Okay, back on track.
Antibiotic Resistance.
I would like to start this whole bit by pointing out that because of their extremely fast rate of reproduction, bacteria are incredibly good at adaptation. That is one reason they have outlived things like dinosaurs. And Wooly Mammoths (which I for one wish were still around) and tons of other extinct things. Adapting to new environments is their "thing." My thing is being a pain in the rear; their thing is being really really good at survival. We all have our thing.
Perhaps you all have seen or heard about Katie Couric's piece on the Animal Agriculture industry and their abuse of antibiotics and how they are causing the increase in antibiotic resistant bugs. If not, Google it. It might make you afraid of your food; but really, you're being overly paranoid if it does. Here's the deal, I'm not going to say it doesn't happen. Is it right? No, it's probably not "the best thing to do." Why do they do it? Because if the animals aren't fighting off bugs, they can use more energy to grow. And if they grow more efficiently, then we can raise more animals in a shorter amount of time which means that then you can buy your meat for cheap. Which, as it were, you have come to expect. That being said, just because some operations do it, it doesn't mean they all do it. That's like saying all people with brown eyes are full of crap. Lucky for me, that would mean I'm only half full of crap. Which is probably fairly accurate, as it were. My point, the MAJORITY of farmers use antibiotics like every responsible person -- when an animal is sick. In any event, I don't necessarily think it is bad to expose parts of the industry that could use some looking into to see if there are better ways to do things. What I do have a problem with is using fear tactics. Guess what, by the way, there are withdrawal periods for antibiotics... so it's not like you're getting that stuff in your meat. Could it be leading to antibiotic resistance? Ya, it very well could be. You know what else does? HUMANS ABUSING ANTIBIOTICS. That's why doctors offices have all those fun signs about how taking antibiotics when you have a virus is worthless and bad because it helps bacteria develop resistance. But, the number one thing that bugs me is: cleaning products. That's right, I said it. How many people in this country buy cleaning products that kill 99.9% of germs? I'd be lying if I told you I don't have lysol wipes in this house. They kill Salmonella and Influenza A, woohoo! So, while they're killing 99.9% of everything, they are not killing that pesky 0.1%. It seems so minuscule, so negligible even. Damn you, Charles Darwin and your survival of the fittest! So, as long as an astonishing percentage of households in America are contributing to the creation of antibiotic resistant bacteria, I ask you to quit pointing your fingers. Pot? Kettle? Black? K, thanks.
This brings to mind something else that gets on me. And being that I'm overweight, I don't mind bashing on people who choose not to take responsibility for their poor lifestyle choices. I, for one, own mine. No mystery here. There have been some pretty outlandish claims in recent years that children consuming meat is leading to some horrible things: childhood obesity and earlier onset of puberty. I would like to first point something out. The cause of earlier onset of puberty is, in fact, obesity. I'm not a doctor, but you can find plenty of information on the internet to back up that wild claim I just made.
Now, to say that children eating meat is the leading cause of childhood obesity is just stupid. It's not a function of what we're eating that is making this country obese. IT IS a function of the proportion and variety of food we eat. When you don't eat enough and exercise too little you pack it on. I hope I'm not being too brash. Sure, it's easy to pick on meat (especially if you are promoting organic, natural, vegetarian/vegan or any combination of the three). Yes, cattle are often implanted with hormones. They can help to deposit more lean and fat. Again with the concept of producing more meat in less time, which in turn means cheaper for the consumer. Which, again, you typically demand. Estrogen gets a lot of flack. I think that's why meat gets blamed for the whole puberty thing. I'd like to point out right now that implanted beef has 0.1 nanogram more estrogen than non implanted beef. Because I am tired, I don't want to google it, but there are lots of vegetables, fruits, seeds, etc. that also contain estrogen... and a whole lot more of it. And a few nanograms in comparison to what you produce is what I like to call "negligible". Like antibiotics, hormones have a withdrawal period.. so just because it is helping that steer to pack in a little extra marbling doesn't mean it's helping you pack it on your tush.
That being said, we eat too much and exercise too little. And you know who is learning those habits? OUR CHILDREN. So, please, stop blaming someone else for your family's problems with obesity. Take some personal responsibility. It is not the food producer's job, nor is it your school's job -- it is YOUR job to teach YOUR family about living a healthy lifestyle.
Buck. Stops. Here.
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