Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Human Chow Posted: 07 May 2009 07:44 AM PDT We spend a lot of time talking about what to feed pets on this blog and for good reason. Food is a big part of a healthy life for our pets and if we want to keep them around as long as possible we need to feed them good stuff. Well, the same goes for us. If we want to be around to love our pets we have to watch what we eat too. I read an article last week about a diet study on red meat consumption that really opened my eyes. The study followed the diet habits of 500,000 men and women over ten years from 1995 to 2005. The focus of the study was red meat consumption and it's impact on mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease. If you are a big time meat eater the results are not encouraging.  Overall mortality for those consuming the most red meat was 31% higher for men and 36% higher for women when compared to those eating the lowest amount of red meat in the study group. The actual difference in the amount consumed was about 4 ounces or the equivalent of a quarter pounder. The take away; an extra burger a day can kill you.   So, what should we eat if we want to be around to take care of our pets? I like the Healthy Eating Pyramid produced by the Harvard School of Public Health. The USDA Pyramid is better these days but tying to accommodate all the vested interests (meat industry) actually seems to have made it more complicated and less useful.   The base of The Healthy Eating Pyramid is exercise. Nothing better for pet owners than to get out with their dogs on a regular basis. The rest is pretty basic. Most of our diet should be fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Protein should come from beans, poultry and fish. And as I'm sure you know, some fish are better than others from an ecological point of view and some poultry can be raised in less than humane conditions.   Olive and canola oil are best for cooking and even for seasoning, in the place of butter. A multi vitamin is a good idea and even an alcohol containing drink a day may be healthy for some people.   It's really not that hard to eat in a healthy way. It may seem hard with all the diet books, quick fixes and fad diets out there. The healthy eating pyramid is a great guide to getting started.   Oh, and by the way, you don't have be a food Nazi to eat the right way. It's tough to make a good chocolate chip cookie without butter and what would life be without chocolate chip cookies? The point is that it's OK to take a break every now and then. A steak or a pork chop once a month is not going to kill you. If we just get it right most of the time we'll be much healthier in the long run.

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