A Healthy Thanksgiving Is a Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a special holiday, reminding us of the many wonderful people and sources of joy in our lives. We strengthen this appreciation by celebrating the holiday with others. Often, our celebration is dictated by tradition, with a turkey taken for granted at the center of our table and meal.
This turkey-based holiday food may, however, weaken the joy of Thanksgiving – both on the designated holiday, and on the many following days when our gratitude could be reinforced by good health for ourselves, family, and friends. Consider three compelling reasons that the bird you eat may damage your health, and hence happiness.
First, turkeys bred for food, unlike their wild cousins, are genetically manipulated for maximum profit to producers. These birds grow unnaturally fast. Their deformed bodies are shaped to meet human appetite, not for a healthy bird who could survive in the wild. These birds routinely develop heart, lung, and liver disease. You are likely consuming an unhealthy animal.
Second, turkeys are a potent source of food poisoning. These birds are raised in crowded, filthy conditions, with excrement everywhere. Conditions differ little with so-called “free range” turkeys.
The birds are often mega-dosed with antibiotics to try to keep the bacterial loads down. Still, salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, and other bacterial agents of food poisoning thrive in the turkeys, and on and in their bodies after they are slaughtered. Although most bacteria can be killed with thorough cooking, contact between the raw turkey body and other kitchen surfaces can lead to cross contamination. When this happens, other foods (which are cooked for shorter times or at lower temperatures) may become the source of food poisoning from bacteria originating with the turkey.
Third, toxic chemicals are unavoidably produced when turkeys are cooked. Here are a couple that can cause long-term damage to our bodies. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are compounds generated when protein or fat combines with sugars in food. These chemicals often form in especially high amounts when animal foods are cooked. This may surprise you, as you may not realize that sugars are found in all animal foods, bound to protein chains and needed for the proteins to function properly. These AGEs have been shown to cause inflammation, and are especially important in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are another set of compounds that form when turkey (or other meat) is cooked. More HCAs tend to form if the animal is roasted a long time. Turkeys, large birds who need to be cooked for prolonged periods, are especially subject to the conditions that generate HCAs. These chemicals have been strongly linked to cancer development.
Here’s the irony. The heat which is needed to kill the bacteria that cause food poisoning also spurs the production of toxic chemicals that have long-term health harms. Diminishing one health risk causes another. Tough trade-off…unless you choose to switch from turkey (or another animal) to plants.
As you look forward from Thanksgiving (and other special holidays), you may realize your health and your happiness are deeply intertwined. Choosing health maximizes happiness, both now and for years to come. You can select health by putting delicious plant-based options at the center of your Thanksgiving table.
If you’re in San Diego, you can easily get a plant-based, savory centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal – and leftovers. Plant Based Meals is a meal prep company offering delicious whole-food, plant-based choices every week (including a special menu for Thanksgiving). Your food is delivered fresh, never frozen, for outstanding taste and maximum nutrition. Their tempting selection of meals changes weekly. Eating whole food, plant-based has never been more convenient.
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Post written by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet: How to Lose Weight and Get Healthy Now With Six Kinds of Whole Foods. She is a nutrition educator, author, and speaker.
This is an educational article and does not provide medical advice. Results cannot be guaranteed, and may vary from person to person.
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