Slog
News & ArtsFriday, March 23, 2012
Chow Eating Meat Makes Ladies Happier
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 3:22 PM
...or so says a study, which appears to have actually tried to account for other influencing factors (unlike this study and countless others... Gizmodo can't resist a bit of the usual hyperbole in the headline, however).
In other meat-news, former New York Times restaurant reviewer (and current op-ed columnist) Frank Bruni has gout. It sounds like he's always eaten tons of meat. Moderation, people!
Also, via Eater.com: The pink slime (EW!) story leads a producer to run a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal. I'm no advertising executive, but they might have wanted to lead with something other than this in large-point type:
"After what I personally experienced watching my son suffer and die, I am very skeptical and cynical about for-profit meat companies and their professed commitment to food safety..."
- Meat/Shutterstock
1
Really? The Stranger is criticizing someone else for hyperbole..? Not that I don't enjoy it, but COME ON.
2
Speaking as a deliriously happy vegetarian, I don't see how a few slices of nitrate-cured bacon could possibly make me any happier. Sicker, maybe...
3
From the university's description of the study
"Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. Only 19 women in the study were vegetarians, and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses."
"Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. Only 19 women in the study were vegetarians, and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses."
6
I'm a confirmed meat-atarian (sp?) and Bruni's meat & booze intake gave me pause. Holy carp, no wonder he has gout... what other maladies are creeping up on his health?
At least he is not glum about what he has given up, he is relishing feeling better without the hangovers & bloat.
Although I'm sad for all the ordered-but-not-enjoyed martinis. Perhaps he could send them to me instead of letting them go to waste...
At least he is not glum about what he has given up, he is relishing feeling better without the hangovers & bloat.
Although I'm sad for all the ordered-but-not-enjoyed martinis. Perhaps he could send them to me instead of letting them go to waste...
7
Or you could just, ya know, smoke crack. They say that makes you REAL happy.
Just to remind everyone of the findings from the study on meat consumption from a couple weeks ago:
Also: enslaving, exploiting, abusing, and slaughtering animals is still wrong.
Just to remind everyone of the findings from the study on meat consumption from a couple weeks ago:
All red meat is bad for you, new study says
A long-term study finds that eating any amount and any type increases the risk of premature death.
Eating red meat — any amount and any type — appears to significantly increase the risk of premature death, according to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years.
For instance, adding just one 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat — picture a piece of steak no bigger than a deck of cards — to one's daily diet was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the course of the study.
Even worse, adding an extra daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon, was linked to a 20% higher risk of death during the study.
Also: enslaving, exploiting, abusing, and slaughtering animals is still wrong.
8
Note that when you go to a real source, they say it's likely American grain-fed meat won't have the same effect.
9
@7: I like the idea of enslaving animals. Sticking ball gags in their mouths should be both challenging and entertaining. Also, they're delicious, so good enough for me.
10
According to its methods section, "this study" you speak of also actually tried to account for other influencing factors, as does virtually every single study that gets published in a scientific journal.
11
@10 is correct. Most media incorrectly take a study and over exaggerate and twist what the study actually says.
Moderation. Varied diet. Less red meat with more unprocessed grains, fruits, and vegetables. Ignore fad diets.
Moderation. Varied diet. Less red meat with more unprocessed grains, fruits, and vegetables. Ignore fad diets.
12
I went to QFC on a late night shopping binge and got:
Veggie Burgers
Veggie Chicken Patties
Veggie Sausage Patties (for breakfast)
News? They all taste great! The chicken even looks like white meat chicken patties!
The technology of veggie meat has really advanced...although, I noticed these big front loaders near the edge of town...hope they're not made of PEEEE-PPPOOOOLL.
Veggie Burgers
Veggie Chicken Patties
Veggie Sausage Patties (for breakfast)
News? They all taste great! The chicken even looks like white meat chicken patties!
The technology of veggie meat has really advanced...although, I noticed these big front loaders near the edge of town...hope they're not made of PEEEE-PPPOOOOLL.
13
I had some asshole harass me last year at Woodland Park. He was berating for having a dog on a leash and how unethical it was for me to have "enslaved" the poor dog. His solution was that I should release it right away. This way my dog could be free and return to nature. I told him to fuck off. I mean seriously, how many pugs do you see running loose in the wild?!?
14
It's funny how historical Plains Indians are always congratulated for "using every last bit of the buffalo" and modern day East Asians, Mexicans, etc. are subject to cooing admiration for making use of every weird little bit of the animal in their cuisine, and whole books are written about the glories of offal, but when the same principle is applied to squeamish Americans, everybody's all "ew, pink slime!" all of a sudden. If you're going to eat meat, you should be prepared for the fact that it's not all tenderloin all the way down, and you should be glad to make use of the nasty parts as well. Not that I'd want to eat a whole slab of the stuff by itself, but the existence of connective tissue and lips and lungs and whatnot doesn't bother me a bit.
