Article for 04-2001
Thinking About Becoming a Vegetarian?
If you were thinking about switching over to a vegetarian
diet, now may be a good time. Europe is having a tough time with foot-and-mouth
and mad cow disease in their livestock. I think it is just a matter of time
before American livestock begins to show signs of these diseases or other
infestations.
Animals with foot-and-mouth disease get high fevers, rashes,
blisters, and lose weight. Infected animals may also become lame. This disease
is not known to infect humans. According to authorities, we can eat infected
meats and not get sick.
Animals with
mad cow disease show severe nervous system degeneration and then die. This
disease can be transferred to humans by eating infected animal meat or animal
by-products like diary. Humans that contract mad cow disease usually die within
six months. This disease literally eats away at your brain. There is no cure.
The culprit is a protein called a prion and cannot be destroyed by heat, radiation,
or chemicals.
How do animals get mad cow disease? Farmers give their animals
feed with meat in it to bulk them up. Cows are designed to ingest only vegetation
(grass and oats) and feeding them meat produces mad cow disease. So, mad cow
disease is the result of man’s greed.
You will want to avoid all animal meats of a cloven hoof like
pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, deer and other mammals. Even though the United
States has banned imported meat and diary from the European Union, I would
not trust the fact that these diseases aren’t already here. There are more
than 300 confirmed incidents of foot-and-mouth in England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland. More cases have been reported in Argentina, Saudi Arabia
and Africa. The reported cases of mad cow disease are also on the rise in
England.
Iowa and North Carolina are major players in the
hog industry. South Carolina is fifth in the nation for cattle. The Department
of Agriculture is concerned since hoof- and-mouth disease hasn’t been in the
United States since 1929. However, are they doing or could they do enough
to keep these diseases out of the United States?
It is said that hoof-and-mouth can spread on the air up to
40 miles.Shoes, clothing etc. must
be washed to avoid transmitting this disease.
As a result of these events, your meat prices will be going
up. Europe and other parts of the world will be importing more U.S. meats.
Currently only seven percent of U.S. pork is exported. However, Japan is a
big importer of pork, and they get their pork from Europe. Guess who will
be stepping in as the disease of European meats reaches epidemic levels?
If you eat out and love your baby back ribs, you should know
that the ribs are usually imported from Denmark. You should keep track of
which countries have infected animals and ask the restaurant where they get
their meats. Cooking the meat does not remove the risk of mad cow disease.
So, if you’ve been putting off trying a vegetarian lifestyle
there’s no time like the present. Check out your favorite bookstores for the
latest in vegetarian cookbooks. You can make an easy and tasty meal in about
20 minutes. Smoothie books are also a handy compliment to any vegetarian meal.
Remember, milk, cream, butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt etc. are from cow
or goat. I recommend the vanilla “light” soymilk as an alternative. Better
safe than sorry.
For a complete guide to a healthier lifestyle, check out The
Power Herbs: 13 Herbs Every Medicine Cabinet Should Have. There you’ll
find nutritional information and cookbook suggestions for less-meat or no-meat
diets. Just go to the herbal shop and click on books to order your copy or
click on the book icon on the welcome page for more information on this title.
Feel better!
Sources:
- Suchetka, D. and Whitmire, T., Foot-and-Mouth Disease. North Carolina:
The Charlotte Observer. Knight Publishing, pp. 1A, 17A.
- Cheslak, W., The Power Herbs: 13 Herbs Every Medicine Cabinet Should
Have. North Carolina. Apothecary Herbs, Inc., pp. 26, 57-60.
- Centers for Disease Control & U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The information contained herein is not intended to diagnosis, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please seek medical advice from a licensed medical physician before using any herbal products or natural therapies. The information contained herein is copyrighted by Apothecary Herbs, Inc.
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