Today our food industry is attempting to drive long-term behavior change, pushing consumers to switch from real meat to highly processed plant-based meat products like never in history. These newly rolled out plant-based products are engineered by scientists in a laboratory and have been created fur the purpose of mimicking the actual taste and texture of their real meat counterparts. Both raising meat and growing the ingredients included in these plant-based raise environmental concerns. GMO soy and rapeseed (Canola), which are predominant in these products are accompanied by the negative results from mono-crop agriculture, overuse of pesticides, and unintentional spread of genetically modified plants.
The nation’s top psychologists are being engaged to find ways to manipulate and change the perception of meat eaters, to convince them to adopt plant-based alternatives in lieu of high quality sustainable meat. Though a diet rich in vegetables and fruits is known to benefit most people, are these plant-based food products really a healthier alternative to consuming high quality sustainable meat? Short answer, not really. Generally, the less processed our food the better it is for us. If the site of these alternative meat products is nauseating to you, fear not, you are not alone. As humans we are blessed with an evolutionary developed protective mechanism to avoid disease called food disgust sensitivity. Our bodies are hardwired to recognize foods that are toxic and should be avoided. Many people experience this protective mechanism when confronted with alternative meats and this may be a sign that our bodies are inherently repulsed by these potentially toxic products for reasons we are yet to discover. The intensive processes that are required to turn plant-based material into a substance resembling meat may turn these relatively healthy foods into products that are quite toxic to the human body. These products often rely on genetically modified organisms (GMO) ingredients that have been shown to correlate with the onset of reproductive issues in humans. Meat has been a part of the human diet throughout history.
In more recent times, the same forces within the food industry that are now pushing for alternative meat products has deeply compromised the meat industry in order to reduce production costs and increase company profits. This economic centric strategy has created a market where consumers must actively seek out and pay a premium for high quality meats that are raised with respect and on their natural diets. We are being nudged as a culture to replace the highly nutritious food source that is meat with a lesser potentially toxic alternative which is intended to mimic the very meats they are intended to replace. Vote with your purchases by seeking out the highest quality meat from your trusted local producers, supporting the sustainable future of the earth and human race.
