For the birds

Thanksgiving dinner food for thought

Did you know there are several different types of turkey you can choose from? There is more to worry about now than just the size of the bird. Is it organic, is it fed GMO feed, is it raised on antibiotics and linked to the spread of microbial resistant superbugs? Are they free range, caged or have outdoor time?

Another thing to be aware of is that 99% of all turkeys raised in the United States are white meat heavy bred, which makes the turkeys top heavy. This hinders their natural ability to reproduce; so all of them are artificially inseminated. Not to mention they possibility of developing severe joint pain and swollen legs or feet because the birds are unnaturally heavy for their bone structure.

46 million turkeys will be consumed for this upcoming holiday.

Here are some links to learn about green classifications of turkey and other animal products  that can be found in some stores: Certified Humane, Animal Welfare Approved, Food Alliance Certified, and American Grassfed (Shanker, 2013).

Grist has a full blog post here related to turkey farming in the United States.

Here is a link about GMOs to research exactly what is going into some food produced in the United States.

The Center for Disease Control has a good information page about Microbial resistant superbugs here.

Don’t forget, there is always tofurky! 

[Please note that we are not endorsing any particular brand or saying not to consume turkey; we are sharing some science behind the food for learning purposes only].

Reference:

Shanker, 2013. http://grist.org/living/so-many-turkeys-so-little-time/

 

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Male_north_american_turkey_supersaturated.jpg