That's Fit

Not too many months ago, news stories broke about the inhumane treatment of cattle at slaughterhouses. In addition to other misdeeds at some slaughterhouses, so called "downer" cattle -- those that are too sick or injured to walk -- were being handled inhumanely.

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced last Tuesday that cattle that is sick or too injured to walk will not be allowed to enter slaughterhouses. The USDA hopes that this measure will help prevent the mistreatment of animals in these facilities. They also hope the measures will help ensure meat safety.

I'm not a vegetarian, but reports like this make me want to become one. While I think any measure to ensure the humane treatment of animals is good, I can't help but think that a ban against those cattle that are too sick or too injured to walk isn't really solving the problem at all. What do you think?

Keep your red and processed meat consumption to a minimum to avoid an increased risk of cancer, says a new study by the U.S. National Cancer Institute in the Public Library of Science Medicine.

Researchers found that people who ate the most of these specific types of meat had the highest risk of developing colorectal and lung cancers. Evidently, compounds created during cooking or the digestion of these types of meat damage DNA and in many cases result in the growth of tumors.

To help minimize your risk, the best -- and most obvious way -- to do so is to cut back on the amount of red and processed meat you consume. Researchers suggest sticking to around 3g per 1,000 calories you eat.

Zinc is more than just a way to use a 'z' in scrabble -- it's an essential nutrient that your body needs, both to heal wounds and injuries and help your body break down carbohydrates. How do you know if you're getting enough? Here are some signs that you're not, according to Everyday Health:

• Wounds, lesions and infections are difficult to heal.
  
• Your appetite is decreased.
  
• You experience an abnormal sense of taste and smell.
  
• You have difficulty seeing in the dark
• You experience abnormal hair loss.
  

Think you might be low on zinc? Load up on protein sources like red meat, turkey, seafood and legumes, as well as veggies like spinach and peas. Whole wheat bread, yogurt and milk are also good sources.

If you're trying to lose weight, or even just trying to eat healthy, you've probably long since given up on pizza and ice cream. But not so fast, says WebMD. Here's their list of five foods that aren't as bad for you as most people believe:

• Red Meat. Protein is great for curbing hunger and building muscle. Just make sure you get an extra-lean cut.
  
• Ice Cream. Studies show that women who eat a serving of full-fat dairy a day lose more weight than those who don't. Who knew?
• Eggs. Eggs are a great, low-fat source of protein, and contrary to popular belief, they're not bad for you heart -- at least in moderation.
  
• Pizza. With a few healthy modifications, pizza can be a perfect meal. Opt for thin, whole wheat crust with tons of veggies and just a sprinkling of cheese and you're getting one well-rounded dish
  
• Bacon. Well, Canadian bacon, that is. It's got a third of the fat of regular bacon, and none of those worrisome nitrates. Not a fan? Try turkey bacon.
  

Eat a lot of read meat? As Adams explained earlier, in addition to the nice amount of chemicals and sodium nitrite in that meat (most likely, if it's commercially produced),you could be increasing your risk for lung cancer as well.

A new piece of research concluded that a decent dose of red and processed meats could be tied to increased cancer risk. To all those that have researched sodium nitrite in processed meats, this will come as no surprise.

Officially, the link between red meat (generally processed) and cancer is not 100% solid. Unofficially, there is most definitely a link of you've done the research. Will you still continue to eat red meat?

I won't, even if that red meat really, really tastes good.

If it were possible to make an aggregate list of every person in America's top 20 favorite foods, I'd be willing to bet some good money that barbecued, smoked, or grilled meat of some shape or kind would end up on that list. Probably not before pizza or chocolate, but both would nonetheless still make the list. Unfortunately, there is new evidence to suggest that eating too much red meat could be just as unhealthy as many of our favorite junk foods, only for different reasons.

A recent study from the University of South Carolina reported that post-menopausal women who had the highest consumption (defined as more than once a week) of grilled, barbecued, or smoked red meat had a forty-seven percent increased risk of breast cancer. Moreover, those who combined their red meat heavy diet with a scarcity of vegetables had an even greater risk -- seventy-four percent.

This is likely due to the 2 type of known carcinogens that can develop in red meat that is prepared in any of these fashions: polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

We all have our dieting vices, and since one of the worst things you can do is deprive yourself completely (inevitably leads to binging later!) learning to indulge responsibly is key. Red meat is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, but like anything some types are worse than others. If red meat is something you find yourself craving in now and then do you know what the leanest and healthiest options are?

