The term refers to “lean finely textured beef,” a low-cost processed meat filler made from the mostly fatty outside trim of cow carcasses or other cuts. In order to use all meat possible, the trimmings are combined with connective tissues and cartilage and heated at low temperature to remove most of the fat, then mixed into ground beef and treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens like E. coli and salmonella.
According to an ABC News investigation, “pink slime” is mixed into 70 percent of ground beef sold in supermarkets in the U.S., but meat-packers and grocery stores aren’t legally required to list it on package labels because it’s technically meat.
The latest issue of Mary Jane's Farm spreads some light on what's really in our ground beef. And the results of what they found are enough to make this particular blogger swear off ground beef for good. The article isn't online yet, but here are a few choice quotes:
- "Ten years ago, the rejected fat, sinew, bloody effluvia, and occasional bits of meat cut from carcasses in the slaughterhouse were a low-value waste product called 'trimmings' that were sold primarily as pet food. No more. Now, Beef Products Inc. of South Dakota transforms trimmings into something they call 'boneless lean beef.' In huge factories, the company liquefies the trimmings and uses a spinning centrifuge to separate the sinews and fats from the meat, leaving a mash that has been described as 'pink slime,' which is then frozen into small squares and sold as a low-cost additive to hamburger."
- "BPI produces more than 7 million pounds of the mash per week, making it the world's largest manufacturer of this frozen product. BPI explains that its product is mixed into most of the ground beef sold in the U.S. - at major fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, and school lunch programs."
But that's not all! See, the problem when you turn garbage bits of animal carcasses into "pink slime" to sell as a food product is that there's an issue with pathogens, such as E. coli. And when samples of the pink slime were tested, the tests came back showing that the slime was rampant with harmful bacteria. Now, one might think that the best idea would be to decide not to sell pink slime to feed to humans, but there's no money in that, is there? So BPI cleverly started disinfecting the slime with ammonia. And convinced the FDA to allow them to list it as a "processing ingredient" so that we wouldn't know we were eating ammonia.
We're eating garbage, people. Literally -- garbage that's been "cleaned up" with ammonia and sold to us mixed with ground beef, shrink wrapped for convenience at our local megamart.
What is BMI?
How to take your BMI?
2. Weigh yourself on your bathroom scale. (The following formula is calculated in pounds.
3. Measure your height in inches using the yardstick.
4. Use the pencil, paper and calculator to perform the following BMI calculation.
5. Take your height in inches and square the number (i.e. multiply the number of inches by the same number of inches).
6. Divide your weight in pounds by the second figure (your height in inches squared).
7. Multiply that answer by 703. The answer is your Body Mass Index.
Judge your personal BMI result against the following scale:
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FOOD FOR LOVE...DOES APHRODISIAC WORK? oh LALA!!
- A BMI of less than 18 means you are under weight.
- A BMI of less than 18.5 indicates you are thin for your height.
- A BMI between 18.6 and 24.9 indicates you are at a healthy weight.
- A BMI between 25 and 29.9 suggests you are overweight for your height.
- A BMI of 30 or greater indicates obesity. If you are obese, try consulting a doctor or losing weight.
- BMI does not account for muscle mass. A short individual who has a large mass will be considered obese. Use the BMI as a guideline, it is not health science.
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FOOD FOR LOVE...DOES APHRODISIAC WORK? oh LALA!!
History is rife with the human pursuit of aphrodisiacs in many forms. Scientific tests have proven that some aromas can cause a greater effect on the body than the actual ingestion of foods. Here are some common foods of love used through the ages.
• ALCOHOL lowers inhibitions and increases confidence; however, over-indulgence has a sedative effect not conducive to a romantic tryst.
•ASPARAGUS three courses of asparagus were served to 19th century bridegrooms due to its reputed aphrodisiac powers.
•BANANA due not only to its shape, but also its creamy, lush texture, some studies show its enzyme bromelain enhances male performance.
•CAVIAR is high in zinc, which stimulates the formation of testosterone, maintaining male functionality.
• CHAMPAGNE viewed as the "drink of love," moderate quantities lower inhibitions and cause a warm glow in the body.
•CHOCOLATE contains both a sedative which relaxes and lowers inhibitions and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. It was actually banned from some monasteries centuries ago.
•FIGS seasonal crops were celebrated by ancient Greeks in a frenzied copulation ritual.
• Ginseng: increases desire for physical contact.
• Perfumes: made of natural foodstuffs such as ALMOND, VANILLA and other herbs and spices act as a pheromone to communicate emotions by smell.
• Puffer Fish: considered both a delicacy and an aphrodisiac in Japan. If the poisonous gland is not properly removed, the tiniest taste is deadly. The flirt with death is said to give a sexual thrill. Not recommended.
• OYSTERS Some oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female and back, giving rise to claims that the oyster lets one experience the the masculine and feminine sides of love.
• Radish: considered a divine aphrodisiac by Egyptian pharoahs, most likely because its spicy taste stimulated the palate.
•TRUFFLES probably due to its rarity and musky aroma, it has long been considered to arouse the palate and the body. To sustain his masculinity, an ancient lover in lore was said to have gorged himself to death on Alba truffles during the wedding feast.
• ALCOHOL lowers inhibitions and increases confidence; however, over-indulgence has a sedative effect not conducive to a romantic tryst.
•ASPARAGUS three courses of asparagus were served to 19th century bridegrooms due to its reputed aphrodisiac powers.
•BANANA due not only to its shape, but also its creamy, lush texture, some studies show its enzyme bromelain enhances male performance.
•CAVIAR is high in zinc, which stimulates the formation of testosterone, maintaining male functionality.
• CHAMPAGNE viewed as the "drink of love," moderate quantities lower inhibitions and cause a warm glow in the body.
•CHOCOLATE contains both a sedative which relaxes and lowers inhibitions and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. It was actually banned from some monasteries centuries ago.
•FIGS seasonal crops were celebrated by ancient Greeks in a frenzied copulation ritual.
• Ginseng: increases desire for physical contact.
• Perfumes: made of natural foodstuffs such as ALMOND, VANILLA and other herbs and spices act as a pheromone to communicate emotions by smell.
• Puffer Fish: considered both a delicacy and an aphrodisiac in Japan. If the poisonous gland is not properly removed, the tiniest taste is deadly. The flirt with death is said to give a sexual thrill. Not recommended.
• OYSTERS Some oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female and back, giving rise to claims that the oyster lets one experience the the masculine and feminine sides of love.
• Radish: considered a divine aphrodisiac by Egyptian pharoahs, most likely because its spicy taste stimulated the palate.
•TRUFFLES probably due to its rarity and musky aroma, it has long been considered to arouse the palate and the body. To sustain his masculinity, an ancient lover in lore was said to have gorged himself to death on Alba truffles during the wedding feast.
AND REMEMBER SHARE YOUR FOOD WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE :)
