He also discusses the importance of what pursuing this type of lifestyle can do for those that decide to follow his footsteps. Although meat may contain types of protein and other favorable aspects, Foer and others argue that, in the long run, abstaining from meat provides to be more beneficial for your health.
In the magazine article entitled "The War on Delicious", the co-authors investigate the link between cancer and processed meats as well as red meats. First, the co-authors discuss the carcinogenic qualities of red meats (and some processed white meats). The main cancer causing components of processed meats include nitrates that turn in to nitrites than react with amines and damage DNA as well as heme iron and cooking meats at high temperatures. The co-authors then define not only what red meats are but which processed meats are not good. Processed foods than can be carcinogenic include "meat that has been transformed through slating,curing,fermentation, smoking or other
The author of this work also is very knowledgeable on this topic because it is his area of expertise through much research and studying. While Yount is using questions from undergraduate students, they are easily understood questions. This article adds value to my research paper because it brings the humanity of eating meat into the equation. So as my research essay moves from the human biological need, or lack thereof, to consume meat, this article will help me bridge the gap because of the wide variety of opinions and facts that are presented within it.
Consuming less meat helped me lose weight, gain a livelier complexion, and decrease my risk of heart disease since it runs in my family. Therefore, focusing on the individual as the source of environmentally beneficial social change is more useful because a large organization misuses power to get ahead monetarily, instead of profiting from environmental actions. The individual not only values their treatment of power, but utilizes it to point out environmental concerns such as obesity. So, by starting to eliminate all processed meats to eventually put an end to all red meat would reduce obesity and construct a healthier society that will encourage change. In order to turn the reduction of red meat consumption feasible over the long term, all individuals must gain the knowledge to make the choice to have a healthier lifestyle by recognizing that eating less meat will put both the environment and their bodies in good
However, it has been cleared that the report made about the danger of having bowel cancer from eating processed meat is not the same as the likelihood of the possibility of getting lung cancer from smoking. Sarah Williams, of Cancer Research UK, told Sky News that the announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) was made to make sure that the evidence is strong, and not to show the public gravity of the risk red and processed meat might have. The cancer research's opinion is certainly saying that eating red and process meat is not as unhealthy as
The recent World Health Organization IARC press release on the reclassification of red meat and processed meat as cancer risks brought about a small storm of furious and frustrated readers and writers. Many took the report as another piece of evidence buttressing vegetarianism, while some others warned of the ambiguities and limits of the IARC report. The comment sections of various news reports, in particular, contain a varied and oftentimes contradictory set of conclusions somehow derived from the same report, as well as an occasional commenter trying to clarify the original IARC report.
One way eating no meat can help you is that it lessens your chance of a plethora of medical problems. Though everyone has heard the common statement that too much meat can lead to things like heart disease and colon cancer, there is something that everyone has kind of overlooked. As the National Center for Biotechnical Information states, those who eat meat have a higher chance at obesity than those who are vegetarians or just eat fish. Looking at this statistic, the obesity problem in America, and our love for meat, the numbers begin to add up. Though cutting our meat altogether may not help those who are already obese, it will set a precedence for the next generation, showing them that eating less meat or no meat at all will help them take care of their
Consumption of meat by humans creates several problems. First and foremost, raising animals for food compromises the environment. For example, it takes a large amount of natural resources to sustain the meat industry. The use of water, land, and food to raise animals for human consumption is not an efficient use of our limited resources. In contrast, it is more efficient to feed humans directly than to use land, food, and water to feed animals to be used as food. There are shortages of fertile land, clean water, and food in several third world countries. Many of these countries’ resources are allocated to produce feed for animals in developed countries around the world. As a result, the citizens of these countries are stricken with water and food shortages, while their crops are feeding cattle from across the globe. However, this problem can be solved by adopting a vegan diet. The vegan diet will allow a more efficient use of resources that in turn can be used to feed starving men, women, and children throughout the world. Consequently, more people in the world could be fed if the land used to grow feed for animals was used to grow food for humans.