Red Meat: A Killer Unmasked
For centuries people have considered red meats, such as beef and pork, as essential to a healthy diet. (Teicholz). Red meat has always been a favorite at the meal table, and America is the world’s leading consumer for meats per capita – red and poultry; however, an interesting shift has occurred since 1970 (Dokoupil; Molla). The average American’s red meat consumption has actually decreased from over 100 pounds per person every year to an average of 71.2 pounds per person in 2012. Offsetting this drop, poultry consumption has increased from its 1970 amount of nearly 28 pounds per person every year to nearly 57 pounds per person in 2012 (Molla). As American attitudes towards red meat continue to change in this ever-shifting modern world, it is possible that these numbers could continue to change in the future. Recently, numerous studies and books have been published that question the safety of eating red meat. Some of these include publications by the World Health Organization (WHO) and researchers from Harvard University (Simon; “Red Meat Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes”). Such publications seem to indicate an imminent change in the American psyche …show more content…
The China Study, published in 2006 by Dr. T. Collin Campbell, a prolific scientist and Cornell graduate, exposed an alleged link between animal products, such as red meat, and various ailments including cancer (“AICR, the China Study, and Forks Over Knives”; Minger). In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) published an article exposing a direct correlation between certain types of cancer and processed meat, including hot dogs and sausage, and listed unprocessed red meat as a “probable” carcinogen (Gee, Wang; Simon). Such reports are chilling considering the prevalence of such items in the average American
For centuries people have considered red meats, such as beef and pork, as essential to a healthy diet. (Teicholz). Red meat has always been a favorite at the meal table, and America is the world’s leading consumer for meats per capita – red and poultry; however, an interesting shift has occurred since 1970 (Dokoupil; Molla). The average American’s red meat consumption has actually decreased from over 100 pounds per person every year to an average of 71.2 pounds per person in 2012. Offsetting this drop, poultry consumption has increased from its 1970 amount of nearly 28 pounds per person every year to nearly 57 pounds per person in 2012 (Molla). As American attitudes towards red meat continue to change in this ever-shifting modern world, it is possible that these numbers could continue to change in the future. Recently, numerous studies and books have been published that question the safety of eating red meat. Some of these include publications by the World Health Organization (WHO) and researchers from Harvard University (Simon; “Red Meat Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes”). Such publications seem to indicate an imminent change in the American psyche …show more content…
The China Study, published in 2006 by Dr. T. Collin Campbell, a prolific scientist and Cornell graduate, exposed an alleged link between animal products, such as red meat, and various ailments including cancer (“AICR, the China Study, and Forks Over Knives”; Minger). In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) published an article exposing a direct correlation between certain types of cancer and processed meat, including hot dogs and sausage, and listed unprocessed red meat as a “probable” carcinogen (Gee, Wang; Simon). Such reports are chilling considering the prevalence of such items in the average American