Is meat really bad for you?!
Is meat really bad for you?
I'm considering not eating meat or rather not very often. I know red meat isn't that good for you but what about chicken and fish?
Answers:
Hello there, I don't think eating meat is necessarily bad for you. While red meat should be eaten maybe only once or twice a month for optimal health, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon) and poultry 2 - 3 times a week is a fine way of adding diversity and richness to your diet, while getting some quality protein and other nutrients.
I think the problem that many of today's vegans have with meat eating is the suffering attributed to animals in today's industrialized "factory farms". It can be quite a cruel process since the aim is to produce as much meat as possible for millions of consumers. This means that many of these facilities don't treat livestock as humanely as they should when the pressure to produce is so high.
While eating meat in itself isn't wrong, in my opinion, the cruel treatment of animals is, and if this really concerns you, you should do yourself a favor and find a natural food store where you live that offers naturally and humanely processed meats. Places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, and Wild Oats are ideal. You can always enter "natural food store locater" in a search engine as well to find websites that help you find stores close to wear you live. By buying naturally and humanely handled meats, you can eat poultry and fish with a better conscience and also be supporting local farmers who want to refrain from harsh industrialized agricultural methods.
On a final note, I would recommend that you *not* visit websites like PETA's homepage, www.goveg.com, etc., since these are not good sources to find about the pros and cons of eating meat. Too often, these sites are extremely (and often zealously) biased, and use scare tactics to alarm people rather than giving rational, open-minded support for their beliefs. You can find out about the benefits or disadvantages of eating less or no meat, or only consuming fish and poultry, at other places who are not strictly animal rights groups.
I hope you find my answer helpful in some way. When it comes down to it, you can have a diet that is both healthy, good for the environment, and treats animals humanely.
Yours Truly,
Socrates