Genetically-Modified Livestock
Genetically Modified livestock is a hybrid food that has been created by taking genes from one organism and planting them into another. This modification can serve many different purposes; one of the chief reasons given is that it creates healthier livestock with less disease and sickness. Genetic engineering can help an animal become disease resistant and also pack on pounds which is great for increasing sales of what people want: more meat.
Although this may produce disease resistant breeds, which seem attractive, GMO may have some harmful effects on the consumer. For example a person may have an allergy to certain proteins in one animal can now find themselves having a reaction to a completely different food.
Genetically-Modifed Crops
Genetically modified crops are more resistant to pests and grow faster: yielding a bigger crop for the growing population in the world. However there are other things to consider from its impact on the environment; to the risk presented to human health. Pollen from the GM plants can travel to other areas and kill insects that are not a threat to the crop. We must also consider the effects of transposing a gene from another plant on allergens. As food intolerances and allergies rise, the results of eating GM foods could be deadly. Finally, cross-pollination could eventually breed a highly resistant super weed, which is difficult to destroy; changing and affecting indigenous species.
Here’s a video that guides you on how to avoid GMOs:
Hormones
Hormones are being fed to livestock to promote faster growth which obviously increases profits, as animals are growing faster; increasing productivity. There are six different hormones used today and most are used in combination with each other. The FDA has set limits on daily consumption of these anabolic steroids but no testing was conducted into any real side effects until 2007. The study found a lower sperm (24%) count in males born to mothers who consumed the hormone-fed beef. Since they enter the entire system, steroids are found in all of the meat produced including the fat and liver.
Antibiotics
Our future looks bleaker with the continued use of antibiotics in livestock. Though the antibiotics help raise fatter and healthier livestock, the unintended side effects could prove to be a worldwide disaster. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics that are given in regular low doses. Essentially, the more we use antibiotics, the less effective they become over time. This ultimately means that an infection from a common scratch could once again become a major killer with increased exposure to antibiotics. Almost 30 million pounds of antibiotics were used by American farmers in 2011. The FDA is guilty of hiding records that involve the use of at least 18 different antibiotics; many of which don’t meet the FDA’s current standard. There are already 11,000 cases of death in America due to resistant bacteria like Methicilin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Disease then and now
With the health and food choices we make we have a direct impact on illnesses and diseases in our life. Diabetes for example has had a 50% climb from the mid-90s to 2010. With more processed food and additives coming on the market each year we see a direct correlation to food choices and increases in diseases. Diabetes is just one example of this debilitating trend. The CDC estimates that poor diet and lack of exercise are the main causes of 80% of heart disease and stroke followed by 80% of diabetes and 40% of cancer.
Many of the chemicals added to processed foods have bad reactions in the human body and slowly the news is getting around (learn the dangers of processed food products here!). As more and more people chose to live a better quality of life many of the trends can be reversed. Many times it’s not just about living longer but about being able to care for yourself and live a better life through your aging years.
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