The Foods We Eat and what they can do.

[Mowich]

Funny how things change over time- going back 30 odd years I remember buying grass fed beef as it was much lower priced than grain fed, but at that time was considered to be of inferior quality. I never had a problem with it, but did think as I recall that it wasn't quite as tasty.

Will have to do some research as I am not up on when feedlots became the norm and grass-fed the premium. I do know that it was fast-food places that put pressure on the beef industry to get product to market quicker. Grass-fed cattle take longer to mature as they aren't fed artificial growth hormones like feedlot cattle. Neither are they fed GMO corn and grains which is totally contrary to the poor cows diet, being that they are ruminants and explains why they need antibiotics as they get sick from trying to digest the c**p. :angry3:

I do know that when I was growing up, all we ate was grass-fed though back then it was just beef. :smile:

 

[Mowich]

Mmm, I love bison. Did you try organic beef and pork?

It's funny that he fingered beef and pork, but not poultry. Pork production uses 2-500 g of a wide assortment of antibiotics per ton of feed to promote growth and feeding efficiency, poultry uses about 1-400 g per ton of feed, and beef/dairy use up to about 140 g per ton of feed.

Poultry is one of the most efficient animals at utilizing dietary components, much better than beef/dairy, and better than pork.

Many people don't know this, but pharmaceutical companies have a large stake in the ownership of poultry agriculture.

How right you are about the drug companies, Tonington, they have a HUGE stake in the poultry business but also in pork and cattle feedlots as the animals get sick from what they eat and from the extemely crowded, disease-ridden conditions.

Have you ever read Michael Pollan?

 

[TenPenny]

Two days ago, I was in the StuperStore, and I wanted to pick up a can of mushrooms for a dish I was going to throw in the slow cooker. There were three options for 'pieces and stems', which was what I wanted (because I had a craving for a dish from my childhood). Out of the three, two were 'product of China', it was only the 'PC organics' that was a product of Canada. Having spent time in China this summer, I was not brave enough to buy mushrooms grown there, so I splurged on the organics.

And now I see that StupidStore is selling ground beef in those opaque baloney-like tubes. (like those you see in the cart, below) And it's from Cagill in Ontario. Ugh. I sure wouldn't buy that I'll stick with the local butcher.

 

[Tonington]

Have you ever read Michael Pollan?

Nope, I haven't.

 

[Mowich]

Nope, I haven't.

He's written: The Omnivore's Diet - A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto. He is also a regular contributor to the New York Times.

He had his eyes opened in much the same way I did, by actually visiting a feedlot. He later expanded his interest in food to cover all facets of production, manufacturing, ingredients, etc.

This is an excerpt from a Bill Moyers interview with Michael on PBS.

MICHAEL POLLAN: "My path, I was executive editor of "Harper's.” I wasn't the editor. Lewis Lapham was the editor. My path was through the garden. I was a gardener. And I loved gardening from a very young age. And I grew - I like growing food for myself. And that's where I learned about, you know, these kind of things. And from there it was a kind of easy step to kind of - I had an epiphany on a feed lot and on a potato field when I was doing a piece of journalism.

And I was driving up Route 5 in California, which links San Francisco to L.A. And you're driving - I was driving south. And it was a beautiful golden fall day in California. And suddenly this stench came up. And I couldn't believe the smell. And I didn't know what it was because everything around me looked exactly the same. And I drove a little longer. And the landscape, which had been gold, turned black. And it was a feed lot that's right on the highway, on both sides of the highway.

And suddenly I was in this nightmare landscape where there was mountains of manure the size of pyramids, and mountains of corn the size of pyramids, and cows, black cows as far as you could see. And I was, like, wow, this is where my meat comes from? I had no idea. And that was when I decided, you know, I need to, I owe it to myself, I owe it to my readers, my family, to figure out where does my food come from. "

 

[AnnaG]

I don't think it matters much what red meat you eat as long as you get some. Red meat is virtually the only practical source of vitamin B12, also I find personally that meat is important for strength. What amazes me is that some people rather than just cutting back on meat quit it altogether, like they are afraid of it. I find the answer for eating is to include as many foods as possible (with the exception of limburger cheese, yogurt and tofu) and the total elimination of any food is not going to do you any good. Having said that a couple of ounces of red meat a day is all that is necessary, as long as you get enough, eggs, fish, cheese and poultry.

Yup. Meat is also the only practical source of BAT. BAT is the stuff that helps regulate body temperature and stuff.

Brown Fat

 

[AnnaG]

I can believe that, many years ago while we lived in Squamish, we went to Vancouver and shopped for meat at Save On Foods. When we got home much to our chagrin we found the roast we bought was absolutely rotten, so I phoned them and they told me just to freeze it and next time I was in town to return it. When I took the roast back to Save On, they had me bring it right into the meat area, talking about barfing your cookies as long as I live I will never forget the sour stench in there. How the employees can work in it is beyond me and my smeller isn't particularly keen.
Enough to gag a maggot on a gut wagon.

WOW! We have a friend that works in the Safeway in town and it smells like a combination of cleansers and meat. From what I can see over the counter at our local Save-on, it's just as clean as Safeway's is.

 

[AnnaG]

Funny how things change over time- going back 30 odd years I remember buying grass fed beef as it was much lower priced than grain fed, but at that time was considered to be of inferior quality. I never had a problem with it, but did think as I recall that it wasn't quite as tasty.

