Meat
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| This article is part of the Food theme. Alimentation |
Meat is the fleh of the animals people eat.
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[edit] Meat and nutrition
Man has been eating meat since prehistoric times when he started hunting to feed on animals. That meat was less fatty than the at of the animals that are bred today.
It contains proteins and iron.
Meat mustn't be calcined to prevent the formation of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons that are carcinogenic. So don't grill meat too hard.
Man can do without meat, especially if we eat eggs. We simply have to be careful about what we eat for a healthy diet.
[edit] Factory farming
The living conditions of animals and the way they're slaughtered in factory farms are revolting. Animals are no more than products aimed at making money. They're given antibiotics to prevent diseases, which poses a problem as to resistance to germs. Industrial cattle breeding often implies offshore processes and the animals have to travel long ways, crammed in lorries before they're slaughtered.
[edit] Ecological data
November 2006 : a study published by the UN News Center[1] shows that breeding causes more greenhouse gas emissions (methane) than traffic ... Indeed, the gases emitted from decaying manure and cattle guts are responsible for more pollution than the CO2 emitted by traffic and so contribute more to global warming.
[edit] Wasted soils
In the same period of time and with the same surfance of land, we could grow, 450 lb of tomatoes or 350 lb of potatoes when only 2 lb of meat are produced. In Switzerland, for example,, about 67% of arable lands are used to rear and feed cattle. This proportion is a world average. In Central America, 40% of the rainforest have been destroyed in 40 years to make room for pastures or fields to grow fodder.
[edit] Wasted water
Nowadays, Europeans eat an average of 0.5 lb of meat a day. For beef, eg, this means using 950 gallons of water. Compare with corn : the same quantity would use only 52 gallons of water.
[edit] Water pollution
The surface of lands that can be used to feed both man and cattle is limited and selecting a given ara is key to the impact on underground water :
- Factory farming uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost their production. A large part of these chemicals are washed away and pollute rivers.
This notion is taken into account in traditional breeding extensifs with a low rate of grazing livestock per square mile.[2]
[edit] Labelling
Consumers often lack information concerning the meat they buy as to where the animal comes from or where it's been processed.[3].
Besides, in most cases the animals from factory farming have been fed GMOs without it being mentioned on the packed meatOGM.
[edit] Alternatives to meat
Tofu, is made from soy milk which is rich in proteins, it is always used as an altenrative to meat. Another possibility is seitan, made of wheat gluten boiled in water.
Eating 1/4 of legumes and 3/4 of cereals brings as much proteins as the same quantity of meat. Legumes : chickpea, flageolet bean, soy, lentil, etc.
See the article vegetarianism.
| Dish with meat | Vegeterian alternative |
|---|---|
| Pâté | Vegetable pâté |
| Bolognese sauce | Tomato sauce (Neapolitan sauce) |
| Sauces with meat (lasagna, Bolognese, ...) | Japanese Tofu (soy) |
| Pizza with meat | Pizza with cheese or vegetables |
| Quiche with bacon or lardons | Quiche with vegetables or cheese |
| Ravioli | Raviolis with goat cheese or spinach |
| Lasagna | Lasagna with spinach and goat cheese or eggplant |
| Etc. | Etc. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ↑ Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars
- ↑ Livestock grazing comparison
- ↑ Imported meat : regulations
[edit] Internal links
[edit] External links
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