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Health information floating around on the internet and every other form of media can boggle your mind at times.
Heck
you can have a conversation with a friend at the water cooler and end
up wondering if we're all going to die of some horrid disease from
eating wrong. It's all around us - This is bad for you, this is good for
you. Eat this, don't eat that.
If you've ever looked at indoor air quality you can be afraid to take a breath inside your own home. How do can you know what 's the truth?
Unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer for that!
What I can tell you is the rule I live by:
Have the sense of an old cow - Eat the hay and spit out the sticks.
Dr Mercola posted a blog today titled: Why I Do Not Recommend Eating Pork.
Those of you who follow my blog know I'm a big proponent of Dr Mercola. I still am.
However on this particular point, I don't agree with some of his views or conclusions, particularly about pastured pork.
He has softened his stance some over time. At one time he did not recommend eating pork of any kind.
He now states in his most recent post: "Pork
is an arguably "healthy" meat from a biochemical perspective, and if
consumed from a humanely raised pastured hog like those on Joel
Salatins' farm and prepared properly, there is likely minimal risk of
infection. However, virtually all of the pork you're likely to consume
do not fit these criteria."
However in the side bar of this post, he has the following: "If
you choose to eat pork, I recommend seeking a naturally raised,
pastured source, although this is no guarantee of safety. Pastured pigs
are vulnerable to Trichinella spiralis infection—aka “pork worm”—due to
their exposure to wild hosts. Trichinella is one of the most
widespread parasites in the world, and can cause potentially serious
health complications."
Perhaps Trichinella spiralis is one of the most widespread parasites in the world but according to the CDC:
Over
the past 40 years, few cases of trichinellosis have been reported in
the United States, and the risk of trichinellosis from commercially
raised and properly prepared pork is very low. However, eating
undercooked wild game, particularly bear meat, puts one at risk for
acquiring this disease. [More here]
We must keep animals inside in an environmentally controlled setting lest they get contaminated and harm us...Rubbish.
If
we mimic nature, feed a proper diet, and let the animals have
sufficient room, they will be healthier themselves and impart that
health to us when consumed.
A historical research into
trichinellosis in swine shows us that it was linked to feeding pigs
swill or garbage. This practice today is banned in many states. Most
that allow it require a license to feed it to pigs.
I've blogged about alternative feeds before and I personally would not eat pork that has lived on garbage.
Overall I think Dr Mercola did a good job of showing that pastured pork done right is your only option for pork. But
when it comes to trumping up the dangers of trichinellosis in hogs that
roam outside...this old cow is spitting out that stick.
Until next time...