I may be wrong, but range beef may be cheaper if you buy it by the side or quarter. We get ours from a relative who ranges his beef. I haven't looked at store-bought beef for so long, though, I might be wrong about the price difference.

 

[AnnaG]

Mmm, I love bison. Did you try organic beef and pork?

It's funny that he fingered beef and pork, but not poultry. Pork production uses 2-500 g of a wide assortment of antibiotics per ton of feed to promote growth and feeding efficiency, poultry uses about 1-400 g per ton of feed, and beef/dairy use up to about 140 g per ton of feed.

Poultry is one of the most efficient animals at utilizing dietary components, much better than beef/dairy, and better than pork.

Many people don't know this, but pharmaceutical companies have a large stake in the ownership of poultry agriculture.

Spooky. And it's so easy to grow one's own chickens, too. And beneficial side effects are eggs, garden bug catcher, mouse trap, etc.

 

[Tonington]

I really like the heritage breeds. Jamie and I have plans to raise a few of them. Some day...

 

[TenPenny]

I really like the heritage breeds. Jamie and I have plans to raise a few of them. Some day...

Used to be a herd of belted Galloways around here.

 

[Tonington]

They're a pretty breed. I've seen a couple Galloway herds in my travels.

 

[JLM]

They're a pretty breed. I've seen a couple Galloway herds in my travels.

Years ago they were the "Cadillac" of cattle.

 

[VanIsle]

I can believe that, many years ago while we lived in Squamish, we went to Vancouver and shopped for meat at Save On Foods. When we got home much to our chagrin we found the roast we bought was absolutely rotten, so I phoned them and they told me just to freeze it and next time I was in town to return it. When I took the roast back to Save On, they had me bring it right into the meat area, talking about barfing your cookies as long as I live I will never forget the sour stench in there. How the employees can work in it is beyond me and my smeller isn't particularly keen.
Enough to gag a maggot on a gut wagon.

It's not like that anymore. The entire meat area is glassed off. I worked back in that area doing demo's for a couple of days when my wrist was sore. There is no odour. They would never take you in there anyway now. They really concern themselves with cross contamination and no one but meat workers are allowed in.

 

[JLM]

It's not like that anymore. The entire meat area is glassed off. I worked back in that area doing demo's for a couple of days when my wrist was sore. There is no odour. They would never take you in there anyway now. They really concern themselves with cross contamination and no one but meat workers are allowed in.

Thank God, they just got me to take one step inside the door and then to my chagrin they closed the door, good thing they only kept me a couple of minutes. I honestly don't know how the meat crew could stand it in there.

 

[Goober]

Yup. Meat is also the only practical source of BAT. BAT is the stuff that helps regulate body temperature and stuff.

Brown Fat

Anna G

Are you familiar with Salba and Quinoa?? quite healthy

 

[Mowich]

I may be wrong, but range beef may be cheaper if you buy it by the side or quarter. We get ours from a relative who ranges his beef. I haven't looked at store-bought beef for so long, though, I might be wrong about the price difference.

AnnaG, you are lucky to have someone you know to provide you with beef. It is what many of my friends out here, do too. People who live in cities are the unfortunate ones as most do not have access to range beef. Purchasing grass-fed in Save-On here in the Mile costs an arm, leg and most of one's torso.

 

[Goober]

Two days ago, I was in the StuperStore, and I wanted to pick up a can of mushrooms for a dish I was going to throw in the slow cooker. There were three options for 'pieces and stems', which was what I wanted (because I had a craving for a dish from my childhood). Out of the three, two were 'product of China', it was only the 'PC organics' that was a product of Canada. Having spent time in China this summer, I was not brave enough to buy mushrooms grown there, so I splurged on the organics.

And now I see that StupidStore is selling ground beef in those opaque baloney-like tubes. (like those you see in the cart, below) And it's from Cagill in Ontario. Ugh. I sure wouldn't buy that I'll stick with the local butcher.

I would and do only buy canned - glass goods - cleaners from S Store

Thier warehouse here is out of date - beyond description - It is cheaper to pay the fines than upgrade - at one point meat was stored for many hours on open docks at rooom temp - Yuck

I am a tad freaky about quality - and safety -

Grocery Stores can enter a voluntary program where they are inspected from top to bottom on cleanliness etc - Only a few are members -

Should be mandatory - But thats politics - and never eat bagged salads of any type - enough chlorine to kill a horse but not all the ecoli that they try to catch is caught.

 

[JLM]

AnnaG, you are lucky to have someone you know to provide you with beef. It is what many of my friends out here, do too. People who live in cities are the unfortunate ones as most do not have access to range beef. Purchasing grass-fed in Save-On here in the Mile costs an arm, leg and most of one's torso.

I hear you loud and clear, like paying $5-$6 for round roasts and the only way they are fit to eat is to simmer them for 6 hours in a crock pot. I noticed Prime Rib roasts today for over $10 a lb. bloody criminal. Pork prices are much more attractive and tastier & there's no fear of mad cow disease...........:lol::lol::lol:

 

[AnnaG]

Anna G

Are you familiar with Salba and Quinoa?? quite healthy

Quinoa is a South American weed not readily available around here. I've eaten it and like it about as much as I like basmati rice.
Not sure what Salba is, so I looked it up and found it is a patented name for chia seed. Yes, it's the same seed used in chia pets. It is also South American.
We get along quite well with indigenous growth, though, and don't like foreign species being introduced to areas as quinoa seems to have been back east. It upsets ecologies to do things like that.