The Truth About Eating Meat

Meat has been part of the human diet in all civilizations for ages. While meat provides the body with various essential nutrients such as iron, vitamins, and protein, its consumption has always been controversial. Here are some points that may make you reconsider your decision to eat meat:

1. Most meat is high in fat

Studies show meat is a high source of saturated fat and can be harmful to our cardiovascular health. Eating undercooked meat or overconsumption puts strain on the heart and increases blood pressure. Saturated fat present in meat products is partially responsible for weight gain and is dangerous because of the artificial ways of raising animals. Meat can lead to deposits of fat in our arteries which increases the chance of stroke and other heart-related diseases.

2. Red meat can increase your chances of colon cancer

Meat takes a long time to be fully digested because of the high protein content. Since the meat we eat does not digest easily it remains in the intestines for a longer period of time and releases carcinogenic compounds that damage the intestinal walls. This can be avoided by adding ample amounts of fiber to the diet.

3. Hidden diseases

Often the meats we eat, especially chicken, suffer from different diseases that are hard to detect. Meat that we eat is prepared after undertaking numerous health checks, however that does not ensure 100% safety. This leaves our body prone to hidden risks which can create health hazards.

4. Non-natural ways of raising animals

Due to high increase in demand of meat products many companies have come up with scientific ways of raising animals and even reproducing them. These scientific ways of raising animals require high usage of drugs and chemicals which are not good for our health. Artificially raised animals do not have the same nutritional value and are not good for health.

5. Processing techniques

The slaughtering techniques of large food companies have been highly controversial. Animals during transportation from farms to kitchens are kept in cabinets where they can not even stand properly let alone move. These congested conditions and closed spaces between chickens lead to various diseases during transportation which are harmful to human health.

6. Meat consumption can lead to hormonal imbalance

Many animals used as meat are given hormonal injections to promote growth and size of the animal. This is done to obtain more meat and speed up the growth of the animal so that the money can be derived from them more quickly. These artificial hormones enter our bodies and disturb our hormonal balance which can lead to problems like early onset of puberty and hormonal dysfunction.

Environmental factors:

1. Depletion of water

Large volumes of water are used for the production of live stock. Water requirement for producing meat is way more than water required for producing vegetarian food.

2. Climate change

Animals produce methane which is a greenhouse gas. Due to high meat demand, more animals are grown which results in climatic changes. Methane traps the heat in the earth’s atmosphere which is a contributing factor to global warming.

3. Vegetation depletion

When animals are taken out to graze they eat up the vegetation which results in topsoil depletion. This fast erosion of natural resources is harmful to our environment and is taken seriously by environmentalists.