7 Foods Not to Eat... Beef, Milk, Apples...

[GrillingFool]

Whoops, wrong thread, my bad.

Babbling about MSG, I was.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I've read several articles from respected scientific and agricultural periodicals about at least one of the seven listed foods - grain fed cattle. Corn tends to be rich in sugars and starches, and not a lot of other things. In fact, it is recommended that people avoid eating corn as it is close to being junk food, nutritionally. As a diabetic, I can't eat much corn. When corn is fed to livestock, it helps "fatten" them up. Grass fed cattle are leaner, and if fed good grasses in an intense rotational grazing pattern (google articles on intense rotational grazing versus over grazing to find the benifits inherent in the technique), they get more minerals and nutrients from the soil than is available to their corn-fed cousins. The cattle are healthier, require less medicle treatment, and have better flavor as well. The problem is that the feedlot cattle have been bred to eat grain and don't do as well as their ancestors did on grasses, that is, they don't grow as quickly. Things are changing however. There are genetic traits in certain cattle breeds that allow them to grow as quickly, and in better health on grasses. As farmers are realizing that their profit margins increase with intensive rotational grazing (no need for machinery to till the ground, or need to purchace grain, and fewer medicines, similar cattle numbers per acre produced, and others) the practice is spreading, the land is becomming richer, and more stable, and the product has more nutrition and flavor to offer the consumer.

Oh, and my store-bought potatoes sprout too.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[CharlieD]

That was the whole thing about the article in question. Most of the things they brought up are like, gee the grass is green and the sky is blue. I buy grass fed beef all the time. If you taste it ones you cannot even go back to corn fed beef, and everything else you said. Same with cans everybody knows that you not supposed to keep anything in those cans. Same with potatoes, skin is the worst, most unhealthy part of potato, etc.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

That was the whole thing about the article in question. Most of the things they brought up are like, gee the grass is green and the sky is blue. I buy grass fed beef all the time. If you taste it ones you cannot even go back to corn fed beef, and everything else you said. Same with cans everybody knows that you not supposed to keep anything in those cans. Same with potatoes, skin is the worst, most unhealthy part of potato, etc.

CharlieD; My comment about the potato is absolutely true. It is a root vegetable that stores most of it's energy in the form of starches and sugars. There is some nutritional value. The negative part is that there is not enough nutritional value in them to offset the carbohydrate content, and therefore they are unhealthy for diabetics, like me. My other comment about the potato was that like the other folks who commented, the ones I purchase from the local grocers are as good as any other potatoes, they sprout, and if cut up, can be used as seed potatoes in the garden.

My commnets about grass fed beef are not knee-jerk reactions where I'm following the latest trend. I have been following this trend for the past several years. When proper rotational, intensive grazing practices are used, the farmer enriches the soil, rather than depleting it from growing single crop foods on it. Also, single crop foods, like grains, have shallow root systems that utilyze only the top couple of inches of soil, depleting it of nutrients, hence the need for fertilizers and weed control agents. Intensive rotational grazing forces the grasses to send the roots deeper into the ground, utilizing more of the soil. In addition, the animals deposit dung onto the grazed land, enriching it with nitrogen rich organic matter. The worms do the rest. The method is patterned after unspoiled lands, where multiple species graze, moving from one area to another in search for food. Each animal has a purpose, some, like deer and their cousins, eating noxious weeds, while the bovines control the grass. Other animals such as wild pigs and various birds control insect populations. a farmer in the Shenandoa Valley started looking at how the Savanah desert could support so many different animals, and still remain a viable ecosystem. Rotational grazing is what he observed. He patterned his farm practices to mimick natures way fo doing things. He grazes his cattle in one pasature for a few days, then moves them to a second pasture. Then he grazes his pigs in the first pasture. He moves both of them after a few more days, then lets the chickens into the first pasture. He cycles all of them forward after a few more days, and introduces goats into the first pasture.

But the time the goats have eaten for a few days, the grasses that the cows like have re-grown, and with stronger roots. Each type of animal has contributed its own organic matter into the pastures, enriching the soil. The cows are moved to the first pasture again, with all of the other animals moving to the next pasture. This is repeated every couple of days for then entire grazing season.

The farmer, I can't recall his name, sells fewer of each animal than the intesive "factory" farmers. But he makes up the difference by selling more types of meat products, and of higher quality, to high end food stores, and top restaurants around New York. His product is in high demand. It costs him less to raise the livestock as he doesn't have to plow and plant every year. Nature provides the food. He only manages it.

It is no secret that the huge, comercial farms, whether they are growing meat, or food crops, can do great damage to the land in the quest for maximum profit. And we, the customer, get to eat pesticides, fertilizer salts, and watch the great farmlands slowly destroyed by salt accumulation and mineral leaching of the soils, not to mention erosion from wind and rain, and pollution of our waterways by this moving topsoil, and everything that's been put on it. Rotational, intensive farming builds root systems that resist erosion, enrich the soil with organic matter, and give us healthier livestock and crops.

I don't understand the resistance to the technique.

Whether you beilieve in a supreme being, or natural selection, the way the world works, before humans force a different "better" way of doing things, is proven again and again to be superior to our efforts to make the world the way we want it.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[kannan]

I am wondering about apple.Is there a way to remove the pesticides by washing properly ?

Organic apples tend to be very expensive.I read that washing fruits with diluted Vinegar do help to remove most of the pesticides,is this true ?

