Since the WHO has now classified bacon and a red meat as a carcinogen...what will change?

Bacon makes everything better...

Just in case I hadn't heard, a co-worker ran up to me first thing yesterday morning and breathlessly proclaimed that the World Health Organization had just classified processed meats (including my beloved bacon) and red meat, as carcinogens, joining a long list of truly deadly poisons such as cigarettes and asbestos. Click NY Times report on WHO meat warning for a nice summary of this report. Knowing my love of all things meat-related, and this co-worker's affinity for all things fruit and vegetable-related, I'm sure this major pronouncement was yet another feather in the cap of each and every anti-meat activist. Since red meat will now join cigarettes, diesel fumes, asbestos etc., we can all get back to work eating our low-fat and preferably vegan diets that have worked so fantastically well for everyone since the government in this country and around the world starting advocating for this WOE decades ago.

While all vegans rejoice, let's remember that this "life-changing" report, says this about red meat: consuming red meats “probably” raises the risk as well. But the increase in risk is so slight that experts said most people should not be overly worried about it.

(Excuse me, but if this is the best you got, why even mention red meat? Oh...now I remember, meat is bad and so profane that you must take every opportunity to slam it.)
If you are reading this blog, you are doing so because of one, or perhaps several of the following reasons:

1. You secretly or not-so-secretly also love all the high-fat animal products that we are constantly told are going to kill us. (Despite the fact that the unbiased scientific evidence shows exactly the opposite...that our bodies crave saturated fat because these fats are so essential to all the many processes that go on in the human body.) Want more energy, forget energy drinks, eat more saturated fat. Want to avoid Viagra, eat more saturated fat as saturated fat is the precursor for many, many sex hormones in both men and women. Want to clear the fog in your brain caused by all those carbs, eat more saturated fat. I work in a highly technical field, standing on my feet for 7-8 hrs. per day and teaching complicated subject matter. Previous to this experiment (high fat, low-carb) which began in August 2015, I would often struggle with that feeling that I knew the word or concept I wanted to speak, but couldn't quite grasp it. Since I have adopted this WOE, my instructional content has been crisp, clear, and it is amazing how a high-energy level and a brain with adequate rest and saturated fat can enhance the classroom experience for my students. Want to sleep better, go to bed satiated with the saturated fat that your body will use while sleeping to repair damaged cells and heal itself. Want to lose weight, eat as much saturated fat as you want, and cut the deadly sugar and carbs. You can and will lose weight effortlessly. 
2. Perhaps you are reading for the same reason that people slow down when they approach a car accident. You are thankful that you are not personally involved, but are curious as to what the effects of this disaster are going to be. Now several people are eagerly awaiting my next visit to the doctor, at which time I will submit to a full panel of blood work to compare with my pre-HFLC lab results which frankly, were not very good. I do not intend to go to the doctor until I have given this experiment a full 6-month trial, knowing that it takes the body a significant amount of time to fully adapt to this WOE. As of right now, the visible results are striking to me, and since I am the one who puts my clothes on every morning, I assure you that my body continues to respond fantastically well to this WOE. I am 229 lbs., which is about 25 lbs down from my weight in August 2015. I started this experiment in mid-August, so, I am just approaching the 2.5 month mark...and I would say 25 lbs lost, with no pain, suffering or deprivation is phenomenal.
3. Perhaps you trust and respect the World Health Organization and believe them to be a brilliant think-tank of  scientist/doctors. Hate to burst your bubble here, but the World Health Organization is the same group gave North Korea credit in its health care review for having an adequate supply of doctors (hint: like everyone else, they aren't free to leave...thus doctors are likely to stay in country) and a population that is not overweight. (hint: the svelte physique of the average North Korean, that would be known as starvation.) 

So, the title of this post suggests that there is a decision that needs to be made, given that the world-wide experts in health have now listed bacon, other processed meats, and red meats on the same list of deadly carcinogens as asbestos, cigarettes, and exhaust emissions.

No need to draw this out. In my late-teens I had a life-changing experience that had a remarkable impact on my life that changed my path, and I'm going to make the connection to this "life-changing" pronouncement by the WHO. 

The Assault

Prior to joining the York Regional Police, way back in 1987, I was employed by Romandale Farms Ltd. in Unionville, Ontario. While it is no longer in operation, here is a short commentary about Romandale Farms:

Romandale -  In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Romandale Farms’ herd of Stephen and George Roman was a commanding force in Holstein affairs.  At this point in history, the Canadian Holstein was beginning to dominate the industry.  This Unionville, Ontario dairy farm in its glory years fielded North America’s leading show herd, in its four decade history setting the record for All-Canadians bred and owned.  David Houck joined the firm in 1953 as herd superintendent.  These 3 gentlemen combined made the Romandale legacy for forty-three years.

 While I was primarily tasked with field-work and tending to the young cattle at various locations, I was assigned as a fill-in milker on certain days when one of the full-time milkers was off for the day. I always dreaded this day because, while I was raised on dairy farm, I've never been a fan of milking. The cows were tied and standing in a stall similar to the configuration shown here:

Now, pay particular attention to those dark lines that run behind each of the cows. These gutters will play a crucial role in this life-changing moment.

Now the "target area" while milking is obviously the udder, which means for a big guy like me, that I am going to be crouching down and reaching under the cow once to wash and dry her udder, again to put on the milker, again to check her progress to see if she is done, and again to remove the milking machine and dip her teats (yes, I said teats) in a disinfectant solution. For a big "husky" guy, that's a whole bunch of deep-knee bends over the course of 2-3 hours...repeated morning and night.

