A Meat Packers Take on Fast Food Nation

A Clean Space

I have never been very good at keeping my room neat. I love having a clean room, and I am embarrassed when it is giant pig sty (which it usually is), but for some reason, even though I seem to be endlessly cleaning it up, it only seems to get messier and messier. I will spend hours beautifying my bedroom to find that it just goes back to the way it was (if not worse) within a couple days... if not a couple hours. But I still keep cleaning it hoping that one day it will be clean for good.

I am amazed at how affected I am by the environment that I am in. A couple weeks ago, feeling the same agitation and frustration that I feel now, I tore down the posters from my wall (I think I stopped feeling like a teenager overnight -- it was very impulsive), moved my furniture around, filled a garbage bag full of old clothes I never wear (which I donated), and cleaned my room until it was spotless. It helped a great deal, but now that everything is, of course, messy again... I feel cluttered and crowded again. I have been such a collector of "stuff" my whole life, and I suppose its finally hitting me that so much of it is pretty useless. So many papers and books and objects and things that I never pay attention to -- yet I find difficult to throw out or give away. I'm sentimental. I'm nostalgic. I'm a Cancer.

What does it say about me that I can't create a permanently peaceful and nurturing environment for myself? Knowing how much I am affected by the space I'm in... is there a piece of me that subconsciously needs to feel some kind of chaos at all times?

....

Clearly I'm procrastinating. Back to picking laundry up off the floor.

Farm Animals In Canada

The video I posted earlier earned me criticism because there was no hard evidence to prove that the events on the screen were real...

In an e-mail I received:

.. and the reason is because there is nothing credible about that video except explicit (to the point of pornographic) imagery of horror that has no context and no point of reference. We don't know WHERE this happened (it could have been anywhere in the world), how many farms it happened on (it for all we know could have been one evil farmer) and whether the whole thing was staged or not.

Fair enough.

This brings it a little bit closer to home:
http://www.humanefood.ca

It's the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. It has a lot of facts about the Canadian Farming industry (and you will see that the video was not much of an exaggeration -- there are other videos you can download on the site that specify when and where the footage was taken) with great information as to what to look out for when buying purchasing your meat (check out Food Facts). For example:

• Don’t buy pork produced in factory farms using sow stalls. Choose free-range pork that is Certified Organic or has a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified.

• Don't buy factory-farmed chickens. Choose free-range chickens that are Certified Organic or have a label like BCSPCA Certified. These chickens are produced in higher-welfare systems where they can behave more naturally.

• Don't buy battery eggs. Choose free-range eggs that are Certified Organic or have a label like Winnipeg Humane Society Certified or BCSPCA Certified. These are produced in higher-welfare systems where hens can behave more naturally (Watch out for misleading labels. Battery eggs are often sold using confusing terms such as "fresh" or “farm fresh” eggs).

• Don’t buy factory-farmed beef. Choose beef that is “grass-finished" or "pasture-raised" (sometimes called "natural" beef) or Winnipeg Humane Society Certified beef. These animals are not sent to feedlots, and spend their entire lives on the range.

• Don’t buy dairy products with ingredients from intensively farmed dairy cows. Choose dairy products that are Certified Organic.

There is a great deal of information you can read without attempting to brainwash or guilt you to death. What is wonderful to know is that you really CAN make a difference by being a little bit more conscious of what you support. If you check out the news section of the site, you will see that some Canadian companies are starting to feel the pressure to change their ways and treat their animals better. Good news!

One recent article states that the University of Guelph has just voted on a new policy to only use free-range eggs on campus beginning next September. It says, "The activist group Guelph Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals began pushing for the policy two years ago after learning about the "horrific" living conditions hens were subjected to on a farm owned by a member of the dean's veterinary advisory council".

You can also read the information directly from the University of Guelph's website by clicking here.

Here you can read more about egg farming in Canada.

I just learned about the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals this evening (by googling "free range eggs" out of curiosity... I get bored like that)... but they seem very knowledgeable and do not come across psycho-fantatical the way PETA does. Their goals seem very honourable to me.

