Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Multiple sources point to happiness and a general lack of bad stress being good for your health. One of the most glaring commonalities of the longest lived cultures in "The Blue Zones" was their tight community that valued older members. Not sleeping enough or being overly stressed raises cortisol levels, as well as increases other undesirable hormones.

Is it possible that the meat from animals that lived particularly stressful lives (think factory farmed chickens living in cages covered in albatross shit) could retain those hormones? If artificial hormones given to animals can lower the meat's nutrition, couldn't it be the same case for natural hormones?

Not that there isn't enough problems with factory farming to avoid it all together as it is, but it'd be nice if one could argue that treating animals well isn't a selfless treehugger-esque act, but routed in science and as practical as it is moral.

Alex, Co-Founder of PaleoPax.com

edited Jun 2 2011 at 19:30

asked Jun 2 2011 at 18:00

PaleoPax
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I have a strange urge to edit your post and change bird shit to chicken shit... – Dave S. Jun 2 2011 at 19:17

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I think I've done one better Dave S. – PaleoPax Jun 2 2011 at 19:30

Jan · Accepted Answer · 2011-06-02 18:39:27Z UTC

They are tastier when there is less stress, especially during the slaughther. Stress hormones lower the quality of fish and beef atleast. Very well known. For best flavor, sashimi fish in japan are killed by ike jime method. Less lactic acid and stress hormone buildup means cleaner better tasting fish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YofCpoXkx2Q

sage_ · Answer 2 · 2011-06-02 18:14:22Z UTC

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i have a friend who hunts and he says that the reason hunters want a "one shot" kill is not because its humane. its because if the animal isn't killed instantly, the terror/pain/panic of the kill releases chemicals/hormones that make the meat tough.

any hunters here?

answered Jun 2 2011 at 18:14

sage_
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I've heard that too actually. But there are many benefits for one shot kills, so I wasn't sure if that was the primary or just a minor rationale tacked on. Less bullets to clean out, less chasing the animal, less chance of missing the second shot and not even getting a kill, etc. Hopefully an actual hunter can help us out... – PaleoPax Jun 2 2011 at 18:27

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well, i saw this on a tv show about lions, so i have no idea about its merit as far as how they figured this out, but lion bites to prey are extremely precise...even described as "surgical", with a result in having the prey essentially quickly anesthetized from the neck down and presumably dying in a less painful manner. While obviously this has clear benefits to both the lions and the prey, it may also extend to hormonal release. In any case, this shocking and quick method is certainly different from the fear feedlot cattle certainly experience on the way to slaughter. – tartare Jun 3 2011 at 3:01

it seems i owe all the hunters a big apology. i was chatting with the hunter and mentioned that i had quoted him; not pleased! so to requote him, hunters are humane by nature and do not want their prey to suffer unduely. kudos to you PaleoPax; everything you mentioned in your comment is true. the point my friend was trying to make in our initial conversation was that if the animal falls dead before they know what hit them, in addition to being humane, it also prevents a chemical release from fear/pain. – sage_ Jun 4 2011 at 0:42

Erin · Answer 3 · 2011-06-03 12:19:35Z UTC

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My brother and his wife only eat Halal meat, and he said he tastes a huge difference between Halal and conventional/factory farm meat. Conventional meat is a lot tougher, because of the slaughter methods.

answered Jun 3 2011 at 12:19

Erin
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Are happy animals healthier to eat?

3 Answers