News Taffy

Have you paid any attention to the recent revelations about beef in the national news? If not, you surely should. Since your health is largely in your own hands, it pays to be aware of what you are putting into your body. Most people don’t seem to understand that they reap what they sow when it comes to their health. If you smoke, for example, you shouldn’t be surprised to develop lung cancer or heart disease or find that your children suffer from asthma. Yes, there are diseases that we are born with or that scientists don’t know how they originate but so many are preventable if we would just take better care of ourselves.

There are so many simple things we can do to improve our health: drink more water, wash our hands more frequently, exercise, eat more fruits and vegetables. Educating ourselves is another way to improve our health and that is why I spend quite a bit of time reading and watching news programs.

Back to the news about beef. If you missed it, ABC news revealed that up to 70 percent of ground beef sold in the U.S. contains pink slime. Pink slime, if you have lived in a black hole, is made from the trimmings (fat and connective tissue) of the cow which is simmered at a low temperature, spun in a centrifuge and last but most important, sprayed with ammonia to kill the bacteria. This mixture is then added to ground beef. That hamburger you ate for lunch may have contained 25 percent of pink slime. Pink slime used to be added to dog food but a lovely USDA official decided awhile back it was “meat” and doesn’t have to appear on the label. She later took a lucrative job with the beef industry. The only way to be sure beef doesn’t contain pink slime is to buy USDA organic beef.

There was another ABC news story on Monday about beef. A study has found that eating a serving of beef a day can greatly shorten your life span. A serving is equal to a deck of cards so you can see most Americans eat way more than one serving when eating beef. Unfortunately, the story did not say why this would be so, but I plan to do more research. Eating processed meats like bacon, hot dogs and lunch meat is even worse.

My main point is to know what you are eating and to think about it. If you truly care about your health and that of your loved ones, take charge of what is going in your mouth. Avoid processed foods and eat more fresh, whole foods prepared at home. If you have no idea what the ingredients are on the label, should you really be eating it? What is malic acid? Does sodium stearoyl lactylate sound good for dinner? I found these “ingredients” on a box of Cheez-its. Our bodies were not meant to process chemicals and bad things can result when we overload our system with artificial foods. The food industry’s main goal is to make money, not to improve or safeguard your health. Do it yourself!

Until Next Time,
Lisa