I know this blog has been very food and animal oriented... I guess its been on my mind a lot recently.

...Sigh...

Okay, I've only had this a couple of days, but I've received a few reactions that contradict what my intentions for this blog really are.

I'm really not sure why I'm writing this blog or what it's going to end up like. All I know is that I wish I could communicate to more people than I am, and I like to share and debate and explore different philosophies and try and help people care and take pride in themselves and the world.

Over the past few years I have gone through a great deal, and in trying to heal different wounds and make sense of everything I spent a lot of time trying to discover who I am... I guess in a spiritual sense, which wasn't really something I cared that much about before. I read a lot and wrote a lot and spoke to a number of people who taught me a great deal. While I continue to struggle in different ways, I am much healthier and more confident in myself than I ever was. For the most part, writing this blog is to help me solidify what I have learned, and to keep growing and challenging myself. I also want to reach other people my age who maybe haven't been exposed to this information in their lives.

This "information" isn't any kind of ultimate truth or gospel. It's just what works for me.

I really don't claim to know anything other than my own experiences. And I suppose I just want to share what my experiences have been because they've benefited me so much . Maybe instead of writing about what all the doctors said about cheeseburgers, I should have let you know how much happier and healthier I have personally been since cutting dairy, wheat, and sugar out of my diet... how I've overcome anxieties that I used to have my whole life, lost weight, cleared my skin up, and built up my confidence. I almost only feel depressed now when I eat too much wheat and sugar....my mood crashes and I get bloated and irritable. But I thought I'd be more convincing if I had facts.

I have been criticized for sounding preachy and I have edited a few of my earlier posts to sound much more how I intended. I guess I'm just not used to this blogging thing and it apparently came across cold and "better-than-thou". I sincerely don't want to be that way. I spent hours in the library researching the cheeseburger stuff because I wanted to learn it for myself, and because I don't just want to claim things out of my ass.

I really encourage you to disagree with anything I have to say. Send me an e-mail or post a comment and start a debate. I think that's how we continue to learn.

The Cheeseburger: Part 3

And now, for the finale...

Beef Patty:100% pure beef.

I’m so thrilled that McDonalds is capable of having an item on the menu with only one ingredient. Hurrah!

According to Edward Bourne, PHD:

“How can a vegetarian lead a calmer disposition? Earlier in this chapter it was mentioned that steroid hormone residues in red meat can exert an effect not unlike the body’s own steroid hormones, activating natural defense against stress and suppressing immunity. Another reason, however, is that meat, poultry, dairy and cheese products, and eggs – along with sugar and refined flour products – are all acid forming foods. These foods are not necessarily acid in composition, but they leave an acid residue in the body after they are metabolized, making the body itself more acid. This can create two kinds of problems:

When the body is more acid, the transit time of food through the digestive track can increase to the point where vitamins and minerals are not adequately assimilated. This selective under-absorption of vitamins – especially B vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals – can subtly add to the body’s stress load and eventually lead to low-grade malnutrition. Taking supplements will not necessarily correct this condition unless you are able to adequately digest and absorb them.

Acid-forming foods, especially meats, can create metabolic breakdown products which are congestive to the body. This is especially true if you are already under stress and unable to properly digest protein foods. The result is that you tend to end up feeling more sluggish, tired, and may have excess mucous or sinus problems. Although it’s true that this congestion is not exactly the same thing as anxiety, it can certainly add stress to the body, which in turn aggravates tension and anxiety. The more free your body is from congestion due to acid-forming foods, the lighter and clear-headed you’ll be likely to feel.” (342-343)

Okay, so we understand how meat can stress the body and contribute to tension and anxiety (which often accompany depression) physically. What else?

In the book, Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy, and Natural Magick, Liv Carnie writes:

“First of all, you should eat a low-fat diet. Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. You don’t have to become vegetarian, but the less meat you eat, the great your chi (life energy) will feel. If you eat meat, try to eat naturally killed animals rather than slaughtered ones. The reason for this is simple. When animals are killed in a slaughterhouse, they are often extremely stressed prior to their death because they detect the suffering from all the other animals. This negative energy carries into your meat. Therefore, if you must eat meat, try to obtain it yourself and kill the animal as naturally and quickly as possible.” (151)

Whaaa? Negative energy? What does this have to do with anything?

