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But they are good for youIf you would have asked me on July 10 what I would be doing on July 14, I would never have said, "Going to St. Louis for the All-Star game." But, I did it. A vegan group put up a billboard in St. Louis attempting to link hot dog consumption to cancer. That was enough for me to decide that I needed to be there and find a way to set the record straight. But I did not expect the "ah ha" moment that I got. It is rare that people hear that meat is good for you. "Cured meats for healthy heartbeats" was the positive message we took to the folks in St. Louis and that was good because nearly 30 million hot dogs are consumed each year in baseball stadiums. I arrived in downtown St. Louis just before 2 p.m. I knew there would be several folks in the area and a festive atmosphere, but I never expected to see what I did. They estimated that 200,000 baseball fans were in the downtown area in the afternoon leading up to game time. At 2 p.m., the red carpet parade started with past St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famers riding by in pickup trucks. This mini-parade was followed by a parade of the players who were playing in the All-Star game later that night. Despite the fact that I had only heard of three of the current players, I have to admit that it was entertaining and quite interesting. Immediately upon the conclusion of the parade, I jumped the fence and went on camera, recording for my own TV show. The mere fact that a guy was standing on the red carpet with a microphone and a camera generated an audience. People began to ask what network I was with. Thinking back I should have said "ESPN for Agriculture." Two old boys were leaning on the railing eating their hot dogs when they asked the question. When I finished recording, I went over to visit with them. I told them that I was in doing a story on hot dogs because a growing body of science shows that cured meat promotes cardio-vascular health. The response from Tommy was, "Yeah, but the problem is they taste really good." I explained to him that he misunderstood me. I said that hot dogs "are" good for you and promote a healthy heart. He told me he thought I was campaigning to get people to stop eating hot dogs. "Tommy is a courtroom judge from Tennessee. His responsibility to the nation and the people of Tennessee is to hear the facts and render a decision. So, one would assume he is a good listener; yet, the fact was that someone was pitching him on hot dogs and, ironically, he automatically assumed the news had to be bad. For those of you that might have missed it, here is the data to back up my statement that "Cured meats for healthy heartbeats" is a valid and truthful statement. For the past 10 years, Dr. Nathan Bryan, a medical researcher at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas, Houston Health Sciences Center, along with others, has been working to determine the importance of dietary nitrite and nitrate consumption as a means to prevent and treat cardiovascular and other diseases associated with nitric oxide insufficiency in the diet. "Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule in the human body to regulate numerous physiological functions including blood flow to tissues and organs. The conversion of nitrite and nitrate to nitric oxide in human tissues is obviously an important finding," said Bryan. He pointed out that cardio-protective levels of nitrites and nitrates can easily be achieved by increasing the consumption of nitrite/nitrate-rich foods, such as cured meats and certain fruits and vegetables. The regular intake of nitrite-containing food appears to ensure that blood and tissue levels of nitrite and nitric oxide pools in the body are maintained at adequate levels. Even low levels of supplemental nitrite, Bryan said, have been shown to enhance blood flow. Dietary sources of nitric oxide metabolites could therefore improve circulation and oxygen delivery, he noted. Likewise, a causative link between nitrite and nitrate exposure and cancer is still missing, said Bryan. A two-year study on the carcinogenicity of nitrite by the National Institute of Health conclusively found there was no increased evidence of carcinogenic activity in male or female rats or mice as a result. So I promise that I intend to spend a lot more time telling folks that products produced on American farms and ranches are good for them, understanding full well that they have been conditioned to hear how bad these foods are. On a final note, for one day, the folks in downtown St. Louis got to forget that the country was in an economic crisis. Actually, it was just one day when they didn't pay attention to the media and what was going on in D.C. Whether it is hot dogs or life, it sure seems to be that a lot of folks are telling us what is bad instead of realizing how many things have never been better. Put some ketchup or mustard on that dog and ponder that for a while! Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.
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