So Long, Fare well

So long, fare well. I'm afraid this very well may be the last blog I post given that my class, these blogs were intended for, is reaching it's end. I hope that my blogs have provided some sort of insight for any readers looking to find more information related to the benefits of meat in the diet. I also hope that for the most part the facts I provided remained free of biased for those trying to make their own decisions. However, now I would like to make my stance clear. Meat is important. We consumers do and always will require the nutrients obtained through meat in order keep our bodies healthy.

Meat is an excellent source of complete protein. It contains all the amino acids your body needs to not only develop, but also maintain muscles. Vegetarian diets  don’t contain foods with complete proteins, so they aren’t as good at building and maintaining strong muscles. According to an article on BioEd Online, the website of the Baylor College of Medicine, "One study found children who consumed two spoonfuls of meat daily in addition to their regular diet had an 80-percent increase in upper-arm muscle compared to other children in the two-year study. For more information related to this study, click here.

It's important to remember that in many parts of the world, meat makes up a considerable portion of a typical diet. It contributes protein, minerals, vitamins and fat, and these nutrients are important for their beneficial effects on your well-being. Therefore, understanding how meat can affect your overall health can help you make beneficial decisions regarding your daily diet. All I am trying to say is don't write meat off from your diet because you believe it's unhealthy, especially when it is just the opposite. 

Beef. Is It Still What's For Dinner?

There are  a select  few things that make me incredibly proud of today's beef industry and where producers are taking it. One of those defining prideful moments was the creation of the "Beef. It's Whats For Dinner" campaign. There are often conflicting opinions among producers, and advocates for agriculture in general. That is why it is always so inspiring to see so many stand behind a common goal to benefit consumers as a whole. That's what this campaign is all about, the common good. "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" is an an all around American advertising slogan and campaign aimed to promote the benefits of incorporating beef into a healthy diet. The meat industry in general  is often the target of much controversy and ridicule. In order, to combat the slander specifically placed on the beef industry, the "Beef. It's Whats For Dinner" campaign was created to raise awareness about the actual benefits of eating beef. 

The campaign is funded by the Beef Checkoff Program.The initial campaign ran for 17 months at a cost of $42 million. The Beef Checkoff promotion was funded by collecting a dollar on every cow, steer, and bull sold in the United States. It featured the tag line: "Nothing satisfies so many people in so many ways.  Using these relatable messages, the campaign bridged a gap for those consumers struggling with the misconceptions of beef. A Web site, BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com, was launched in 2002 and serves as a resource for how to prepare and enjoy beef. The site addresses topics such as recipes, shopping recommendations, cooking tips, proper food handling and nutrition facts. The website also includes Beef So Simple, a weekly electronic newsletter featuring beef cooking tips and recipes.

According to Jim Boudreau, the account director in charge of  the "Beef. It's Whats For Dinner" campaign, the work achieved through the campaign is invaluable. He says that in the food category, it has become one of the most successful taglines ever. The reason for the success is simple, Boudreau says, but hard to duplicate. The beef tagline is in his opinion "declarative, American," It can resonate with everyone, whatever their age. The promotional message has spread across every facet of the beef industry making it a huge tool in educating the public and raising comradery with the beef industry. For more information on the development of the campaign, click here.

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Chipotle E coli Outbreak Causes?

Meat is often the source of ridicule when it comes sudden deficiencies in consumers' health. However, one rarely thinks of the effects vegetables could just of likely had an affect on you if not handled properly or safely. For instance, there was a recent e coli outbreak at several Chipotle establishments and people were quick to blame the processed meat products, without even considering the highly processed vegetables. Naturally, there has been a lot of controversy over this relatively recent outbreak. Although, a lot of sources are claiming that they have been unable to pin down the source of the E. coli out break. I would still like to provide all of you some of the facts so that you can come to your own conclusions.

Linked here is one of my all time favorite articles on the matter of foodborne illnesses. The author Jordan Caba brings to the readers attention the unfounded biased of consumers at the supermarket and how we tend to be more wary of our meat products rather than vegetables. When in reality a report issued by the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration or IFSAC revealed that we consumers need to be "vigilant" in the vegetable aisle. According to their report, "Seedy vegetables, such as tomatoes or zucchini, accounted for 18 percent of Salmonella cases compared to fruit at 12 percent, eggs at 12 percent, chicken at 10 percent, beef at nine percent, pork at eight percent, and sprouts at eight percent. Beef and vegetable row crops, like leafy vegetables, also accounted for over 80 percent of all E. coli cases."

Notice how  vegetables and fruits are just as likely to be the cause of certain foorbourne illnesses if not more likely. Now, I don't want to persuade you to stop eating vegetables, I just want to make a fair case for the livestock industry and bring to light the misconceptions of the handling practices for meat. For instance, this article written by David Katz for the Huffington post doesn't even come close to factual with today's industry standards. In the article there are passages that state things like, "Because we eat quite a lot of meat, quite a lot of meat must be produced. Large-volume meat production means large farms, large herds, and large, centralized, highly efficient processing plants. At best, this all translates into relative neglect of any individual steer, and a relative inability to inspect the quality of every steak. At worst, it offers reminders of the “jungle” to which Upton Sinclair introduced us all at the turn of the 20th century." What Kratz fails to mention here is the change in industry standards since Upton Sinclair's book titled The Jungle. For example, I personally work at a Meats Science lab and there we base our entire operation on industry standards and federal inspections to ensure a safe and desirable product for our buyers.

