10 December, 2009

I found this article quite interesting. This isn't the whole thing but i decided to post just part of it. We've read one of the books written by the "expert" who wrote the article on grass fed beef and definitely agree. Time to ask my dad to give up one of his beef roaming his pasture. Marlin also sat in some of his classes and was quite impressed. I was amazed to see his name linked to this page, since he's not real well liked by the big dogs of conventional food. The tomato article i had heard before but it convinced me to be more careful. Thankfully i have some homemade canned tomatoes but not near enough. The other things considered bad were conventional apples, microwave popcorn and....i forget. Must've ate to many canned tomatoes. Enjoy the article.

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.


2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for info. on tomatoes. Very interesting! Good Ol' Joel Salatin - a wise man indeed! Are you able to find grass fed meat at all in Juanita?

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