Ailing beef cattle article

[Chuckanut]

Here is an interesting article from the WSJ (8/19/13) about something wrong with part of the beef supply. The article may be behind a pay wall.

What's Ailing America's Cattle? - WSJ.com

A few quotes:

Some walked stiffly, while others had trouble moving or simply lay down, their tongues hanging from their mouths. A few even sat down in strange positions, looking more like dogs than cows.

Dr. Grandin and other scientists involved with the livestock industry began to suspect a tie to weight-gain supplements called beta-agonists that have only recently become widely used.

 

[frayne]

Between HFCS and our tainted meat and poultry we are killing ourselves. Just my opinion though.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Gmoooo!

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Edit - sorry that did'nt come out right. try GMOooooo

 

[Larro Darro]

When we ran our cow/calf operation, we only ate homegrown, grass fed beef. But after eating all that beef for so long, I tend to shy away from it now. Not for health reasons, but just for the taste. Give me a pork chop any day of the week. Or just about any other pig part, for that matter.

I think one of the biggest problem with how we fatten beef in this country is the corn. Cows need to eat grass, with very little grain thrown in. As it is they eat mostly corn, with very little hay thrown in. If we would set the markets free, the feed lots would have to pay full price for corn, and beef would go back to being grass fed.

 

[Redbugdave]

When we ran our cow/calf operation, we only ate homegrown, grass fed beef. But after eating all that beef for so long, I tend to shy away from it now. Not for health reasons, but just for the taste. Give me a pork chop any day of the week. Or just about any other pig part, for that matter.

We eat a lot of pig hamburger as well as cubed pork and like it better than beef. Maybe a beef steak occasionally but it's mostly pork for us too.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

My wife and I were in a grocery story yesterday and she called me over to see some meat that was on sale (?). The meat was porterhouse steaks and I think they were on sale because they were cut so large. I'll swear, those steaks were about 2 to 2 1/2" thick. Even at the sale price each steak cost about $20 or more. I can't even remember what the price per pound was but it was something like $9.99/pound. I told my wife that I'm just not into steaks anymore and prefer pork. Give me a one pound pork chop anytime. I like a good hamburger and we always use 96% lean ground beef. Guess I changed over to become a pork loin kind of guy. Is pork still called the "other white meat"?

 

[brewer12345]

Is pork still called the "other white meat"?

That would be squirrel or cat.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I could not get access to the article, But I never buy US beef as I prefer Argentinian,Brazilian and even Peruvian (during bullfighting season). I pay the local butcher about 3.56 lb for just about any cut i desire.

 

[ERD50]

Between HFCS and our tainted meat and poultry we are killing ourselves. Just my opinion though.

In your opinion then, what is dangerous about HFCS, other than the quantities some people consume?

-ERD50

 

[Chuckanut]

I can't answer for others, but I will offer this: many experts regard sugar as a dose dependent toxin. A spoon or two of added sugar in one's daily cup of coffee will not harm one much; sugary coffee cake for breakfast, pie with lunch, cookies for a snack, and a big slice of cake for evening dessert would probably be harmful in the long run. Then add in all of the sugar in the processed foods we eat on top of those.

Practically there is little difference between HFCS, white sugar, honey, agave, etc. in our diets. My 2¢.

My concern was contamination of our beef supply. I have no desire to eat Vegan.

 

[frayne]

Link to an article concerning HFCS and health.

5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You - Dr. Mark Hyman

 

[ERD50]

Link to an article concerning HFCS and health.

5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You - Dr. Mark Hyman

Well, that is a twisted article. Lots of red herrings. But look at his own summary (bold mine):

The real issues are only two.

We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history–140 pounds a year versus 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago.

High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor-quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous and filled with all sorts of other disease promoting compounds, fats, salt, chemicals, and even mercury.

So back to my question "In your opinion then, what is dangerous about HFCS, other than the quantities some people consume?"...


And you do realize the blend of sugars in HFCS is about the same as honey? From wiki:

Honey typically has a fructose/glucose ratio similar to HFCS 55

OK, sugar in all forms in excess may be a health problem. Junk food in excess may be a health problem. I don't think that leads to 'HFCS is killing us'.

-ERD50

 

[HFWR]

Another data point, if you will...

A retrospective of the fructose alarmism debate. | Alan Aragon's Blog

“The only practical difference between sucrose and HFCS is in the bonding. The glucose & fructose in HFCS is mainly free and unbonded, while it is bonded in sucrose. However, this makes no *meaningful* difference in regards to metabolism in the body. The bonds in sucrose are quickly broken when sucrose hits the acid environment of the stomach. This means that once sucrose hits the stomach, it’s no different from HFCS. Once you get to the small intestine, metabolism is *exactly* the same. This *little bit of difference* does not lead to the problems Dr. Lustig talks about. The fact is, HFCS and sucrose are identical as far as your body is concerned. The difference in bonding wouldn’t make a shred of difference in regards to your health.”

 

[Chuckanut]

Has anybody read about this problem with beef cattle in any other place? I am surprised to find it only in the WSJ. I would think that other periodicals, especially those that advocate alternative sources of food would have made a fuss over this.

 

[HFWR]

Has anybody read about this problem with beef cattle in any other place? I am surprised to find it only in the WSJ. I would think that other periodicals, especially those that advocate alternative sources of food would have made a fuss over this.

Couldn't read the WSJ article, but here's another:

Zilmax: The cattle growth drug that’s making beef more like chicken. - Slate Magazine

No mention of the alleged deleterious health effects, but:

The debate over Zilmax’s impact on the beef quality is probably moot, though, seeing as administering the drug is becoming standard operating procedure at feedlots. What this means for consumers is that the American sirloin of tomorrow will be a lot more like the chicken breast of today. There will still be high-quality steaks, like those promoted by Certified Angus Beef, available in pricey restaurants or upscale grocery stores. But the rest of the beef market will continue to drift toward the middle-point, where meat is standardized, less flavorful, and in need of serious processing to taste good. Who knows—maybe a scientist somewhere is working on the Beef McNugget at this very moment.

 

[ERD50]

Couldn't read the WSJ article, ...

Oddly, if you google the title, a non-blocked version comes up at the WSJ:

What's Ailing America's Cattle? - WSJ.com

-ERD50

 

[frayne]

Guess maybe I should re-state my original post. Between our piss poor diets and sedentary lifestyles, we are killing ourselves. We are consuming all kinds of food with additives that we have no idea of the long term health effects. Seeing how heart disease, diabetes and obesity are the 900 pound gorillas in the room. I think it is safe to say the average American diet stinks.