Yet, people still jump to the conclusion that contaminations only occur in the handling of meat. Even the burrito chain, Chipotle, believes the E. coli outbreak stemmed from their Australian beef. Yet, even though the Center for Disease Control came to the conclusion that the outbreak source was unknown, the government agency believes it stemmed from contaminated produce such as spinach, sprouts, and lettuce. Whitney Filloon covers this topic at www.eater.com.

Worrisome Websites

I have never met a farmer or rancher that doesn't care about their animals. I have also never met a producer that didn't care about the final product for the consumer's sake. Yet, people can find numerous articles, social medias, and websites that sprout negative and false information about livestock producers. Organizations like PETA are the perfect example of these false claims. What I would like readers to take away from this blog is a little incite to be used to spot biased claims found on websites like PETAs'. At first look, this website may appear to be a professional one based on it's professional graphic deign and eye appealing color scheme. However, after closer inspection, you can find there are really no scientific claims behind the statements being made on the website. Furthermore, the page is cluttered with advertisements and hyperlinks for donations. This clutter can lead to an overwhelming affect for the viewer or in my case a red flag. Another thing to consider when evaluating the reliability of a website, is the URL of the website and whether or not it is simply a website used to promote a specific organization or cause. For instance, PETA's website (that is linked here) is a perfect example of how the information and advertisements found on a page can simply reflect the betterment of the organization. Now compare this website with the United States Department of Agriculture's website linked here. This website is devoted to protecting agriculture and the well being of the livestock. To top it off, the website is a government website devoid of propaganda. All of the claims made on the website are based on scientific facts instead of biased claims like an organization of PETAs. I hope these tips are useful when it comes to finding a reliable source of information.

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Agriculture Made Simple

As you are all aware at this point, I have focused this blog on agriculture. More specifically, i have focused the topics of the blog on the importance of livestock in the diet and the importance of protecting the farmers and ranchers that get their product to the consumer's table. I recently came across the video shown above and found that it broke down, not only the dietary benefits of meat consumption, but also the necessity of it in the diet, quite simply. The video is portrayed free of biased and is used to simply highlight the healthy benefits meat has on the human diets. For more specific information about the video click here. I like the scientific components utilized in the video. As a communication student though, I can't help but wish the narrator of the video would slow down and articulate her thoughts more effectively. Another tactic that could have been implemented would be a variation in the pictures shown throughout the video, instead of consistent pictures of only meat. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy that there are video clips such as this that can be found on the internet and are used to emphasize the necessity of agriculture and it's components because of what they offer. I still find it a little disheartening when ever i come across negative feedback about such topics in the media, which is basically on a daily-basis. 

Yet, the future remains bright with positively simplistic and resourceful media such as this video about the nutritional benefits of red meat. In all seriousness, I urge all of you readers to share simple science-based clips like the one above with any friends, family, or even acquaintances that have any questions about topics like utilizing meat in a healthy diet. 

Agriculture and Politics

Politics: the great and almighty source of controversy. With the political debates happening between presidential candidates, I couldn't help myself from tackling this topic in today's blog. In the famous words of Donald Trump, today's topic is going to be "huge." Just like agriculture is a "huge" industry. It may come as a surprise to some of the readers that politics actually play quite a big role in the agriculture industry.

Sometimes it's not ultimately clear at first how some policies will affect agriculture. For instance in the state of North Dakota, there was a measure voted on that was meant to impact the overall conservation of North Dakota. I, for one, when I first heard about this thought that sounded like a beneficial bill to be passed in North Dakota. However, after further investigation of the measure I found that the measure was simply to vague and could in essence be used to take control away from the farmers and ranchers of North Dakota regarding the rights to their land and water. If you are interested into reading about the measure yourself, click on Measure 5. According to Mike Nowatzki a reporter for Grand Forks Herald, "with all 427 precincts reporting, the “no” votes totaled 79.4 percent, while supporters mustered 20.6 percent." Meaning, many of the local farmers and ranchers reached the same understanding as myself with a unanimous no.

The point I am trying to make is that agriculture can be impacted positively or negatively by the decisions made by politicians, so it is important to consider the choices you make as a voter when it comes to those you elect to represent you and the laws you vote for to protect you. For in the end, it is ultimately the people that control the world around them and the rules that govern them. I have an article linked here that discusses this topic in further detail and proves for an interesting read.

The Moment of Truth

Here's the the moment of truth. Dieting is hard. I know, I know, call me crazy for stating the obvious. I'll gladly accept the crazy if this blog can provide a little insight for those who find what I have to say slightly interesting. Anyway, the point I am trying to get to is that dieting is hard only because we make it hard.

Say what? People make things more difficult than they need to be? I recently read an article that poked fun at the insanity of different dieting techniques these days. One of my favorite passages from the article states, "Maxing out your credit line on seal liver forces you to continue your internet education in healthy eating. As you read more you begin to understand that grains are fine but before you eat them you must prepare them in the traditional way: by long soaking in the light of a new moon with a mix of mineral water and the strained lacto-fermented tears of a virgin." For more interesting passages like this one, click here . A lot of time the simplicity of the human diet is overlooked. We are omnivores by nature. An omnivore by definition is, "an animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin." This simply means, humans have a digestive tract that is designed to consume both plants and animals. So why not consume a balanced diet of both?

The No-Diet Diet is a perfect example of how simplicity is key to staying healthy. This diet plan simply highlights the health benefits of eating a balanced diet of vegetables, meat, grain, and dairy. Food that has detrimental effects on your health are fattier foods or foods high in sugar and should be limited in proportion compared to the more essential food groups. So that's it. That's the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Maybe dieting isn't that hard. Maybe it's just how we perceive what is effective in the diet that makes dieting so hard.