I’ve never been much of a meat eater. I was never a big fan of beans. I stopped drinking milk because it made me congested. I wasn’t getting enough protein. That all changed when I became pregnant. I had read over and over again the importance of getting enough protein while pregnant. The recommendation for pregnant women is 80 -110 grams of protein per day.
I discovered two things about protein from my pre-pregnancy research and my first pregnancy: First, not all proteins are created, or rather manufactured, equally. Second, more foods contain protein than I originally thought (so maybe I was getting enough protein and just didn’t know it).
Not all proteins are created equally. This hearkens back to the industrial revolution and the way proteins are raised and produced in our technologically advanced times; specifically meat, dairy, and eggs. These amazing power proteins have the potential to provide ample protein and a whole mirco-nutrient system of health to our bodies. So what’s the problem?
The problem is how these protein giants are produced. There are basically two ways these proteins are produced: conventionally on factory farms or naturally and organically on small family farms. More than ninety percent of these proteins consumed in America are produced on these factory farms. You might be asking yourself, “what’s wrong with that?”
Cows, like most living creatures require, water, sunlight, fresh air, a specific diet, and space to roam. Cows were designed by God to eat grass, lots of different kinds of naturally occurring grass. Cows were designed by God to graze by which they get everything they need to be healthy: food, water, sunshine, fresh air, space, and exercise. These cows produce meat and milk that is full of protein, essential fatty acids (omega 3 and CLA), and an array of other nutrients. The cows are healthy which means their products are healthy. Less than ten percent of cows are raised in accord with God’s perfect design.
Cows raised on factory farms are deprived of their natural diet and are fed a grain product largely consisting of corn (produced with a multitude of pesticides and other chemicals). Cows were not designed to eat corn, it doesn’t contain all the nutrients they need to be healthy and it also changes the acidic levels in their stomachs which led to the the deadly strain of e-coli O157:H7. There are thousands of cows confined without space to roam, standing in tons of their own malodorous manure. With all these cows confined in insufficient space, standing in their own morphed poo, cows get sick and it’s now wonder with their nutrient deficient diets and filthy cramped living conditions. Thus, cows are given antibiotics regularly which leads to bacteria that is immune to the antibiotics. These cows are also given hormones so that they will grow faster (the corn makes them grow fatter too) and their food supply is grown with pesticides and other chemicals. The end result are nutritionally deficient, overly fatten cows that produce meat and dairy products tainted by synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful chemicals.
What’s next? Pigs, chickens, eggs, milk, and other amazing protein powerhouse foods!