Dr. Kimberly Jean offers a spiritual but medically sound approach to consuming pork.
Dr. Jean: The practice and specific instruction to refrain from eating pork dates back to the Bible. Many people are surprised by this but God told us that pork is unclean and not for human consumption (see Leviticus 11:7-8).
Think about it, pigs engage in coprophagia (consumption of feces) and waste removal. There is no limit to the kind of waste they eliminate on the farm. Because of this, pigs become saturated with toxins. The toxins accumulate in their organs, skin, fatty tissue, and other body tissue. Just knowing the diet that pigs eat should be enough to make anyone stop eating pork cold turkey.
Dr. Jean offers her top three reasons why consuming pork is unhealthy:
1. “As modern medicine continues to develop, we are finding out more about toxins that are affecting our current health. Pigs digest their meals in 4 hours, not giving their digestive system enough time to excrete toxins. Pigs also have very few sweat glands. Sweating is a form of detoxification. Without the ability to sweat, the toxins remain in in the body, especially in the fatty tissue.”
2. “Bacon, ham, sausage, and other pork-derived foods are considered processed meats. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified processed meat as a carcinogen, something that causes cancer. In short, pork-derived foods can cause cancer.”
3. “Pigs do not live in the best environmental conditions. Crowded and dirty housing breed infection. Pigs are constantly infected with viruses and parasites that can be extremely hard to kill. Remember the outbreak with Swine Flu?”
Where do YOU stand on the debate?