If you haven't seen the incredible Factory Farming animation that details more of these abuses, please click on the link as it is one of the most popular links on the site.

Also, a New York Times article on how your beef is really raised is another eye-opening piece as to what is really going on in the commercial meat industry. These articles will give you a few more reasons to check the source of your food. The veal calf industry is a particularly tragic story not only because of the hormones mentioned above, but also because veal calves are raised solely in tiny crates that do not allow them to turn around, lie down or stretch. The purpose is to atrophy, or waste away, the calves’ muscles so they produce "tender" meat.

Personally, I purchase most of my meat from Amish farmers, who refuse to feed them any grains, so they are 100 percent grass-fed organic animals. The most economical way to do this is to purchase a half a side of beef from a local farmer, as this will eliminate the expensive transportation fees that drive up the cost of the meat.

If you cannot find an Amish farmer in your area, you can find organic meats like chicken, grass-fed beef and grass-fed bison on this site. These meats are some of the healthiest and cleanest sources of protein available and are free of hormones and antibiotics, so you won’t have to worry about whether or not your meat contains unhealthy hormones like those in the above article. Plus, they are raised in humane conditions.

But no matter where you find it, I highly recommend that you buy organic, and if possible grass-fed, meat in lieu of the factory-farmed meat in most supermarkets, as the health benefits are well worth the extra effort to find it, or the extra price you may pay.

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