Are You Suffering from Toxic Overload?
Author Pat Thomas (who also writes for The Ecologist Online) has just released a fascinating, if slightly disturbing, book called What’s in this Stuff? - The Essential Guide to What's Really in the Products You Buy in the Supermarket which highlights the toxic nasties that lurk within our food.
One of Pat's top concerns is meat. If you eat meat, you also eat what the animal ate before it was slaughtered, and that can apparently include: processed feathers, chicken poo and bone meal - fed to animals as acceptable forms of protein to help the animal gain weight quickly.
Other hidden ingredients might include plastic pellets, a cheap source of roughage, anti-biotics and growth promoting chemicals.
I had no idea!
I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years and made that choice due to seeing a video which showed the filth and suffering in slaughterhouses. When you add chicken poo, antibiotics and plastic pellets to the mix, it's clear that for health, or conscience, or both - eating meat is a poor choice.
The easiest way to detox is to keep clear of the amount of toxins you ingest in the first place. Visit Viva to find out more about how a vegetarian diet will benefit your health, and find quick tips and recipes for toxin free food.
The Sensitive Soul’s Dilemma
Having raised the issue of the hidden horrors in meat, Pat goes on to the more sensitive issue of the stress suffered by animals reared for slaughter. She states that animals suffer stress due to confinement, fatigue, pain, transportation and the inevitable act of being killed, which raises levels of adrenaline and cortisone coursing through their veins.
She describes what meat from a stressed animal looks like - grim and inedible on any level, and reminds us that stressed animals get sick easier, so when you eat meat you are eating the chemicals of that anxiety plus whatever medication is pumped into feed to keep the animals "fit for slaughter".
Ayurveda presents non-violence (ahimsa) as one of the essential practices of a true human and humane being.
The Ayurvedic Talk Blog defines ahimsa as follows:
AHIMSA (Non-Violence) – Ahimsa or Non-Violence is the awareness to practice non-violence in action, speech and thoughts. It supports the practice of love, understanding, compassion, worthiness and patience. It guides one to follow the practice of not being cruel or not to hurt any individual or creature on earth. It conveys an inner meaning that emphasizes on being considerate towards every creature on earth.
Adopting a non-violent diet is easy, there are plenty of organic vegetable and grain alternatives for those who choose to tread the peaceful path, and the internet contains a wealth of recipes and tips to get your started.
What’s Next?
Other links and articles you might find of interest:
The Meatrix I
Take the red pill and watch the critically-acclaimed, award-winning first episode of The Meatrix Trilogy.
Why Low Carb means Low Mood: How to Eat for Happiness
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