Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Negative Effects of Non-Organic Meats

Non-organic meats, just like the name implies, are food products harvested from animals that have been raised in industrial farms and large-scale feedlots. Quite unlike pasture-raised organic pork or grass-fed beef, bison, buffalo or lamb,  non-organic meats have been maintained on a high-grain diet as well as routinely administered with synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics prior to slaughter. Though relatively cheaper and widely available, steering clear of non-organic meats is advised as these food products have harmful effects to the body.

Read further and discover more about the negative effects of non-organic meats and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid this source of dietary fats.

Non-Organic Meats’ Risks:

Non-organic meats have high saturated fat content as compared to their organically grown counterparts. A diet high in saturated fat results in high levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, the bad cholesterol, in the blood. Because this is the case, the risk of developing heart-related diseases is increased as well. Also, the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes has been linked to high saturated fat consumption.

Non-organic meats also have an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids ratio that exceeds 20 to one. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are a class of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) that are classified as essential fatty acids because the body cannot synthesize them and therefore have to be supplemented via the diet. Omega-3 is a long-established anti-inflammatory, while omega-6 has the opposite function. Because this is the case, a balanced intake of these PUFAs, which means eliminating non-organic meats from the diet, is crucial so as to minimize the risk of developing inflammatory diseases.

Non-organic meats are more prone to pathogen contamination, particularly E. coli, as well. It seems that the practice of grain feeding is the one responsible for this. E. coli contamination can cause vomiting, stomach pain, and bloody diarrhea. Feeding cattle with grains instead of grass results in the unhealthy essential fatty acids profile as well.

Non-organic meats, especially those from feedlot-raised cattle, are routinely injected with a variety of hormones to stimulate growth as well. One type of growth hormone called estradiol, for instance, appears to increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, not just in animals, but in humans as well. And then there’s insulin-like growth factor 1, too. Prolonged exposure to the latter has been linked to conditions like acne. It has been associated with hormone-dependent degenerative diseases like prostate and breast cancer as well.

Feedlot-raised animals, the source of non-organic meats, have been subjected to a concoction of antibiotics, vaccines and pesticides prior to slaughter as well. The antibiotics and vaccines are meant to control the development and spread of diseases that are a typical occurrence in animal confinement raising. The pesticides, meanwhile, are meant to manage vermin infestation. Extended antibiotics administration on animals raised in industrial farms may result in antibiotics-resistance in both animals and humans. The danger of passing on the antibiotic-resistant pathogens from the non-organic meats to humans that consume said food products is a potential, too.

Application of pesticides, on the other hand, causes soil, groundwater, and air contamination. This practice increases the risk of pesticide resistance in these pests as well. In humans, meanwhile, exposure to pesticide residues from non-organic meats may result in a host of illnesses like allergies, sterility, birth defects, and cancer, to name a few.

In the next post, I’ll tell you the negative effects of margarine and why the Superhuman Food Pyramid recommends you avoid this source of dietary fats.

In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the dietary sources of fats on the Superhuman Food Pyramid:

Eat:

• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Meat
• Olive Oil
• Macadamia Nut Oil
• Avocados
• Olives
• Organic Grass-Fed Butter
• Organic Yogurt (Full-Fat)
•  Ghee
• Free Range Eggs (With Yolk)
• Grass-Fed Beef, Bison, or Buffalo or Lamb
• Sardines, Anchovies or Haddock in Water or Olive Oil
• Wild Salmon, Trout, Tilapia, Flounder
• Triglyceride-Based Fish Oil
• Pure Cod Liver Oil

Moderate:

• Raw Nuts (Except Peanuts)
• Raw Seeds
• Almond Butter
• Palm Oil
• Cold Press Flax Oil
• Bacon
• Mayonnaise
• Organic Peanut Butter
• Coconut Ice Cream
• Dark Chocolate

Avoid:

• Roasted Nuts
• Roasted Seeds
• Regular Peanut Butter
• Regular Butter
• Non-Organic Meats
• Margarine
• Any ‘Spreadable’ Condiments
• Farmed Fish
• Commercial Salad Dressings
• Safflower Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Canola Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Commercial Flax Oil
• Soy Ice Cream
• Regular Ice Cream
• Milk Chocolate

If you have questions, comments or feedback about the negative effects of non-organic meats, the Superhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the negative effects of non-organic meats.