No more red meat for me

I have decided, after years of considerations, that I will stop eating red meat. I don't know if this will be for forever but I would like it to be so I will try. An exception would be if I'm invited to someone for a meal in a country where it would be rude to say no. I want to make this a habit, and I believe that it's the habits that makes you, not your exceptions. And the reason why I want to do this is health reasons so if it happens once a year that I would eat red meat, then I don't think that will have a big impact on my health as that would then be an exception and not a habit. BUT I would like to stop all together if possible.

So why do I want to do this?

First of all, the red meat I would eat most of in the past (past = before dinner today) would be ground beef. And thinking of what's actually in that doesn't make me that excited. I have had hard time (on and off) eating that because it's hard not to think of its contents.

Second, the cancer risk.

Third, all the antibiotics etc etc they give the cows/pigs/etc. And how they treat them. I don't really think of the ethical perspective right now but more of how it's effecting the meat - that we eat.

Fourth. If you haven't seen Food inc - make sure you will. They talk about how they give the cows corn and other grains/cereals to eat - even though cows are not created to eat that. There's a bacteria called 0157:H7 that gets developed in the cows stomaches when they eat like this, and it can be very dangerous and many people has died in America from this. Probably other countries too but we just don't hear about it. I read not to long ago in the book "the death in the pot" about how this works in Sweden. I really didn't think it would be as bad here but apperently Sweden is one of the worst countries. If you have the book - page 157 and forward.

Fifth. Many studies show that you live longer if you eat less red meat.

I might exclude chicken in the future. You can see a former post I wrote about chickens and see why.

And I don't really eat red meat that often anyways so I don't think it will be that hard to stop.

Hmm.. Which reminded me that I'm going away on a retreat this weekend and I haven't said I want vegetarian food... so this might start after saturday instead if it's too late to change it :D