The two largest meat producers in the U.S. went on the defensive yesterday after lawmakers chastised the industry for using the poisonous chemical carbon monoxide to make all those supermarket meat products look fresh and red. target even wants to put new labels on its meat products warning consumers of the presence of this nasty chemical.

Are these meat producers kidding us? How they can say that the "Use By" date on meat products is more important than telling the consumer of all the chemicals used in many meat products is beyond me.

When spinmeister CEOs like Hormel chief Jeffrey Ettinger have the gall to state nonsense like "Consumers are not eating bad product and are not being deceived by this technology," we all have reason to not trust a thing from any large food processing company. Although the amount of carbon monoxide is low in most packaged meat, the much larger bug-a-boo not being brought up here is the use of sodium nitrite to keep dead meat looking red. Why, I ask?

Target wants to install new warning labels on meat products in its stores, according to requests from the retailer this week.

The country's second-largest discounter wants to inform customers that much of the packaged red meat in the grocery sections of its stores in fact do use the poisonous chemical carbon monoxide to keep that meat looking red and fresh.

Just like to toxic chemical sodium nitrite, carbon monoxide should be banned from all meat products sold anywhere in the U.S. But, the uninformed consumer would rather see that red meat rather than what is really is, which is dead, gray-colored meat. At least Target is making an effort here to educate its own customers. Kudos.

It sounds ridiculous, but a reduction in animal farts might slow climate change.

The theory is that if we ate less meat, there would be less livestock, which would mean fewer flatulent animals to release methane into the atmosphere. And it's no joke -- animal gas makes up nearly a quarter of all emissions worldwide, leading many environmentalists to believe that reducing meat consumption is a significant way for people to protect the planet.

This is all besides the fact that you're probably eating too much meat anyway. There have been a number of studies linking excessive red meat consumption to heart disease, cancer, and obesity, for instance. So by cutting down your consumption, you can better your health, and the health the health of the planet -- all in one feel swoop.

Iron is an important nutrient to get in your diet -- not getting enough can lead to exhaustion and anemia. But while people tend to think that red meat is the best source of iron, that's just not true -- there are plenty of lean and even vegetarian sources of iron. Such as? Beans, green veggies, nuts, eggs, molasses, enriched pasta, potato skins and much more. Fitsugar has a great post on Iron and where you can find it.

Adult women should be getting 18 mg of iron a day, which shouldn't be too difficult if you eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. Just don't overdo it -- you can get too much iron too.

Are you getting enough?

There's lots of hype out there about what's healthy and what's not and honestly, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the two. But thankfully, eDiets has put together a list of what so-called 'health' foods aren't actually that great for you, like:

• Energy bars: I once heard these described as 'Peanut M&Ms with a multivitamin' and I don't think that's far off. These are mostly sugar and protein with some nutrients added in. And they're high in calories.
  
• Juice: Even if it's 100% natural, you're still better off eating an whole fruit

If you're a consumer of red meat products, does the vibrancy of the met color affect your purchasing decision in the supermarket or butcher shop? I would say that most likely it does.

Although meat generally is not that fresh in a supermarket, items like sodium nitrite and even red dyes are used to make sure that all-important red color does not go away. If consumers looked at pre-packaged beef products without color-enhancing chemicals, red meat sales would be horribly affected. Meat producers can't have that, of course.

But, what's important is what you put into your body. Red dyes and chemicals like sodium nitrite are out of the daily food regimen of many healthy eaters. How about you?

Red meat eater? If you're female and love a good steak, you may be more likely to develop breast cancer according to a study our of Britain.

The researchers in the British study concluded that women who ate the largest amount of meat were more likely than non-meat eaters to develop breast cancer.

The occurrence of breast cancer happened before and after menopause as well. With the amount of hormones and other non-natural things inside much of the red meat consumed these days, limited intake is probably a good idea -- and especially if you are female.

A recent study suggests that red meat dramatically increases older women's risk of breast cancer.

According to the University of Leeds, post-menopausal women are 56% more likely to contract breast cancer even if they eat only one serving of red meat per day (as compared to women who ate no red meat). The risk jumps to 64% for those who eat processed meat like bacon and sausages.

And it's not just older women. Pre-menopausal women who ate lots of red meat also showed an increased risk of breast cancer (though the numbers weren't nearly as high). In fact, researchers found a link between cancer risk and high meat consumption across every age bracket.

On the other hand, younger women who ate the most fiber were able to reduce their risk of breast cancer by half.

Given the results of this study, and considering scientists estimate that "approximately 30% of all cancers in Western countries are linked to diet," maybe it's time to pay closer to attention to what you eat.