11.14.08
tea for cows and chickens . . . ?
posted by Michelle Rabin | 7 comments
Those in the alternative community have been concerned about the excessive use of antibiotics and hormones in animal feed. Some researchers believe this has contributed to early puberty in our girls. I understand the desire to improve the health of animals intended for consumption, but couldn’t they come up with something healthier for them to consume? The Japanese have done just that. I found a great post on a tea blog, the Voice of Tea written by Chris Cason.
It appears the researchers fed tea to pigs and found some interesting results:
“The results found that pork from the tea-eating pigs had 3 times more vitamin E compared to the pigs that did not get tea. They also found a significant increase in healthy amino acids, and a decrease in the levels of cholesterol.”
Instead of fattening up the livestock to increase profit for the supplier, why don’t we improve the health of the livestock? I know this is a shocking concept, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand how this could impact consumers’ health and wellness. Organic methods eliminate the harmful chemicals, but this concept focuses on enhancing or enriching the end product. It’s one of those win/win scenarios. The animal is healthier and the food we consume will be healthier.
Realistically we have a long road yet to travel. Given that our FDA hasn’t yet determined that tea is a health beverage - I’m thinking they’re the only ones left on the planet with this mistaken belief - it will be some time before we can encourage the Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Burger King/McDonalds franchises to add tea to the diet of their livestock. Perhaps a move to Japan might be more feasible. . . or not.
November 15th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
The Japanese do have some happy cows, especially the ones that get a diet of beer and daily massages. I don’t want to eat their beef, I want to be the beef. Adding tea to the diet would only increase my envy. The FDA’s lack of support for tea is a recent one. It used to be that before the Bush FDA, statements related to health and tea went unchallenged by the FDA because the is so much research that in relationship to tea. Perhaps that will change. Still I think that most people realized that tea is good for your health despite the Bush FDA.
Let’s hope things are going to change. Here is what Michael Pollan has recommended to President Obama. I hope we regain our agriculture. I wonder is the pigs got offered a beer and a massage?
Austin
November 17th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Given that tea has antibacterial and immune enhancing properties (among many other attributes), I would be very interested to find out if animals fed tea had a decreased need for antibiotics to keep them healthy. Obviously, other key elements for that would be to simply raise them in a healthier environment without overcrowding and feed them a healthier diet.
Austin - Thanks for the great link to the Pollan article. I do hope that the Obama administration takes it seriously. It is a very important issue. The article mentions Earl Butz who was the key architect for us having the lowest cost food supply in the world. Unfortunately, that is also because much of our food supply is processed crap which comes from highly subsidized farm programs. It is going to take a lot of work and a lot of time to get the american public to understand, appreciate and accept the concept that good quality, locally grown and consumed food might is going to cost more than we are used to paying, but that it is worth every penny. In actuality, if you factor out all of the government subsidy that goes into our food supply and transportation costs etc., the cost of good quality, locally grown food would actually cost less.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I did have the experience of eating a chicken at a formal dinner in China that had been fed a diet of herbs and was reported to cost $150. (Tea was not mentioned, but it was in Anji where Bai Cha is produced) I am never quite sure how to respond to this kind of information, but the soup was really good. I guess the chicken must have been pretty healthy if you don’t count slaughter as a health risk.
Here in Tucson you can join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, another Japanese idea), and get a weekly basket of whatever is freshly harvested nearby.
I can tell you that it is common for organic tea producers to fertilize their bushes with tea trimmings. Chicken droppings are a favored fertilizer. Hmmm…I wonder if they thought about feeding the chickens tea…boogles my imagination.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I had some great rooster soup in Suzhou, after a day sampling great Biluochun at local farms in the Tai Hu area. The entire rooster was in there, cut up, with the head and cocks comb intact. As the honored guest, I was afforded the gift of the head and comb. It was quite delicious. Don’t know what it was fed though. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because they also plied us with some amazing homemade plum wine that got us all blasted.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
LOL…that wine makes a lot taste good.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I’m not sure what you mean by, ‘alternative community’, but I’m pretty sure most people, alternative or not, are concerned about what goes into their foods and beverages. Interesting research on the effects of tea on livestock. Thanks.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Melissa - I wish what you say is true - that most people are concerned about what goes into their foods and beverages. When you look at the average person at any typical mall in the U.S. you see people at the food court eating unhealthy food. Fast food restaurants are filled with people who aren’t paying attention to what they consume. People who purchase fruits and vegetables that aren’t organic represent the majority of Americans. When I speak of the “alternative community”, I’m referring to those people who make all sorts of life choices based on health and wellness. If we can live to see an African American president, perhaps I will live to see the day that the general public is concerned with what goes into their foods and beverages. Thanks Melissa.