15
@8, just to make it clear what The Telegraph (and many other sources) are saying: typical American feedlot beef, fed grain, is bad for you, full stop; but grass-fed beef is beneficial for your heart and otherwise, as it contains lots of Omega-3s and other goodies. American beef = bad (unless you specifically seek out the pastured, grass-fed stuff); Aussie and Argentinian beef = good.
16
It's also important to remember that "correlation does not imply causation" with a study like this.
From that Wikipedia article:
It could certainly be the case that there are more basic factors that predispose women of Australia both to developing "mood and anxiety disorders" AND to the inclination to eat less red meat.
It could very well be that for those women, eating more red meat could exacerbate their "mood and anxiety disorders".
The professor quoted in the Gizmodo article, from the Telegraph article, goes on to say:
It's also interesting that the Australian government recommends a minimum amount of red meat specifically. Hmm. And surely the benefit to the Australian meat industry is only a coincidence.
More...
From that Wikipedia article:
In a widely-studied example, numerous epidemiological studies showed that women who were taking combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also had a lower-than-average incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), leading doctors to propose that HRT was protective against CHD. But randomized controlled trials showed that HRT caused a small but statistically significant increase in risk of CHD. Re-analysis of the data from the epidemiological studies showed that women undertaking HRT were more likely to be from higher socio-economic groups (ABC1), with better than average diet and exercise regimens. The use of HRT and decreased incidence of coronary heart disease were coincident effects of a common cause (i.e. the benefits associated with a higher socioeconomic status), rather than cause and effect as had been supposed.
It could certainly be the case that there are more basic factors that predispose women of Australia both to developing "mood and anxiety disorders" AND to the inclination to eat less red meat.
It could very well be that for those women, eating more red meat could exacerbate their "mood and anxiety disorders".
The professor quoted in the Gizmodo article, from the Telegraph article, goes on to say:
"We found that regularly eating more than the recommended amount of red meat was also related to increased depression and anxiety," Professor Jacka added.
It's also interesting that the Australian government recommends a minimum amount of red meat specifically. Hmm. And surely the benefit to the Australian meat industry is only a coincidence.
17
@14,
The *idea* of pink slime doesn't bother me, but they have to treat the stuff with ammonia to make it "safe" to eat. Surely, that's a sign that they should use the bones (and trace amounts of connective tissue et al) to make stock.
The *idea* of pink slime doesn't bother me, but they have to treat the stuff with ammonia to make it "safe" to eat. Surely, that's a sign that they should use the bones (and trace amounts of connective tissue et al) to make stock.
20
I've personally seen plenty of anecdotal evidence to convince me that eating a little (good) meat every week makes people happier.
Go to Rainshadow on Pine and pick up some grass-fed, ranch-raised beef... then slap a vegetarian around with it.
Go to Rainshadow on Pine and pick up some grass-fed, ranch-raised beef... then slap a vegetarian around with it.
22
@14 Using every part does not mean eating every part.
The pink slime is produced from parts of the cow that would contaminate any product they were put into. Dosing these parts with ammonia supposedly disinfects the slurry, at least according to the manufacturers, so much so that there's enough disinfectant to carry on into whatever the slime is added to. In practice, it seems "that premise was false. Rather than eliminating pathogens from burger mixes, pink slime was often actually adding pathogens."
http://anationinperil.com/?tag=ammonia-d…
The pink slime is produced from parts of the cow that would contaminate any product they were put into. Dosing these parts with ammonia supposedly disinfects the slurry, at least according to the manufacturers, so much so that there's enough disinfectant to carry on into whatever the slime is added to. In practice, it seems "that premise was false. Rather than eliminating pathogens from burger mixes, pink slime was often actually adding pathogens."
http://anationinperil.com/?tag=ammonia-d…
24
If there's a correlation between vegetarianism and being a sad sack, I'd put it down to the the kinds of people who chose to be vegetarians vs. the people who choose to eat lots of red meat. They are different types of people. The meat eaters in my observation, seem to be a carefree lot.
26
#7
So, back when native Americans used to live off all the products of the buffalo...did they have short life spans and die of coronaries?
28
What a bunch of fags. Your girlfriend, wife--whatever--loved my kielbasa tickling the back of her whore throat.
There isn't a bitch on earth doesn't love meat.
By the way, anyone that dies from meat is a faggot/pussy. Fuck your pussy son that must have choked on too much cack.
There isn't a bitch on earth doesn't love meat.
By the way, anyone that dies from meat is a faggot/pussy. Fuck your pussy son that must have choked on too much cack.
30
The New York Times has a contest on for people to submit 600-word essays on why it is ethical to eat meat. Judges include Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan and Jonathan Safran Foer. If I entered, I would write about how it's important to eat beyond the tenderest parts, and how the concentration of protein, minerals and vitamins can stabilize people where they no longer steal (I know of a deficient vegan who is a kleptomaniac) or post 4+ offensive/defensive comments on every omnivore-friendly food post they can find.
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