Technically, what Carnie is saying, is that you are consuming the negative energy. I know all this sounds flaky, but hear it out…

The holistic approach to dealing with depression takes a look at every contributing element, not just your psychology, but also the emotional, physical, and spiritual factors that influence and affect you. Which is why holistic practitioners are far more inclined to alter your diet and encourage you to meditate and exercise and find a creative outlet to express your feelings and thoughts than immediately pump you full of meds.

Every moment and experience we have helps to shape and define who we are and how we feel – but there are also a number of factors that can happen on a subconscious level that we rarely are aware of. There are millions of possibilities, all which can most certainly be addressed and dealt with in ways that are personal to you. Sometimes depression and anxiety can be linked to past life experiences, sometimes we are dealing with soul lessons that continue to challenge us, and very often we are affected (both positively and negatively) on an energetic level by the people, objects, events, and practices that surround us every day. When someone walks into a room in a bad mood, immediately you can feel it. When you’re in love, you can often feel the energy and feelings and moods of the other person without even touching them. A mother might intuitively begin to panic when her child is experiencing some kind of distress, even if they are separated.

Is it not possible then, that the meat on your plate carries the stress and fear that the animal experienced when it was slaughtered, and that by consuming it you are allowing that energy to be a part of you? Just because the animal is dead on your plate does not mean it doesn’t carry any energetic properties.

If you tend to be a fairly empathetic, sensitive, and intuitive person, and feel stressed or depressed frequently, and also consume a lot of meat… I would wonder about this possibility (not that cutting meat out is the final cure... but it may help you address other issues without added, unnecessary stress).

If we have the ability to feel and connect with the energy of the people around us, or grow to love and feel empathy for our pets, or can feel anxious in a messy room and calmed in a peaceful meadow, I don’t see why we would suddenly be immune to the energy of the animals we consume.

Just an interesting thought.

The Cheeseburger: Part 2

Okay, so the wheat and sugar argument wasn’t that hard – I’m sure everyone has heard at this point that sugar can do funky things to the brain, and now that the “whole grain” craze is happening it isn’t hard to convince people that refined flour is bad for you. Still, before I move on to the next ingredient I want to address one other thing. If you read the ingredients of the Mcdonalds bun, I’m sure you noticed the list of 25 or so other funny sounding ingredients that may or may not all be included in the recipe.

In the Nurse’s Handbook of Alternative and Complementary Therapies, it states on page 346:

“About 2,000 additives – including artificial colorings and flavors, stabilizers, sweeteners, preservatives, and antibiotics – are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food. Many are believed to be carcinogenic. Some additives have been linked to hyperactivity and learning disorders in children.”

Moving on!

The next key ingredient in a Mcdonald’s cheeseburger is the cheese:

Processed Cheese Slice: Cheese (milk, modified milk ingredients, bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, microbial)

Okay, fair enough. It’s cheese. Processed cheese, but still – what's cheese got to do with it?

Again, in the excerpt from the book, Food and Healing, by Annemarie Colbin, PHD, it claims:

“The most common foods to cause mental disturbances are sugar, milk, and milk products . . . Negative reactions to milk . . . such as depression, weepiness, and feelings of helplessness and inability to cope, are so widespread that they are almost considered the norm. . . .”

In the book, Depression-Free for Life, by Gabriel Cousens and Mark Mayell, milk and dairy products top the lists of foods that cause allergic reactions and depression (30).

One of the all-time top selling workbooks on anxiety, The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, by Edmund J. Bourne, PHD, states: “An allergic reaction occurs when the body attempts to resist the intrusion of a foreign substance. For some people, certain foods affect the body like a foreign substance, not only causing classic allergic symptoms such as a runny nose, mucous, and sneezing, but a host of psychological or psychosomatic symptoms, including any of the following:

• Anxiety or panic
• Depression or mood swings
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Confusion and disorientation
• Fatigue

In our culture the two most common foods causing allergic reactions are milk or dairy products and wheat. It is casein in milk and gluten in wheat that tend to cause problems.” (339-340)

These facts are backed up in a study discussed in an article called, Food Allergies and Depression, which you can read here.

