What’s on YOUR Burger?

I don’t know about you, but it’s getting harder and harder to find “real food.” We’re getting FED UP, but is it making us any happier or healthier?

Are you in a cooking rut? Every week it’s the same old thing. And if you’re like most Americans, your meal centers around some sort of meat. And while I believe fat isn’t a bad thing, and it sure doesn’t cause high cholesterol as the experts believe, meat without A LOT of fresh vegetables, leads to a host of "dis-eases."

Most folks don’t even know conventional meat is downright dangerous. Yea, that’s what I said, dangerous. Here's a brief rundown on what you’re getting when you buy that bargain tube of ground beef.

According to tests results at Consumer Reports:

Conventional ground beef can make you seriously sick, or worse, even when cooked properly.

Consumer Reports samples tested:

100% E. coli- Enterococcus, associated with fecal contamination, can cause blood or urinary tract infections.

1% Salmonella

20% Clostridium- bacteria responsible for food poisoning

18% Contain superbugs, bacteria that cannot be killed by antibiotics.

Some samples tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which cannot be destroyed even with thorough cooking.

Factory animals are given high doses of antibiotics in an attempt to keep them alive until slaughter. The antibiotics are passed on to you, and overtime you develop a resistance to antibiotics that could save your life.

Factory farmed meat can threaten your health and even your life, according to Joseph Mercola, M.D. Furthermore, animals are raised in unsanitary conditions that require chemicals for washing the meat, radiation- in an attempt to “sterilize” the meat before it reaches the store, and if undercooked, often contains fecal bacteria.

You Are What You Eat

I was shocked to learn that in addition to antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides and insecticides (added to feed or administered via ear tags), cows are fed animal waste, slaughter by-products, blood meal, dried manure, chicken litter, and plastic pellets that serve as grass fiber substitute! Not to mention GMOs. Cheap hamburger isn't so cheap when comparing the health risks and potential medical bills.

Good News for You Carnivores!

You can eat your burger without playing Russian Roulette. No GMOs, animal by-products, pesticides, antibiotics, plastic pellets, or other harmful ingredients. Buy organically raised grass-fed beef. It’s safer and you’ll be doing yourself and the planet a big favor.

“We know that sustainable methods are better for the environment and more humane to animals. But our tests also show that these methods can produce ground beef that poses fewer health risks… We suggest that you choose what’s labeled ‘grass-fed organic beef whenever you can.” -Dr. Urvashi Rangan leads Consumer Reports’ Consumer Safety and Sustainability Group and serves as the Executive Director of its Food Safety and Sustainability Center