The Food, Diet and Health

Recommendations under “Foods and Nutrients to Increase”

1. Increase vegetable and fruit intake.

2. Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green

and red and orange vegetables and beans and peas.

3. Consume at least half of all grains as whole

grains. Increase whole-grain intake by replacing

refined grains with whole grains.

4. Increase intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and

milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or

fortified soy beverages.

5. Choose a variety of protein foods, which include

seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and

peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Increase the amount and variety of seafood

consumed by choosing seafood in place of some

meat and poultry.

6. Replace protein foods that are higher in solid

fats with choices that are lower in solid fats and

calories and/or are sources of oils.

7. Use oils to replace solid fats where possible.

8. Choose foods that provide more potassium,

dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, which are

nutrients of concern in American diets. These

foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains,

and milk and milk products.

Five “Diet-related Chronic Diseases”   

1. Cardiovascular disease – 81.1 million Americans have cardiovascular disease. Major risk factors: high levels of blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, overweight, physical inactivity.

2. Diabetes – nearly 24 million people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. About 78 million people in the U.S have pre-diabetes, means that blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes.

3. Hypertension –74.5 million Americans have hypertension. Major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

4. Cancer – about 41 % of the U.S population will be diagnosed with cancer during lifetime. Dietary factors are associated with risk of some types of cancer: breast, colon, kidney, larynx, mouth, and esophagus.

5. Osteoporosis – bone disease that is characterized by a decrease in bone mass and density which can lead to an increased risk of fracture.

Top ten 10 sources of calories for “overall” consumers (age 2+), based on NHANES 2005-6 data

   Rank 1 to 10: grain-based desserts, yeast breads, chicken and chicken mixed dishes, soda/energy/sports drinks, pizza, alcoholic beverages, pasta and pasta dishes, tortillas/burritos/tacos, beef and beef mixed dishes, and dairy desserts. 

    a. For items we eat less of than we should, the calories from solid fats and added sugars seems to be the hardest to attain the limits, with 280% of usual intake. The easiest item to attain recommended limits is saturated fat, with 110% of usual intake.

   b.  For items we eat more of than we should, calcium seems the easiest to attain the recommended goal, with 75% of usual intake. The hardest to attain the goal seems to be the whole grains, with only 15% of the usual intake. 

Compare the usual U.S. diet against the “Mediterranean” diet 

compared with average consumption in the U.S, these patterns feature increased amounts of vegetables, fruits, beans and peas, whole grains, fat-free milk, and decreased amounts of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium. The Mediterranean patterns do not specify amounts of whole grains; however, intake of refined cereal grains is typical for these patterns.

 

Animal Welfare

In 1998 Council Directive 98/58/EC gave general rules on the protection of all farm animals specifically kept for the production of food, wool, skin, or fur. This also included animals used for other farming purposes such as, fish, reptiles, or amphibians. These rules originated from the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes. These rules are seen within the “Five Freedoms” that are adopted by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. These Five Freedoms include:

“Freedom from hunger and thirst - access to fresh water and a diet for full health and vigour

Freedom from discomfort - an appropriate environment with shelter and comfortable rest area, 

Freedom from pain, injury and disease - prevention or rapid treatment,

Freedom to express normal behaviour - adequate space and facilities, company of the animal's own kind, 

 Freedom from fear and distress - conditions and treatment which avoid mental sufferings.”

Of these Five Freedoms, the first freedom from hunger and thirst would seem the easiest for farmers to comply with. “Access to fresh water and a diet full health and vigour” seems to also be the most important in this instance. It is also in their best interest to keep their livestock, especially in the production of food, very well feed. The last freedom from fear and distress may be the hardest for farmers to comply with because it is a very hard aspect to measure whether not your livestock has a mental suffering is hard especially when you may have a large amount of livestock. It is hard to tell even when humans are having mental suffering let alone a fish. Overall, this is the hardest freedom to comply with because it is difficult to measure especially in smaller non-mammals.  

            “Freedom to express normal behavior” means that the animals are allowed to practice their natural behaviors, rather than being forced to act otherwise. Normal behavior for a cow is to roam a field, not be kept in a small confined space for 24 hours a day for seven days a week. That is not normal for a cow. In the case for broilers, it would be allowing farm animals the ability to partake in behaviors that would normally be doing if they were not farm animals. Additionally, being in the presence of animals that are of the same species allows for a more “normal” atmosphere. The freedom to express normal behavior overall helps with mental suffering by giving them overall freedom to partake in natural behaviors.

When it comes to farm pigs, it is a banned practice to use individual stalls for pregnant sows and gilts, specifically starting from 4 weeks after service to one week before the expected time of the birth of a litter. It also banned to use chains or ropes to restrict the movement of pigs. The humane Society mentioned that Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, and Oregon all have regulations against tether pigs, however, some range from only pregnant pigs, all farm animals, or calves raised for veal. However, in the United States the majority of pregnant sows are kept in confined and individual gestation crates for most of their lives. In the New York Times, they mention that nine states and 60 companies have banned the use of gestation crates.

           

Mercy for Animals accuses Rosewood Farms of killing piglets by slamming them o concrete floors, castrating them without painkillers, and roughly beating and curing at sows. They also accuse, Rosewood Farm of restricting sows to gestation crates for their entire lives. They also mentioned that the mental state of the pigs at rosewood Farm was also a large issue concerning their behavior of banging their heads against the bars and biting the bars. The investigator also claimed that the pigs would be in such a mental state that they would turn to eat their own babies.

When compared to the practices banned by the European Union, Rosewood Farms would be severely rejecting the E.U.’s bans. Considering all of the Five Freedoms it seems that most of these if not all were probably being neglected. They were not granted freedom from discomfort by being kept in small refined gestation cages. They were not granted freedom from pain or injury granted that physical abuse of the pigs and piglets was a major issue in the findings and also the fact that they were castrated without painkillers. They were not granted freedom of normal behavior or the freedom from distress or fear because they were not partaking in any normal behaviors by the observation of the investigator that they were supposedly eat their own piglets and banging their heads against bars.

            Rosewood was a Walmart supplier, and the reaction of Walmart was that they found the behavior of the farm unacceptable but were unwilling to change their policy. They stated that they would be reviewing the situation on their own. They went on to state that they were working toward a model that would be respectful of both farmers and animals and still meet the consumers view of how the animals should  be treated. Walmart does not change its policy on the use of two feet crates being used for sows, but 60 companies including McDonalds, Burger King, and Costco have made a ban for the suppliers.