Meat!!!

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 I live with guys. Guys who eat meat. I married a meat and potatoes guy, oh and bread! Every night at dinner he says "Where's the bread? You know if we were in a restaurant, they would bring us bread." To which I respond "Then you should have taken us to a restaurant. So be grateful you even have food." But, I digress. I then gave birth to a just meat guy. I have a 17 year old son that responds to the question, 'What do you want for dinner?' with "Steak!" Every single time. *sigh*










Personally, I think I could be vegetarian. Not the real vegan type. The kind that also eats milk, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, and quail. What???....Oh!!...then never mind. I don't want to be vegetarian. But, I could, however live without beef I think. As an aside, as a yoga practioner I've read lots about the health benefits of vegetarianism. I've tried a few times to be vegetarian, then found myself eating a Turkey Original from Schlotsky's. Then, all of a sudden, as if waking up from sleepwalking, I think "CRAP! I was gonna be a vegetarian!" Oh well, the reason I'm not vegetarian is because I keep forgetting that I'm vegetarian. That and the fact that I like to eat birds and fish. :) Again, I digress. I really have something to tell you. I'll get to it. I'll try anyway.









MEAT!









and we're back...









In our house, aside from the occasional trips through Schlotsky's and Taco Casa, we eat grass fed beef, free range chicken, wild caught salmon, raw dairy, and eggs from free roaming chickens that we raise ourselves.


Those are my chickens in the above picture. I'm new to blogging so I just learned how to add pictures and tweak them. It's all very exciting and is also now one of those mad skills I was telling you about earlier.
Here's a sweet hook-up

This book tells you how to raise your own pastured poultry.

Okay.....Now, back to the meat of the story.

We eat grass fed beef, free range chicken, wild caught salmon, and our own eggs from our chickens that are free ranging. Why do we do this?? I'll tell you.

It's way more nutritious. And, it's just common sense.

Cows are made to eat grass. That should be all you need to know. But, I'm sure you would like to know some details. Since the 1930's cows in large beef operations are finished in feedlots where they are fed all manner of unhealthy things such as candy, french fries, rotten potatoes, or even a combination of all these things. They are also fed a diet of corn and soy. The problem with the corn and soy is that they are the most genetically modified crop that U.S. grows. There's not a lot of studies on the health effects of gmo crops, but so far, it doesn't look good. When plants grow unaided, they develop immunities to harsh conditions, bugs, etc. When we and other plant eating animals eat these plants we  get the health benefits as well. GMO crops don't have to develop those immunities therefore, making them not as nutritious.

Grass fed beef is raised and finished on a diet of grass. This is what nature intended for them. Because feedlots are overcrowded and unhealthy, they have to be given hormones and antibiotics. We, then ingest those as well. The benefits to us are that grass fed beef is lower in fat. It is actually lower in fat than skinless chicken thighs. It has the same fat equivalency of wild deer and elk. It is also higher in heart healthy vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid.

Pastured or free range poultry is also better than it's commercially raised counterparts. Commercial chicken operations are overcrowded. Again, because of overcrowding, they are filled with antibiotics and hormones. I will tell you, because I've seen first hand, that chickens will eat ANYTHING. If they are cooped up in a small space, they will peck at everything. That includes their own poop and dead chickens. Soo...If you eat those chickens, you are ingesting the nutrients stored in their meat. Surely, you don't want to eat chicken poop!! Also, I just read that Europe won't even allow U.S. chickens to be imported into their countries because we chlorinate them to remove bacteria. I also know as a swimming pool business owner that chlorine is toxic. Chickens are made to eat grasses and bugs. If given the opportunity that's what they'll do and be happily disease free. The eggs they produce are healthier as well, with more vitamins d and e, along with higher levels of omega 3s than the store bought eggs. They taste a heck of a lot better too!!!! Even if you buy "free range" eggs at the store, it's not much better. To get that rating, they only have to be allowed access outside for 15 minutes a day I'm told.

And, then finally to the fish. I have to say that I do eat farm raised fish sometimes. I like tilapia and it seems you can only get it here farm raised. But, ideally, we should be eating wild caught fish. Salmon is super easy to find, just read the can or package and make sure it says "wild caught". Also, common sense. Fish were put in large bodies of water by God or Mother Nature or whatever you believe in for a reason. They can survive in the wild without the aid of humans thank you very much. So, it only makes sense to eat those things as they were intended to live. If fed as close to their natural habitat, they will be healthy and we will be healthy if we eat them that way.

I hope this has been helpful and here's another 'sweet hook-up' for you. It just makes sense. Read the Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin.