Whole Food, Whole Health

I was doing some reading in The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, when I came across some very interesting information about meat. My goal over the last couple of months has been to reduce my meat intake and obtain the needed protein from other sources such as legumes. However, I am finding it hard to completely avoid meat and I am not truly ready to go vegetarian. So, for those of you who have similar stories, I thought I would share a little bit of information about how you can continue eating meat in a healthy way.

Cooking methods: Did you know that broiling or grilling meat at high temperatures creates potent carcinogens? These toxic compounds damage our cell membranes as well as the DNA within our cells, setting the stage for the development of cancer. 

Animal feed: Did you know that animals raised on a plant-based diet, rather then the typical industreal grain-fed diet, have fats that are much healthier for our human bodies (omega-3 fats). Animals that are grain-fed have significantly diminished health benefits (more omega-6 fats). Look for free-range, organically grown, and grass fed when purchasing meats.

Appropriate intake: Limit your meet consumption to no more than 3-4 ounces daily (the size of a deck of cards). This 3-4  ounces will provide a good amount of protein in your daily diet.