Chickens Eating Grains

[Skittles]

hey guys, So I have always thought it was okay to have meat (not processed, and no hamburgers if they contain bread crumbs). But one of my friends just asked me if I can have chicken because they are grain fed? I never really thought of that, that they chickens are fed with grain. Anyone know anything about this? Thanks !

[psawyer]

Short answer: Yes, you can eat them.

There is no evidence that gluten in the food eaten by an animal--any animal, not just chickens--finds its way into the animal's body as part of the meat. Contamination is possible if the digestive tract is punctured during slaughter and the meat is not properly washed after slaughter, but that scenario has much wider issues (E. Coli for one).

[Skittles]

  On 6/3/2012 at 12:53 AM, psawyer said:

Short answer: Yes, you can eat them.

There is no evidence that gluten in the food eaten by an animal--any animal, not just chickens--finds its way into the animal's body as part of the meat. Contamination is possible if the digestive tract is punctured during slaughter and the meat is not properly washed after slaughter, but that scenario has much wider issues (E. Coli for one).

Thanks psawyer

[healthykelsey]

When you eat something with protein, your body breaks down that protein into its amino acid components. It then uses those components to construct other proteins. A chicken may consume gluten, but that protein is broken down so that it is no longer gluten.

[Pac]

What about parts of the animal that do get in direct contant with gluten? Or farm-raised fish that pretty much swim in gluten soup all their life? Does anybody here get unexplained reactions to those?

[Lisa]

  On 7/12/2012 at 1:23 AM, Pac said:

What about parts of the animal that do get in direct contant with gluten? Or farm-raised fish that pretty much swim in gluten soup all their life? Does anybody here get unexplained reactions to those?

As I know that the gluten molecule could not penetrate the human skin, I assume the same would be for a fish.

If it were a danger the national organizations would be yelling DON'T EAT THE FISH, DON'T EAT THE FISH.

But, they don't so I eat the fish. I'm happy.

[Pac]

  On 7/12/2012 at 1:47 AM, Lisa said:

As I know that the gluten molecule could not penetrate the human skin, I assume the same would be for a fish.

If it were a danger the national organizations would be yelling DON'T EAT THE FISH, DON'T EAT THE FISH.

But, they don't so I eat the fish. I'm happy.

I'm not concerned about gluten getting through the skin into the poor fishes flesh, that is quite impossible. I meant gluten caught up in the fish's gills and jaws while breathing/eating. The reason is I often get sick from soups I make. At first I was suspicious of everything else, but it all seems like the culprits are heads/necks and other GI track parts of gluten-eating animals.

The first time this possibility crossed my mind was when I made identical rabbit soup two days in a row and the batch with head and neck in it made me sick. Fish soup (usually with carp heads) makes me bloated, but I always acredited that to the carrot, celery and croutons in it and never paid much attention to the symptoms. Then once I made the soup with pike and no bloating. So, happy that maybe I can tolerate carrot better, I made the soup again few weeks later using carp and bam - the bloating and fatigue got me again.

Last half a year I've been only eating heads when I know the animal didn't eat gluten (otherwise the neighbours cat has it). I didn't get sick yet. I just don't know what to think of it. I feel like a total idiot, but then - every single time I ignored what my body was telling me and trusted the "common sense" and nay-sayers instead, I was wrong. Who knows... That's why I would like to hear if anybody here experienced anything similar.