My
sister telephoned to invite me to a Chinese Restaurant in a strip mall near her
home in Miami. I enjoy spending time with her and her husband, and by the time
I had gotten to the restaurant they had already ordered the dishes.
There
was a dish of Chicken, which tasted very bland and the meat itself tasted plump
as if it had been pumped with something.
It
does not take much investigation to realize that the plump chicken breast
(white meat is much more popular in the USA than dark meat) is a recent addition
to the American cuisine (see the following image of the size of normal chicken
a few decades ago in USA) is due to the injection of antibiotics (63000 tonnes
of antibiotics used in animals in the USA per year. It is estimated that 18
million pounds of antibiotics go into the environment from animal farming.
I
looked at the unappetizing Chinese chicken dish. Like Mexican Restaurants
differ dramatically from its parents in Mexico, I know that Chinese food here
is more American than Chinese.
I
kept on thinking about it long after the encounter at the Chinese Restaurant
(hopefully my last one in Miami, fortunately I get to eat good Chinese food
from various provinces in KL). Each chicken discharges about 11 pounds manure,
with its antibiotics and high amounts of Phosphorus.
I
am a physician interested in Obesity, Diabetes and Kidney Disease.
And
I realized that the Chinese plump chicken with the bland taste was pointing me
to one of the causes of obesity in USA… changes in the Microbiome of humans
from the antibiotics, added phosphorus from the chicken meat as well as the high
phosphorus content that damages the kidneys.
In
the USA there is so much food contamination that one has to protect oneself by
trying to get organic produce and meat which has no antibiotics or hormones in
them, organically raised chicken which are pasture based. Just to show the cageyness
(pun intended) of the Food Industry, cage chicken has 67 square inches to live,
where as free range may not see outside but has 1 square foot of space to live.
Free range implies a healthier bird but that may not be the case. Pasture
raised implies birds and animals allowed to roam around at will and eat a diet
much closer to their natural diet.
My
sister’s husband a few years ago was overweight, had all the chronic diseases
of the civilization diagnosed when he made the decision not to eat meat as well
as cut down on bread. Being of Middle Eastern ancestry, he eats his ancestral
food where the meat is Lamb rather than cattle or chicken.
Yesterday
he showed me the results of his last laboratory examinations and I was so
impressed how well the result were. This made me realize that when someone
decides to eat well or go on a diet, QUALITY of the food is what one must pay
attention to. Cutting down portion size is a well known to induce weight loss
but the Quality of what you eat determines your physical and in many cases the emotional state.
Sitting
at the Flagship Lounge of the American Airlines at Miami International Airport,
with a flute of the champers, I decided to do an experiment. For the next one
month, despite a hectic travel schedule, I will not eat any MEAT, but continue
with my love of Salmon and seafood. As it is I don’t eat much bread, but I can
eliminate that also to a great extent, but not while in France where the
Quality of bread is excellent. In Cochin seafood is easy to obtain in addition
to excellent vegetarian dishes. In Israel, the food would be my ancestral food
with culinary modifications, might taste the Lamb of course.
I
would like to see the difference in my body and mind, during the period of
observance, this slight discipline in nutrition, the inconvenience of travel
notwithstanding. Fortunately I have two long haul flights with Qatar Airways
and it wouldn’t be a problem to stick to my nutritional choices.
I
am not looking for weight loss but will keep in mind how I feel and also
whether there is an effect upon my thinking?
As
a starter, at the Flagship Lounge, I chose
Quinoa
Salad with Goat Cheese
Israeli
Couscous
Haricots
verts
Lentils
and Peas
Summer
Squash
A
couple of dabs of very tasty Ceviche
A
small almond filled pain au chocolat
Yet
another flute of the Champagne
L’Chaim
To Life L’chaim
לחיים
