That's the question posed on a "Larry King Live" interview. Millions of Americans eat ground beef daily without problems. However, that same meat may be contained with E. coli bacteria -- which has sickened, paralyzed, and killed some individuals.
E. coli bacteria is only on the surface of meats, and thus can be destroyed when cooked. Yet this rule doesn't apply to hamburgers because the meat has been ground up; the bacteria is inside the meat. To quote Bill Marler, a source on foodborne illness litigation: "...During the slaughtering process, those guts are nicked or there's fecal material on the hides. It gets on the red meat," Marler explained to King.
But Patrick Boyle, the president of the American Meat Institute, insists that foodborne illnesses have decreased in the United States 60 percent in the last decade. E. coli, he states, can be killed through cooking or irradiation (the later is not commonly used).
Then Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University made his comment. He said that Americans should aim for a plant-based diet for overall health. This man is not corrupted by bias. In fact, he was raised on a dairy farm with the firm belief that animal protein is essential to the human diet. His opinion changed only upon years of research. His opinion was then challenged by Nancy Rodriguez at the University of Connecticut, who feels that animal protein in moderation is essential for health. She suggests that people consume about 200 calories of meat, or a three ounce serving.
The experts continued their debate, bringing up powerful points to aid their opinions. But the fact still remains that some things cannot be forgotten. Take for instance 22-year-old Stephanie Smith, whose nervous system was attacked by E. coli through contaminated meat. She is paralyzed, her brain is damaged, and she could suffer from kidney failure. She is now in rehabilitation therapy but her progress will be difficult. What's the most tragic is that she longs to dance again... but it's unknown if she'll even be able to walk.
Another tragic story: Barbara Kowalcyk, the director of food safety at the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention, lost her 2-year-old son from the bacteria. He was healthy and then died within 12 days.
Although the above is more of a health issue than an environmental one, I feel it is a perfect example of communication and debate. (In addition, I have always felt there is a powerful link between the environment and health.) There was an interview, experts from both sides, and the issue was a hot one. In the end, what is more important? Health risk or satisfying our appetites? The answer may seem obvious, but think about your daily choices. Chances are you consume burgers...
Where do I stand? I eat meat... even though I know the full consequences, from environmental (yes, there are environmental impacts) to ethics to health. This is a field I am highly knowledgeable in, as I have written theses and was a vegan for 2 years. I can say with 100% truth that I was healthier as a vegan. My skin was clear, I weighed about 20 pounds less than I do now (without exercise!), my blood pressure was absolutely perfect, I felt more energized, my asthma improved, and I never once had a cold. What was perhaps the greatest of all, though, was the dramatic weight loss. I went from 168 lbs. to 110, with no exercise, in under a year. All of the benefits have gone away upon consuming meat and dairy again, and I only have two reasons for doing this: 1) It's more convenient, because so many products contain meat and/or dairy and 2) it's tasty. But having read this article, and adding it to my bucket of previous readings, I am again questioning if those two points justify harming my health.
Hmm...
What's your opinion on this issue? Do you agree this article is a great example of communication and debate?
Source: CNNHealth.com article.
Image Credit: Here.
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Very interesting post. This is a good example of communication and debate, though I'm not sure if I've heard about the issue before now (although I don't exactly pay attention to the news, so I probably wouldn't know anyway).
ReplyDeleteBut anyways, your post interested me because it referenced microbiology. My microbiology class last semester actually took store bought beef and store "washed" spinach and tested both for bacteria, such as the above mentioned e. coli. What we found, though, was the opposite of what we expected. We found the beef did contain some bacteria (raw of course), but the so called "pre washed" spinach contained at least 5 times more bacteria of all different types than the beef. This disgusted me. I always figured vegetables would have less bacteria than beef does, but from what I saw, it was completely different.
As for the vegan thing, holy crap thats incredible that you lost that much weight without exercise, but then again being vegan is only eating the healthiest things, so I believe it. As for me, I am a full blown carnivore. I could never give up meat, even though I actually know someone who died of mad cow disease from contaminated meat. I figure, you only live once, right? Might as well eat what you want. But just for future reference, vegetables. Watch out make sure you wash them before you eat them, because they contain much more bacteria than ground beef.