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| Fancy She will never be eaten, but she would be a healthy meal. Her eggs are healthy for me to eat. And, she loves me. She loves food. Me Too! Eggs ! |
Remember: moderation is the key to eating anything.
As for lard and its healthy merits, it depends. Crisco is hydrogenated and therefore, not healthy. The trans fat that is formed by hydrogenation raises our ldl (bad) cholesterol level. So, one day I set out to buy lard. Nope, lard is hydrogenated, also!
~~EVERYWHERE and in EVERY STORE~~
Only lard that is not hydrogenated is healthy for us to eat. I found unhydrogenated lard in a Mexican store. Regular lard and leaf lard (from around the kidneys) was available, but since it was just put in fruit jars and came from Mexico, I was not able to force myself to buy it. Further investigation with information from my Honduran friend will be necessary. I know I am being too cautious and too silly.For your entertainment and edification
Read Lard: the new health food. You just might try lard. The calorie count is high, but not higher than Crisco or other substitutes. Eat real butter, too. Remember, you still need to count calories! This is not permission to overindulge in fats. Moderation, remember?
Long ago, oh, about back to the 1940s/1950s, most all cattle were grass-fed. The feedlot with corn-fed beef/animals is a recent occurrence in the history of food. The CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) produced in animals that eat grass won't give us the problems that fat in corn-fed beef will.
I eat all the eggs I want from my hens that are allowed to eat grass everyday. If it is too cold or wet for them to forage or me to take care of them, I give them bags of salad that are too old to sell. Free food=grass or green produce=eggs that give health benefits. Yes, I do go pull grass/weeds, anything green for them to eat. Some days, they do not appreciate my efforts.
You may think the claims of prevention of disease by consuming products of grass fed animals are too good to be true, but check here and here. These are commercial sites, trying to sell you something. But, I have read sites that are not commercial sites that back up these claims. I could not find an .edu or .gov site. That was my limited search. Eggs and milk and meats from poultry and other animals was included in the sites I read from earlier.
Rat experiment
"In this study, the effects of maternal ingestion of hydrogenated vegetable fat rich in TFA, during gestation and lactation, followed by continued exposure of the offspring to this diet after weaning until the 90th day of life were investigated. We have also analyzed the effects of exposure to this diet just after weaning." Read about the government study here. Maybe pregnant and lactating women should stick to grass fed animal products for the future health of their unborn and suckling babies.
Terms
Chickens that are "free-range" can be in chicken houses holding tens of thousands of chickens. The doors on one end can remain open for two hours with only a few chickens leaving the house to never touch grass outside the doors. But, the fact that chickens had a chance to go out gives the farmer the right to say that the eggs come from free-range hens. If you know anything about chickens, you know that chickens are cautious and not at all adventuresome. They are not going to rush an open door, promise. My hens get grass time each day for hours on end. Or, I give them bags of Romaine, Radicchio, and Endive.
Here is a link about the difference in some terminology about beef.
When you see green, friendly-sounding terminology on your food, don't take it for granted that you are getting what you perceive you will. Look it up on several sites.
Too expensive
Many people do not buy food products mentioned in this post because of the expense. You can figure that you can spend the money now on healthy food or spend it later on health care. I understand the problem of not enough money for healthy foods. But, you could just eat less of the more healthy foods in order to not have astronomical grocery bills.
How is this about practical parsimony?
It is a practical matter to stay healthy. It is parsimonious to not spend money on high-priced grass-fed animal products OR on unnecessary health care for preventable problems. When not spending money now means medical bills later on, the reluctance to spend money for better food can be devastating financially and possibly cause an early death. I have neither been eating grass fed beef or poultry or drinking organic milk. Okay, I say I cannot afford it. I no longer use Crisco for anything but baking during Thanksgiving and Christmas. My eggs are organic from true free-range hens and from my yard. However, I eat little meat unless I just get a craving. I do eat my little bit of meat every day, almost. I eat little margarine, but I prefer the taste margarine over butter. I keep both and try to abstain from both. Don't skimp on healthy food to save money.