Aside from depression, dairy contributes to great deal of other problems. In the Self Healing Cookbook by Christina Turner, she writes:

-Digestive disorders often settle down when dairy is reduced. This is because casein, the major protein in milk, forms indigestible sticky curds in the stomach, which then line the intestinal walls and interfere with the ability to absorb nutrients (Fit for Life, Harvey & Marilyn Diamond).

-Pre-Menstrual symptoms such as bloating, headaches, irritability, confusion, and cramps, often improve significantly on a dairy free diet.

-Allergies of all kinds are often benefited by non-dairy diets… chronic sinus conditions, food allergies, and environmental allergies. This may be because the by-products of milk digestion create large quantities of mucus, which lead to sluggish organ function, lethargy, and fatigue.

-Hyperactive and chronically fatigued kids are quite often allergic to dairy (as well as sugar and corn) according to William Crook, M.Dl, who has worked with thousands of allergic children. (Don’t Drink Your Milk, Frank Oski. M.D).

-Breast cancer incidence is much higher in countries which consume lots of dairy foods. The high-fat content in diary can cause hormonal changes (by encouraging over-growth of estrogen-producing bacteria in the intestines).This estrogen imbalance is linked not only to breast cancer, but also to early onset of menstruation and late menopause (McDougall’s Medicine, John McDougall, M.D). (48-49)

Chapter 3: The Beef… coming up next!

The Cheeseburger: Part One

I was left with this comment in response to my first post:

While I am aware of how an over consumption of cheeseburgers (among other fast foods) will lead to poor health I have never heard the argument of how a (read: one) cheeseburger contributes to depression. Could you explain that?

Certainly, my friend!

In this article on mood and food, Dr. Anali Mukherjee says: “Food affects mood which in turn impacts personality. You are what you eat. It is out of proteins, fats and carbohydrates that we make our hormones and brain chemicals and these regulate how we feel.”

Let’s break it down:

I will focus on the main ingredients (minus the condiments) in the basic cheeseburger at McDonalds, which I found listed on their website. Let's start with the bun.

Regular Bun: Enriched wheat flour, water, sugar and/or glucose-fructose, yeast, vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), salt, calcium sulphate, AND MAY CONTAIN ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING IN VARYING PROPORTIONS: diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, vegetable mono and diglycerides, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl-2- lactylate, corn flour, calcium phosphate, soy flour, sunflower oil, wheat starch, ammonium phosphate, calcium peroxide, wheat gluten, ethanol, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, sodium propionate, enzymes, dextrin, corn starch, wheat starch, cellulose gum, ammonium sulfate, malt, calcium carbonate, sesame seeds.

First of all, the fact that it says: “and may contain any or all of the following in varying proportions” and lists about 25 additional ingredients (most of which I cannot pronounce) is just frightening. However, at the moment I am going to focus on the first and third main ingredients, flour and sugar.

In an excerpt from the book, Food and Healing, by Annemarie Colbin, PHD, she writes:

"Sugar is very closely linked to feelings of alienation, despair and depression . . . I hope the day will come when, if we suffer from any of these feelings, we'll all know to first stop eating cake, ice cream, candy, pastries, chocolate, sugared cereals, and so on. Then we will wait four days and only then, if the feelings persist unabated, accept them as psychologically generated."

She elaborates in this article here:

Early on I found that the food most clearly associated with the "blues" is sugar. My late friend Bill Dufty, whom I knew well and saw often during the late ‘60's and early ‘70s, knew what he was talking about when he called his book Sugar Blues. About 3-4 days after I quit eating sugared breakfasts (coffee with sugar, donuts), the gloomy feeling lifted completely. In other words, if you are sad, blue, mildly depressed, sighing about the miseries of your life - the first thing to do is to quit eating refined cane and other sugars. And I mean ZERO sugar. No sweetened cereals, no breads or bean salads with sugar in them, no muffins, no cookies, no jams, no desserts. This means careful label reading, as well as very conscious eating – none of this shoveling food into your mouth without noticing what it is.

