The Food We Eat

A few weeks ago I read a crazy story. There was a truck on the highway heading to the slaughterhouse. In the back of the truck, was a full load of pigs. During the trip, one of these pigs was not ready to die. This pig climbed over other pigs and to reach the top of the truck, and, while the truck was moving, jumped to its freedom! As the story goes, the pig survived and was adopted by the local police department. 

Recently, I have begun thinking about the conditions that the animals we eat live in. Trust me on this, I have no intention to stop eating meat, but where that animal lives and the life that it lives is important. Just think about us as humans. Stress, fear, malnourished, confined to a cell, are all things we try to avoid in our day to day life. But without realizing it, we are consuming animals that live this way. If the food is not of a quality source, this will wreak havoc on our health. More specifically, our gut bacteria. If you don't think gut bacteria is a big deal, you are wrong. For every 1 human cell in our body, there are 10 microbial cells (An adult human being has approximately 100,000 billion cells). They live everywhere in your body and play a huge role in your health. 

These animals aren't unaware of their fate. When the time comes and they are ready to be slaughtered, fear, anxiety and stress levels soar in the animal. So at the moment of slaughter, these levels are at an all-time high. This will absolutely show up in the meat we eat. The animals that yield prime meat quality are the ones that have not been subjected to stress. If an animal is mistreated, it’s reasonable that this can affect nutritional content. So next time you hit the store, keep in mind that the little piggy you are about to eat may not be as nutritious as you hope!

Chris Fluck