Mad Cows and Macrobiotics

An article written by Todd Hartman in the Saturday, December 27^th 2003 issue of the Rocky Mountain News, states a survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2002 found:

‘unacceptable’ central nervous system residue, including spinal cord tissue, in 35% of the meat that ends up in items such as hot dogs, pizza toppings, tacos and hamburgers.

The article continues,

Such tissues are where the infectious agents behind mad cow disease congregate. Known as ‘prions’, the agents are a kind of rogue protein that have led to a human version of mad cow disease that has killed 153 people.

According to Mr. Hartman, the Food Safety Inspection Service, a branch of the USDA, in a report on the survey, states:

The presence of spinal cord in meat is not expected and cannot be allowed in products produced through the (meat recovery) system.

“Other studies also have revealed the presence of risky nervous system tissues in meat,” says Mr. Hartman. “Watchdog groups say contamination occurs in the slaughterhouse when:

a) The spinal cord is severed with a band saw, spraying spinal cord fluid onto the carcass. One European study found such contamination occurred in every case that researchers examined.

b) Compressing the brain with a stun gun or other device when the animal is killed can send brain tissue deep into the blood stream and the body. The industry has taken steps to alleviate this, but some research indicates it remains a risk.

c) A process known as ‘Advanced Meat Recovery’, designed to strip the last bit of meat from the skeleton, has allowed spinal cord and other nervous system tissues into the product that results, a fact borne out most recently by the USDA’s 2002 survey.

d) Some bones, including the spinal column that can have bits of spinal cord inside, are boiled to produce beef stock, extract and flavoring.

“The discarded parts”, Mr. Hartman writes, “Including the spinal cord and other skeletal remains, are sent to rendering plants, where they’re mixed with other animal leftovers to make pet food, feed for pigs and chickens and other products.”

“Michael Greger, a doctor in New York State and a nationally known watchdog on mad cow disease, says he finds plenty of cause for concern. He states:

The administration and industry have been parroting this line that one need not worry about meat because one need not worry about brain and spinal cord.

According to Rosemary Mucklow, head of the National Meat Association in Oakland, California, every effort is made to avoid such contamination. However, she also said,

Do mistakes happen? Once in a while they can. We try very hard to do the right thing. I know the people I visit who make this product work very hard to reach the highest standards because they, too, eat the end product.

Mr. Hartman continues:

But watchdogs note that the USDA tested only about 1 in every 2000 slaughtered cattle for the presence of the disease during the last fiscal year. That means the government may not have caught other cases, and meat from those cows could have been consumed long ago, or is yet to be eaten.

Add to that the fact that symptoms of the disease take anywhere from 10 to perhaps 40 years to appear in people, and human cases may not show up for some time.

Dr. Greger concludes,

No one really knows what the final death toll is going to be and how many people are incubating the disease.

It is fairly widely accepted that Mad Cow Disease is the result of feeding remnants of diseased tissue to livestock that are normally vegetarian animals. Such disregard for the natural order produces the inevitable consequences we are now experiencing.

In the face of such news, however, the meat industry circles the wagons, fearing the very future of their industry is at stake. The big tragedy will be if economic interests of the cattle industry take precedence over the health of the people.

However, from a Macrobiotic point of view, there is a much bigger issue at stake: the question as to whether meat is an appropriate food for humanity in the first place. The rise in many disorders including colon cancers, heart disease and hardening of the arteries, both components of the two biggest causes of death in modern civilization, has been traced to widespread and increasing consumption of meat. Meat-eating, with its acidic waste products such as purines, ureic and pyruvic acids, is also implicated in the rise of Crone’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis and other digestive tract disorders.

The Atkins diet has made meat consumption a fashionable way to lose weight, without taking into account the deleterious impact of the practice upon health in other ways. The renewed concern about Mad Cow Disease should motivate people to shift toward a diet less dependent on foods of animal origin, and more toward whole grain, bean and vegetable sources. These foods, besides not being carriers of the agents that cause Mad Cow Disease, are high in fiber. Such high-fiber foods are recommended to prevent intestinal tract disorders, as well as cancers, since they do not create acidic waste products, but instead help the body maintain a healthy alkaline pH.