 

[Selkie]

Certain kinds of apples - and I don't know which ones are which - you can wash off the skin, but others you must peel it to be rid of the toxins. I believe it also has to do with what is sprayed on the apples and trees. There are web sites better qualified to help you decide.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

HEY! I got something to combat #3 on the list. I just took a plain paper bag and a plastic chip clip added 1/2 cup popcorn mixed with 2 tsp olive oil and a little salt and microwaved up some fantastic Pcorn! No chems needed thanks.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

HEY! I got something to combat #3 on the list. I just took a plain paper bag and a plastic chip clip added 1/2 cup popcorn mixed with 2 tsp olive oil and a little salt and microwaved up some fantastic Pcorn! No chems needed thanks.

You the Man! That's a great idea. Thanks.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Alix]

BigD, you can staple it shut too. No more than 3 staples though. And I don't use any olive oil in mine. Just the corn in the bag. Add butter later...mmmmmm. Oh I know...whatever! I LIKE butter.

 

[GB]

I do the same as Alix. No oil, two staples, butter after.

 

[Michael in FtW]

There are two problems with commercially prepared microwave popcorn:

1) Fluorooctanoic Acid in the lining of the bags

2) Diacetyl (actually concentrated fumes from diacetyl when heated) which is in the butter flavoring. I have asthma and sometimes it throws me into an attack if it's not being microwaved in a well ventilated area.

I do like BD3K, Alix and GB ... brown paper bag and butter it after it is popped.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

I mix the oil, corn and seasonings in a bowl before bagging. The oil makes the salt (or whatever) stick to the corn.

 

[cara]

1. Canned tomatoes

I sometimes have that... is it in all cans or just some special ones??
But I must admit I've heard of that before.

2. Corn fed beef

I have no idea about the differences..
do they feed the corn as such or as silage?
Here in G dairy cows get ccm or corn silage, but most meat cows are out on the grass over the summer and are fed with gras silage additionally in winter.. well that's how it works with my meat producer ;o)
It couls also be a bit difficult to feed all cows with gras, I don't know if you find that huge amount on earth?

3. Microwave popcorn

no need for that..

4. Nonorganic potatoes

I rarely buy nonorganic potatoes.. I can't taste a difference but I feel better with organic ones and they are almost as cheap as nonorganic.. well, potatoes as such are much too cheap I think...

5. Farmed Salmon

don't like salmon, so I rarely buy

6. Milk with artificial hormones

not allowed in the EU

7. Nonorganic apples.

get my apples from my parents yard ,o)
well and if I need some I go and buy - if they offer organic, I'll buy, if not not..

 

[acetone]

1. Canned tomatoes
2. Corn fed beef
3. Microwave popcorn
4. Nonorganic potatoes
5. Farmed Salmon
6. Milk with artificial hormones
7. Nonorganic apples.

I am going to starve.


I'd like to see some supporting data, and I'd like to know who the "food experts" consulted were.

1) I doubt it. Canning and processing tomatoes increase the lycopene absorption, thus making them more healthy when consumed. However, like with any other canned foods, it is very important to read the ingredient list and make sure that it lists ONLY tomatoes and water and nothing else.

2) VERY true. Corn is not a cow's natural diet, and anyone who have watched "Food Inc" would know the consequences of it not only to our health, but also to the environment.

3) Microwave is usually bad news, and microwaved corn is no different. Also, as with all processed foods, it is very important to check the ingredients list first before buying.

4) Yeah, potatoes are mass produced, so I'm sure that the non-organic forms have a lot of pesticides sprayed on them. However, whether potatoes are organic or nonorganic they're still very high on the glycemic load scale. Plus, nonorganic sweet potatoes are superior to potatoes nutrition-wise, and they have far less amount of pesticide residues compared to nonorganic regular potatoes.

5) 100% true. I would never eat farmed salmon. I could go on and on why that is so, but I just don't have the time to. Wild salmon, however, is something that I would eat every single day.

6) Actually, I've heard that artificial hormones are the same as the hormones found naturally in cows, but I'm not sure how true is that, and I'd rather avoid milk with artificial hormones just to be safe.

7) Organic apples are a must because unfortunately, nonorganic apples have the highest amount of pesticide residues out of all fruits.

 

[justplainbill]

Guess the grass fed beef fans don't enjoy very much USDA Prime.

 

[GB]

3) Microwave is usually bad news

Not sure what you mean by this. Microwaves are a very safe and healthy way to cook.

 

[jet]

Guess the grass fed beef fans don't enjoy very much USDA Prime.

I'd say it's just a matter of priorities.

 

[vagriller]

2) Diacetyl (actually concentrated fumes from diacetyl when heated) which is in the butter flavoring. I have asthma and sometimes it throws me into an attack if it's not being microwaved in a well ventilated area.

I thought microwave popcorn was being made these days without diacetyl.

 

[acetone]

Microwaves are a very safe and healthy way to cook.

I beg to differ. Microwaves are widely accepted to be very safe, but honestly, they have been around for only a few decades, which means that, along with the typical American diet and GMO's, it's just something that I'm just not a big fan of. Emitting waves might change the structure of chemicals inside foods, transforming nutrients or other innocuous compounds into something potentially carcinogenic. It may sound far-fetched, but I'm sorry, this is my angle with regards to nutrition.

I have a microwave at home, but I only use that to sterilize cloths and sponges.

 

[GB]

Just playing devils advocate here, but if you are so worried that the microwave is potentially changing the chemical structure of compounds into cancer causing agents then why do you feel safe using it on your sponges which will then be used on things you eat off of? Couldn't the structure of things in the sponge be changed the same way and then transferred to the plate you eat off of or the fork you put in your mouth?

Microwaves have been around long enough (over 60 years) to have had serious and reputable studies done to prove they are safe to use. Not only that, but they have been proven not only to be safe, but to be a healthier way to cook than some other well accepted methods.

You say that emitting waves might change the structure of the chemicals etc., but there has never been any reputable studies that show that.

If you are not comfortable using them then by all means don't. They have been proven to be absolutely safe though through years and years of scientific study and tests.