After eliminating sugar, the next step for me was replacing all refined carbohydrates with whole grains: brown rice instead of white, wholegrain bread instead of white, even whole grains instead of potatoes. That made another big difference, as it gave me a sense of strength and groundedness.”

Sugar and refined flour are connected to many other psychological symptoms as well. According to the Nurse’s Handbook of Alternative and Complementary Therapies:

“Refined foods, such as white sugar and white flour, go through extensive processing, which strips them of their nutrients. Some nutrition experts believe a diet high in such refined carbohydrates contributes to nutritional deficiencies and overall poor health. Research has linked refined sugar to behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and poor scholastic achievement at school.” (346, Williams and Wilkins)

Many people suffer depression, anxiety, or other psycho-emotional symptoms as a result of having unidentified food allergies. Almost everyone has allergies to foods, but they go undetected because a) people rarely take the time to listen to how their body responds to certain foods they consume (I've never heard anybody tell me they felt light and full of energy after inhaling a cheeseburger), and b) they know certain foods make them feel sick, but they don't know what else to eat or they simply don't care. They, too, don't seem to make the connection between what they just ate and how they feel emotionally throughout the day. I have never known a grounded and spiritually peaceful person to include fast food as a main staple in their diet.

Here is an example of how allergens can affect mood, from the book The Food Allergy Cure:

“After reviewing some papers on depression and brain chemistry, I came up with some additional allergens that seemed to be related to depression. I treated her for essential fatty acids, soybeans, salmon, wheat gluten, alcohol, caffeine (she drank quite a bit of coffee), chocolate, and turkey. After these allergens had cleared, she noticed an enormous improvement in her energy level and in her behavior. We then cleared her remaining food allergies, which included spices, other grains, dairy, and fruits. At the end of three months, Karen’s depression had finally disappeared, and she was herself at last. She said she felt as though her depression had been surgically removed.” (12 Cutler).

“A wheat allergy, especially if coupled with a corn allergy, can cause severe health problems. Wheat allergies can cause symptoms ranging from fatigue to eczema, arthritis, digestive problems, colitis, food cravings, and brain-fog.” (75 Cutler)

Of course, everyone has different food sensitivities – but wheat happens to be one of the eight most common food allergens. If you suffer from symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, behavioral problems, etc. – I suggest you consider that wheat and sugar may be a factor. Everyone’s physical and emotional makeup is different and therefore everyone requires a different balance of foods in their diet (which is why I do not make the claim that I feel everyone should be vegetarian) – but I am under the impression that everyone is affected by what they eat and are potentially able to overcome many emotional symptoms by making certain changes in their diet.

Dr. Foster, at http://www.startthehealing.com/Q_manic.html says:

I had a client diagnosed with manic depression and her problem was that her blood sugar levels had been spiking up and down all the time, which caused her to have wide mood swings. She was able to control the symptoms by going on a hypoglycemic diet which eliminated all refined sugar (soda pop, candy, candy bars, cakes, cookies, pies, etc.) and refined (enriched) flour from her diet and by eating smaller meals more often with protein at each meal (such as almonds or tofu). This allowed her blood sugar (and thus, her emotions) to stabilize. If you can eliminate the sugar, refined flour and caffeine out of your diet, after a while, things just have to get calmer.

Chapter Two is coming soon!

The Video

I have a few things to say about the video I previously posted (which I have now removed).

I was left with a comment that said: "I must say that I find this video to be disgusting (as it's meant to be) but so much so, that I'm afraid that it will turn people off (not meat, but the whole idea of saving animals) solely because the video production is so overtly and obtrusively manipulative and one-sided that it will drive a desire in some to reject all that they are seeing out of spite rather than absorb it out of compassion."

