These days, raw food is very popular. Many people eat raw sushi 🍣 and rare or medium-rare steak 🐮. Many articles online today also encourage you to eat raw meat. So today, we will talk about why many people are now eating raw meats, and if this is safe or dangerous for your health. 

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Why We Eat Raw Foods

The appeal of raw foods is that they provide us with enzymes/proteins which are essential to life. Unfortunately, the very nature of enzymes is that they get removed from our foods by extreme heat or hot or cold temperatures. 

Our bodies need enzymes to function properly. Enzymes are essential for us to breakdown food since they aid in digestion; our very DNA is also made up of enzymes, and they keep our cells functioning, so in essence, we could not live without enzymes. 

Enzymes are found in a variety of foods, from vegetables, fruits, to meats. If you do not get enough enzymes in your foods, you can take them internally in a pill form. 

Is Raw Meat A Safe Way To Get Raw Enzymes?

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One health concern comes from eating non-organic foods. Non-organic meats often contain toxic harmful chemicals. They pose cancer risks because of the growth hormones and antibiotics used. Beef, in particular, can contain sludge. In addition, the animals are often not fed good quality natural food, so the animals tend to get sicker, and the meat they produce can be laden with pesticides and artificial synthetic ingredients.

“Small farmers and conventional farmers who are not raising organic meat may also choose to use hormones and steroids which quicken the growth of livestock. Hormones given to poultry and livestock correlate to a higher rate of hormone-dependent cancers. The concern with conventional beef is the risk that cows may be given growth hormones (BGH, rBGH, rBST) to increase milk production in dairy cows or speed up and increase the size of cows that will go to slaughter for beef” (Kravitz, M. (2017). Organic meat vs. non-organic meat: What does paying more really buy you? Mic.com).

Considering the issues surrounding non-organic meats, eating organic raw meat might seem like the simple solution to this problem, but unfortunately, organic raw meat also has problems.

Eating organic or non-organic raw meat is associated with many diseases, bacteria, and viruses, including:

1. Mad Cow Disease – Is transferable to humans as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
2. Listeria
3. Campylobacteriosis
4. Clostridium
5. Cryptosporidiosis  

6. Salmonella

7. Yersiniosis
8. Staph
9. Trichinellosis/Trichinosis
10. Typhoid Fever
11.  E. coli

Eating raw meats can lead to bacterial infections and food-borne illnesses, so it is best to avoid eating raw undercooked meats altogether. You can get raw enzymes in many other foods as well, such as vegetables and fruits, so you don’t need to eat raw meats in order to get your regular intake of raw enzymes.

The Best Safest Way To Eat Meat

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Due to numerous health concerns associated with eating raw meat, it is recommended to only eat meat that has been thoroughly cooked; meat that is well-done and which has been cooked at very high heat for at least several minutes.

Here are the recommended temperatures that raw meats should be cooked at in order to be safe for consumption according to the USDA.

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“Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °F and 140 °F. Therefore keep food out of this “Danger Zone”…Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow the meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures. Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer” (Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know. USDA.gov).

Conclusion