Fads like the Atkins Diet come and go. Macrobiotics, on the other hand, has stood the test of time. It is the same way of eating that sustained our ancestors since civilization first arose on the fertile alluvial plains of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China as well as river valleys in other areas of the world. Macrobiotics in the modern world has helped many people recover health, and it will continue as it has for thousands of years to exist as a healthier way of life into the future.

Rather than a disaster, Mad Cow Disease can be seen as a way to move people toward a healthier way of eating. A result of practicing Macrobiotics is the eventual unveiling of Supreme Judgment, a perspective that enables one to see the good in all phenomena. It is extremely important to acquire this judging capacity. Without it, the dualistic mentality sees change as an enemy against which one must struggle, unceasingly and futilely.

For example, the US government is talking about shoring up the meat industry with US taxpayers’ money to keep it from going bankrupt during the current Mad Cow Disease incident. How much more sensibly the millions of dollars slated for such an effort could be spent on educational programs that teach how to shift to and prepare non-meat alternatives! A side-effect of such an effort would be an improvement in the general level of health in the USA as well as other countries, saving millions of dollars in health-care costs as well as food distribution programs. History awaits the leader or leaders who can catch this vision and implement it successfully.

Since whole grains and beans are stable commodities, a shift to foods based on whole grain and bean products would also eliminate banning of food shipments and consequent destabilization of national economies, such as is occurring now because of the one case of Mad Cow Disease that was reported in the northwestern state of Washington, USA.

Long-term Macrobiotic people can attest meat is not needed to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

There are a number of vegetarian, meat-like alternatives made from grains and beans that can satisfy the most ardent meat-eater. One of the most popular is wheat gluten steak, called seitan in Japanese. To make seitan, wheat flour is kneaded into dough and then further kneaded under cold water. This separates the starch from the protein. The resulting mass is 3-4 times as high in protein as meat. Gluten pieces are boiled and then fried in ginger and soy sauce until they acquire the texture and color of cooked steak. Herbal seasonings used to enhance the taste of meat can also be added during cooking. Various seasonings give gluten a beef-like or chicken-like taste.

The use of such gluten-based recipes has been an important part of Oriental cooking for thousands of years. Adding gluten flour to breads and bagels, etc. has been a traditional way Western people have augmented protein in daily meals. As anyone who was raised on bagels can attest, these little doughnut-shaped rolls can pack a lot of food value.

Tofu is another vegetable protein food that delivers more protein than meat. When seasoned properly, it competes with meat for flavor and taste. All without the cholesterol, fat, hormones and antibiotics often found in meat, not to mention protection from agents that cause Mad Cow.

We encourage you to experiment with other whole-grain and bean dishes, and don’t forget miso, tempeh and natto – all traditional Oriental soy-based foods that deliver a very digestible protein.

For some people a gradual transition from a meat-based to a whole-grain-and-vegetable-based diet may be required. If you experience difficulties making the transition to Macrobiotics, sessions with an experienced Macrobiotic counselor may be helpful.

There is no better time to start than now, while the concern about Mad Cow Disease is still in the headlines. For those willing to attempt a transition, many resources both on and off the internet are readily available. Simply type “macrobiotic” into a search engine window and browse the thousands of entries that appear, or check your local library.

Macrobiotics has been around since the 1960’s. The efforts of Macrobiotic pioneers, many of whom are teachers today, make it easier for newcomers to benefit from their experiences. There are restaurants that serve Macrobiotic meals in most major urban centers. Most health food stores now carry Macrobiotic products. Macrobiotic cooking classes are also available in many areas. For these reasons, it is easier to practice Macrobiotics now, so there is no reason to delay getting involved any longer. If you need any help getting started, please contact me for assistance.

--Fred Pulver

1/1/04