Every week in my class I get asked about whether animal protein is superior to plant protein. My response has always been unequivocally, “NO.” There always seems to be harmful proteins, bacteria and viruses associated with meat production and consumption. Last week about 28,000 pounds of raw ground beef was recalled that was sold at major retailers, due to E. coli contamination (Ground beef sold at Walmart, Kroger, WinCo Foods and Albertsons stores recalled over possible E. coli contamination – CBS News).
Way back in 1906 Upton Sinclair authored a fictional work, “The Jungle” in which he detailed the atrocities of the meatpacking industry in Chicago. Fast forward to 2022 and working in animal slaughterhouses is considered one of the worst jobs in America “The Actual Worst Jobs in America: Dirty, Shady Work to Avoid”. Sadly, there are many undocumented immigrants who are forced to work long and hard hours, in unsanitary conditions.
To my class, I always retort, “How many diseases do you hear about that come from plant sources?”
There’s always dead silence after that question. It’s pretty much never, except for vegetables being contaminated because they’re in close proximity to raw meats. You may be allergic to certain plants or you may not like certain plants, but rarely do they cause diseases.
Since it’s unlikely that America or the world will totally give up eating meat, at least we can cut down on its consumption.
What if you only ate meat products as a treat, where it’s the smallest portion of what you eat instead of the main attraction? That would make a big difference in the human body and the ecology. Many problems might dissipate like heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and for those who care, destruction of the environment and animal rights. It’s a simple fix, but unwittingly most of us will continue down a path of self-destruction due to what we’re shoving in our mouths.
That said, in 2022 let’s make an effort to eat more plants and head down a path of self-enlightenment.
