I’ve been shouting from the rooftops about how your food safety is at risk because of Big Agra’s urge to put profits ahead of your health.
Now a brand-new study published by Consumer Reports magazine found that most meat sold in America’s supermarkets is full of dangerous illegal drugs.1
The researchers gathered data on 6,000 samples from poultry, beef and pork. The samples came from producers large and small. They included meat destined for supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals and schools.
And hundreds of these samples contained banned drugs. Here’s what they found…
- Ketamine, a hallucinogenic party drug and experimental antidepressant.
- Phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory that’s too risky for human use.
- Chloramphenicol, a powerful antibiotic linked to deadly anemia.
All of these drugs are prohibited in beef, poultry and pork in the U.S.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is supposed to make sure our meat supply is safe and drug-free. But the FSIS is doing absolutely nothing about this. Why would they? The USDA is in the pocket of the food industry. They turn a blind eye to these drugs in the meat supply.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am NOT telling you to avoid meat.
As opposed to my mainstream counterparts who will tell you not to eat meat, I’m a big advocate of eating meat.
But it has to be the right meat…
You need animal protein to build and repair tissues. It’s an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, hair, nails and blood. You also use this protein to make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals.
But the meat you get from your local restaurant or grocery store comes from sick cows and poultry. It’s not the vital, nutrient-packed meat our ancestors enjoyed. And now we know it contains dangerous drugs.
And that’s bad enough. But there’s so much more…
Today’s cattle are fed grains, corn and soy instead of grasses from open pastures. And profit-driven ranchers feed them cheap “feedstuff” to fatten them up quickly.
I’m talking about junk like chocolate bars, rainbow sprinkles, gummy worms and stale cookies.2 It makes them sick, fat and diseased.
Plus, these animals are pumped up with hormones and antibiotics that end up on your dinner plate.
I can’t say it often enough… You should stay away from factory-farmed meat.
Grass-fed beef on the other hand comes from cattle that graze in open fields. They eat grass, the food cattle are supposed to eat. That makes their meat pure and full of the protein, vitamins and nutrients you need to thrive. In fact, the Journal of Animal Science found that the more grass cattle ate, the more nutritious their beef became. 3
But don’t be fooled by beef labeled “organic.” That only means the cattle do not have antibiotics or hormones in their body at the time of slaughter. It does not mean the meat is free of dangerous drugs. And most organic cattle eat grains that are not part of their natural diet.
More Ways to Get Healthy, Safe, Drug-Free Protein
- Buy your beef fresh from the farm. The surest way to get 100% drug-free, grass-fed beef is through a private farm. My favorite place to order meat is from US Wellness Meats (grasslandbeef.com). I know the owner John Wood and I trust his products. He has a unique way of raising cattle to have more nutrition.
- Choose the right fish. Our ancestors thrived on eating fish fresh from the ocean. After all, fish is a pure source of protein. But our modern supply is nothing like what our ancestors ate. Most of today’s fish are full of pollutants, plastics and other toxins.
And farm-raised fish are no better. These fish are fed genetically modified corn, soy and canola oil. They’re fed antibiotics, chemicals, and growth hormones to speed up production. They also contain high levels of PCBs, dioxins, mercury and other toxins.
Always look for wild-caught fish. My favorite place to order from is Alaska Seafood. (www.wildalaskaseafood.com).
- Eat more eggs. I consider eggs the perfect food. In fact, they may be the only 100% complete food source. They have all the vitamins and minerals you need. And they’re the only protein source with a quality rating of 100 because they have every amino acid you need in exactly the ratios you need.
But looking for the best eggs isn’t easy. Choose eggs labeled “Cage-free” or “Pastured.” Cage-free means hens live in enclosures rather than cages. They have plenty of room to stand up and move around. They get exercise, natural sunlight and fresh air.
Pastured chickens run around freely. Each day they’re herded in small groups to fresh pastureland. At night, they go back to roost. They have fresh greens to eat and a clean environment.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Peachman RB. “Are banned drugs in your meat? How did they get into food? What’s known about the risks? And what can be done to keep these drugs off your plate?” Consumer Reports. August 29, 2018.
2. Breselor S. “When corn costs soar, let cows eat cake.” Wired. January 14, 2013.
3. French P, et al. “Fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acid, of intramuscular fat from steers offered grazed grass, grass silage, or concentrate-based diets.” J Anim Sci. 2000;78:2849-2855.