Okay, Linda, listen to your own advice. I am getting there. It is hard for me to trust that antibiotics, corn, and pesticides are not in organic, higher-priced food.
Your turn
Do you eat grass-fed beef or drink milk from pasture-fed beef or goats, eggs from grass-pasteurized chicken? If not, why not? If so, has your health or weight improved? Do you drink unpasteurized milk or eat the cheese made from it? As long as you understand listeria and other hazards, okay.
I eat free range eggs from my backyard. Like you, I feed my chickens grass, garden scraps and kitchen scraps (if it is good enough for us, it is good enough for them).
ReplyDeleteWe also raise our own meat birds. We don't eat the egg layers though, they are pets.
About red meat, we aspire to get all of our red meat from venison that the hubs and sons hunt. This was not a great year of hunting so I do supplement with grass fed when I can.
We use regular milk and cheese in moderation. Someday maybe I will try to sneak a couple goats into the backyard.
I found a non-hydrogenated shortening at a local health food store. Here is the brand: http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=87
I would not touch the stuff in a jar from Mexico. But I am kind of obsessive about food safety. Too many hospitalizations from food poisoning as a child.
Lorie, I want to raise meat birds, but it would be impossible where I live. Goat milk is something I cannot stand. But, maybe I need to change my tastes. The bread store will sell a whole cart of bread for $4. For a while, stupidly, I bought it and fed some to the hens because people advised me too...duh.. Then, I wondered why I thought white bread was good for them when I will not eat it. (Okay, in a pinch and somewhere else, I eat white bread) Now, they eat my good bread--100% whole wheat, no preservatives, no hfcs. They only get one piece each day, split between the three of them. I consume too much cheese and milk! Thanks for the link. It's great your family can get the meat. I hate to be suspicious or paranoid about the lard from Mexico. But, it is my health, and I am getting into the senior stuff where things will affect me worse than younger adults. Thanks for the great response!
ReplyDeleteWhy did you have many hospitalizations from food poisoning as a child?
Thanks for visiting my blog :)
ReplyDeleteI had food poisoning at least once a year as a child and was hospitalized a few because my parents have NO concern about food safety of any kind. They are not poor and we always had enough food but they just did not care/know to handle it properly.
Expiration dates were just suggestions. If it was not green and fuzzy it was okay to eat. Refrigeration of dairy was optional. Things like that.
When ever we got really sick they though it must have been someplace else we ate or a bad case of the flu. My sister and I joke that since moving out we never get stomach flu anymore. LOL I'm thankful we survived.
Lorie, I wrote a response once and it disappeared...lol. At least you know better now. They were on the right track, but they took it too far and in the wrong directions. Expiration dates on cans are just for nutrition and taste. Expiration dates on dairy or meat are to be taken to heart, in my opinion. I am glad you know better now.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely about eating healthy ultimately being a frugal act, Practical. I try to tell myself that about exercise too! sometimes it works. ;) I buy organic eggs always and organic meats sometimes...am working in that direction, as the budget allows. love posts like this one that remind me of its importance!
ReplyDeleteDmarie, Exercise and I are not friends lately! I do the best I can. Until I have surgery, there is not much I can do.
ReplyDeleteWe eat eggs from our own chickens and feed them organic laying mash. We sell our surplus eggs which pays for their food. Now we are down to 3 chickens and it is enough for us. There is a meat market about 100 miles that sells grass fed beef and we stock up on that. We eat regular butter with no hormones...can't get organic here. Margarine is a killer. I use a lot of organic coconut oil to cook with and only butter for baking. WalMart sells organic flour. I love white flour, so that is what I bake with a little whole wheat that I grind myself. (yes, my bad). When I was growing up, everything was organic. No GMOs in those days. Mother always cooked from scratch. I agree...everything in moderation. Sugar is the big killer...and it is hard for me to stay away. I would rather eat less and eat better than stuff myself with processed poison. Chocolate is good for the soul, lol
ReplyDelete