Maybe you like your burger fully loaded or maybe you prefer to leave off the onions and pickles. Regardless, when you occasionally indulge in a juicy hamburger, you know you’re consuming quite a few calories and a hefty dose of grease. But what you may not know about are the unexpected and potentially harmful ingredients that factory farms hide in your meat, which should have you much more concerned.
What are the hidden contaminants in your meat?
Commercially-grown animals produce meat with contaminants that you want nowhere near your body, let alone inside it. For years, the rampant use of antibiotics in giant food farms has been a known issue. However, unless you are eating grass-fed, pasture-raised meat, you are likely consuming beef that has been pumped with synthetic testosterone-boosting hormones to promote faster growth.
These hormone ‘boosters’ don’t just affect the cows. They can also disrupt the hormones in your body. Trace amounts of these added hormones make their way into your body, which is worrisome considering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t seem too concerned about this happening. It’s even more baffling considering that federal law prohibits self-medicating with steroids.
Synthetic hormones and the environment
These hormones are not only polluting our meat but also persisting and contaminating in the environment for a disturbingly long time. Researcher Adam Ward from Indiana University’s Bloomington School of Public and Environmental Affairs explains that when compounds are released into the environment, they can cause unexpected chemical reactions with unintended consequences. This poses a challenge to our regulatory system.
Ward’s research focuses on a chemical called trenbolone acetate (TBA), a synthetic form of testosterone, which is implanted into the ears of cows destined for the slaughterhouse. According to Ward, the cow’s metabolism converts TBA to 17-alpha-trenbolone, a chemical with similar hormonal effects. Not only does 17-alpha-trenbolone remain as residue in the meat you eat, but it is also released into rivers and streams from cow manure. As if that weren’t enough, it stays in fertilizer used on food crops.
At first, because 17-alpha-trenbolone breaks down by sunlight, it wasn’t thought to be an environmental concern. However, new research reveals that the chemicals it turns into, recombine after sunset and reform into 17-alpha-trenbolone. Instead of breaking down harmlessly, these pollutants pose a serious threat to the environment, wildlife, and plants.
Ward’s latest study discovered that TBA and its related chemicals concentrate in streams at a level 35% higher than estimated, and the biological exposure in the environment is 50% higher. He warned, “These compounds have the potential to disrupt entire ecosystems by altering reproductive cycles in many species, including fish,” and added that they expect impacts to extend through the aquatic food web.
Endocrine disruptors in our drinking water
The problem doesn’t end there. TBA and similar endocrine disruptors, chemicals that interfere with our hormones, are infiltrating our drinking water. So, if you’re not eating grass-fed meat, now’s the time to start. It’s also time to demand that these harmful chemicals stop being added to animals used for meat production. When you ask for a burger with everything on it, you’re also getting some unexpected harmful additives.
Fortunately, there are numerous farms that raise their animals in a natural, hormone, and antibiotic-free environment. As a starting point, visit Local Harvest to find a farm near you for the best naturally-raised meat. If you want to order meat online, you can visit Eat Wild.
