The Connection Between Antibiotics, Superbugs and Meat Consumption

Have you ever wondered why people are so resistant to antibiotics? We have become so resistant to the benefits of antibiotics many people have lost the ability to fight off super-bugs has become near impossible.

One of the main reasons is the use of antibiotics in factory farming of animals. Since the 1950s, antibiotics have been used on factory farms to increase the rate of growth in animals. Today, an estimated 70 – 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are given to farm animals for non-therapeutic purposes.

70 - 80%!!!! That’s huge. Sadly, many people resist taking antibiotics thinking they are minimizing their bodies ability to build up a resistance. Yet, if you consume meat, including beef, pork and chicken AND dairy, you are ingesting antibiotics.

According to an article on the As You Sow website, “The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in the meat industry is contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistance in the U.S. and across the world. This serious public health issue is estimated to kill 10 million people a year worldwide by 2050. In the U.S., antibiotic-resistant infections cause over two million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year, costing society between $55 billion to $70 billion each year.

“The majority of antibiotics in the U.S. are given to animals that are not sick; they are mixed into animals’ food and water to make them grow bigger or to prevent illness in cramped and unhealthy environments. As You Sow engages companies to promote responsible antibiotics policies throughout their supply chain. We advise that companies phase out the routine use of antibiotics in livestock, especially in classes of drugs important for human health. We also advocate for strong animal welfare policies certified by third-party organizations, which can decrease illness rates in livestock and improve brand reputation.”

Full article https://www.asyousow.org/our-work/environmental-health/antibiotics-factory-farms

Whether people want to admit it or not, the overuse of antibiotics in factory raised farm animals is transforming these animals into disease factories.

“The animals become sources of deadly microorganisms, such as the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterium, which is resistant to several major classes of antibiotics and has become a real problem in hospitals.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-drug-resistant-bacteria-travel-from-the-farm-to-your-table/

Plant Based Eating Minimizes Your Risk

One of the best solutions to minimize the risk of unwittingly consuming antibiotics is to eliminate all meat and dairy from your diet. That’s right! A whole food, plant-based diet is one of the best defenses against digesting unknown quantities of antibiotics.

When you think of the super-bugs that are resistant to most antibiotics, this one reason may be enough to persuade even the most skeptical of those who say they can’t live without meat. The fact is you may not be able to live with meat as a direct result of what is happening to your health. Eating meat lowers your resistance to disease.

More every day, people are getting unhealthier. Not only are they resistant to antibiotics, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and strokes are on the increase. To not wonder why is simply burying your head in the sand. There’s a definite reason for the increase and one need look no further than factory farming to uncover the truth.

Even though plant-based eating is on the rise, we’re just starting to scratch the surface. When you look at the percentage of people who have diseases that only a few decades ago were very uncommon but are now all too common, doesn’t it make you wonder why?

A quick look around when you’re out grocery shopping indicates how truly unhealthy we’ve become. More people are using the motorized carts when shopping. More people struggle to walk from aisle to aisle to fill their carts with meat and dairy products, processed foods and items that are making them sicker by the day.

With obesity rates at an all-time high among adults, and even more frightening, among children, the alarm is sounding, but people refuse to listen.

The fact is, many diseases are a direct result of obesity. Add to that the number of hip and knee replacements that are a direct result of excess weight and you are left to wonder what it will take for people to make the lifesaving change of giving up meat and dairy.

For some, nothing will make them change. For others, they are getting to the point where enough is enough. They are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Not only will the elimination of meat and dairy improve your health, it will give you a quality of life you may have resigned yourself to never having. But you can… one bite at a time.