As you know, I love to eat cows, but am not so much a fan of milking them. My sister Dianne is the cow-person in the family. I'd much prefer to be on the tractors in the fields. However, at Romandale Farms I had the opportunity to work with the most famous cow in Canada, the #1 rated Holstein Show Animal of all time. Here is a picture of "Charity" with her accolades below (pay special attention to her tail as this also will play a big role in this story):

BROOKVIEW TONY CHARITY EX-CAN EX-97-5YR-USA DOM 13* – Photo by Maggie Murphy

BREEDER: JOHN D. & KARL E. HAVENS FREMONT, OH, USA

OWNER: ROMANDALE FARMS LTD TORONTO, ON & HANOVER HILL HOLSTEINS PORT PERRY, ON

• ALL-CANADIAN 1987, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982
• ALL-AMERICAN 1987, 1985, 1984, 1982
• GRAND ROYAL 1987, 1985, 1984, 1983
• GRAND MADISON 1987, 1985, 1984, 1983

Reasons: No comparison. Charity was never defeated in her class and 8 times was Grand at Madison or the Royal. She was incredible perfection!

So, these were obviously not "regular" cows, although they behaved remarkably similar to every other regular run-of-the-mill cow I have ever worked with. Romandale Farms bought Charity while I was at the farm and paid the then-record price of $750,000.00 for a 1/2 interest in Charity. (she looked remarkably like all the other cows to me...but to this day is considered the "perfect 10" of the Holstein breed. (think Bo Derek in her prime...but with 4 legs and a tail)

Now that you have the background, the incident occurred on a bitterly cold morning in January. I arrived at the barn at 4:45 a.m. to assist my partner is getting set-up to milk. The cows were all laying down, and so the first job was to get them all up and ready to be milked. The barn was warm with all the hot bodies, and immediately upon waking, cows, not-surprisingly, do the same thing as most people...they use the bathroom...or in this case, the gutter, which holds the accumulated material that the cows expel. Milking progressed without incident until I reached a certain cow that had gone "back to bed" for a few extra zzz's, instead of standing obediently waiting for be milked.

I arrived to milk this animal and gave her a "nudge" with my boot to get her on her feet. It was safe to nudge her with my boot because the herdsman David Houck was not yet in the barn. There would be no nudging these cows with any boots while Dave was around because these cows were worth more than the combined economic output of most small countries. However, she responded to the boot with the desired result, and she was now standing obediently (more or less), waiting to be milked. (Now is a good time to go back and review the picture of Charity's tail, which accurately reflects the impressive body and form of all the cows in this herd, although this tail was definitely not clean)

As I knelt down to wash her udder, she took the opportunity, at that exact moment, to whip her long and flowing tail with blazing speed, up over her side, as though she were swatting an imaginary fly. I failed to notice this back-swing, and was therefore stunned, when she brought the soaking wet tail back down with violent force. The full tail which was completely saturated with a pungent mixture of manure and urine, wrapped itself around my entire head. Then, with the coordination of a medieval torturer, she ripped it back, leaving me gagging on manure, urine, while wiping my burning eyes...trying desperately to understand what had just happened. This beloved creature had been laying with her tail in gutter, and in my haste to get her up and get her washed, I neglected to notice that her long flowing locks were transformed into the equivalent of a cat-of-nine-tails...soaking wet with a disgusting mixture of body fluids and manure. Picture this wrapping around your head, then being ripped away, and you get the idea:

I was hurt, I was furious, I was insulted, and my partner was standing behind me laughing hysterically...and that is when I made this life-changing decision. I was done, that was it...I was getting out of this place and never coming back. It took me a few months, but soon I was working as a police officer in York Region, and to this day, I have never been similarly abused by an animal. (people, that's a different story)

So, what, you may ask, does this have to do with the pronouncement yesterday by the WHO regarding the danger of bacon and red meat? When I see the glee of the vegans and anti-animal fat crowd, I get exactly the same taste in the back of my throat and the same smell in my nostrils that I experienced that morning. In the interest of keeping this post family-friendly, let's just say that, based on my own research, and those of many esteemed scientists and cutting-edge nutritionists, this is utter BS...and I will happily continue with this WOE as it has brought about so many fantastic changes in my health.

I feel bad for the farmers, especially those who produce our pork and beef, as many in our herd will simply follow the WHO recommendation and eat less beef and pork...to their own detriment...and the drug companies can continue to line their coffers with all the proceeds from the drugs that will be required for the many millions of diabetics and other carb-addicted sufferers. For me, bacon and red meat will get cheaper...but I don't welcome that because I know that hurts our farmers who spend their blood, sweat and tears, putting food on our tables. With everything stacked against them, I'm continually surprised that people still go through the struggles of farming. While I would have loved to raise my boys on a farm, I'm thankful that I haven't had to go through the uncertainty and constant politics that impact our farmers every day. From weather, to the twisted minds of the typical dullard politician, to the anti-animal activists that ban raw milk, and try to discourage people from eating any other natural food, the deck is sadly stacked against our farmers. We are all blessed with food because they persevere. 

A sad commentary...now pass the beef, the bacon, and the butter...because I got a big day ahead and need the fuel that my body craves. Until next time...BBB forever.