I understand that the video is manipulative -- I didn't meant to offend anyone. I hesitated before posting it for that reason, but I carried through with it because I think, despite the biased commentary, the images speak for themselves. The animals are real, and what occurs in the video really happens. That it was presented in an overly manipulative manner is unfortunate, but I took the risk. I think it is important for people to see what happens, and that animals really do seem to express feeling. Sometimes we need to be hit with something extreme to really understand.

If those watching it choose to reject it all out of "spite", then so be it. I wish they could have more compassion, but I wish almost everyone had more compassion. All I hope for is that in watching this, someone might consider purchasing their meat from a company that slaughters their animals in a more humane fashion, or begins to adopt a diet that is less meat focused. I am suggesting that people begin to investigate exactly what is being put on their plates.

I also received an e-mail saying: "I don't think the problem is lack of awareness. I think many people your age (and mine) are quite aware of the atrocities that take place (you just have to google it and I bet you ten websites will come up with this exact video). I think the problem we are facing in this generation of ours is apathy. They know it's happening. But the world's problems as they stand today are too overwhelming and so we sink into apathy and carry on with the little things that we enjoy (like eating meat) despite the fact we are told it is bad."

I respond to this by asking for patience. I started writing this blog today and presented simply what was on my mind at the time. I hope that through the journey of this blog I will come to address all of these issues and more. I also invite anyone to send me writings that you would like me to consider posting here -- so, Rebecca, if you personally want to address this and not wait for me to do it, I will post it for you. I absolutely agree with you that apathy is a major problem.

This blog is also not about instantly changing the world. I simply wish to present information for people to consider and reflect upon and hopefully be inspired by.

If you wish to view the video, please understand that I want you to see it not because I am fanatical or manipulative. I don't agree with the presentation of the material, I agree it is biased, but I think it is important not to pretend it doesn't exist.

You can view the clip at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4

A Note On Vegetarianism

I have been vegetarian my entire life, so I'm sure its really easy for me to talk about how great I think it is. After all, the number one excuse I hear from my meat-eating friends about why they can never give it up is, "It tastes good!" -- which I, of course, never having tasted it, can't argue. I grew up eating small amounts of fish, but I personally stopped several years ago. My reasons for being vegetarian now are independent of my family and why I was raised so.

While I am passionate about vegetarianism, for reasons that I'm certain will appear throughout this blog as time goes by, I understand how much people love and are used to meat and I have never tried to turn anyone off it (although I've had a couple debates with friends over the years). I know most people wouldn't know where to begin becoming vegetarian -- and I would rather them eat meat and eat a balanced diet than become vegetarian and live off chips and bread because they don't know what else to have. I also know some people need to eat it meat for health reasons (blood type, etc), but overall I think that most of us living in North America eat an unhealthy over-abundance of it. Meat is consumed in gratuitous amounts, and hardly anyone pauses to make the connection as to where it came from. That sort of bothers me the most.

I have a family friend who needs to eat meat because of her blood type. She was vegetarian for years and was ordered to introduce meat back into her diet by her doctor because her iron was so low. She did as the doctor prescribed, but felt so terrible eating the meat that she would cry every time she had to cook it. Eventually she found a flower remedy (www.bachflower.com) to help her cope emotionally, and now she only buys organic kosher meat (that is killed in a more humane fashion). She will eat it when she begins to crave it, a sign to her that her body is asking for it, but never in indulgent amounts. Whenever she eats a piece of meat she gives a quiet thank you to the animal for giving up its life to be eaten by her and has taught her young daughter with the same blood type to treat what is on her plate with the same respect.

I had never heard of anyone doing that before (outside of native practices that I have learned of), but I really admired her for it -- it seemed really thoughtful and it made me think a lot about how few people take the time to connect to what is on their plates.

We live in a culture where we are able to walk into a grocery store and have thousands of items at our fingertips. Before you buy your next food product, whatever it is, try to pause and think about where it came from, what it is made out of, and whether it is something that your body is really asking for. And should you choose to buy or order a piece of meat, consider giving a moment of thought and thanks to the life that was taken in order for you to enjoy it.