The more time that has passed, the more people are looking at making healthier life choices, such as healthy eating. Keep in mind that healthy eating can mean a number of different things, it can mean that you are no longer eating animal products or that you are only going to eat a raw food diet and everything in between. Another term that has also become popular in the healthy eating arena is free range. Today you can find free range chickens, eggs and meats. Currently free range chicken is very popular. How did free range get its start? What is free range exactly? Are there really any benefits to eating free range? To help answer these questions as well as others you may have, here is unbiased information to help you make an informed decision.
The way free range is defined will depend greatly on where you live. In the United States then free range only applies to poultry. This would include free range turkey, ducks and chicken; they are animals that have access to the outside. In the US the amount of time these animals can be outside is not specified nor is the size of the outside area. Meaning that is a free range chicken wants to sit in the coup all day or in a small cage, it will. For those that live outside the United States, free range animals are animals that are allowed to roam anywhere and they are never caged. Chickens then have easy access to the green grass and sun.
Free range farming used to be the way farmers raised their animals until they started using chicken wire or barbed wire. Prior to the 20th century, all farmers knew about raising animals was to make sure they had a varied diet and plenty of sunshine. Ranchers that raised cattle found it difficult to keep the cattle in one place and provide feed to them, so they kept them on their ranch. Chickens were all free range chickens until 1920. When Vitamin D and Vitamin A were discovered in 1920, farmers realized that they could market their chickens commercially if they were confined. It was the confining of the chickens that lead to confinement of most other farm animals.
The debate if free range is better for us continues on. It seems as if everyone has an opinion for or against. Those who think free range chicken and free range meats are better for us have many valid points. One of them is that when we consume confined animals we have a higher chance of contracting disease. This is because free range animals have a lower chance of contracting illnesses and disease than those who are in such close quarters with each other. Another valid point is that the free range animals get a large amount of vitamins from the bugs and green grass they consume. These particular animals are then very good for us. Animals that are confined do not have access to these things thus making then void of nutrients. Chickens and other animals that are confined are given just enough food to survive. Included in this regime is a steady stream of antibiotics. They give them the antibiotics to attempt to keep them free of disease when living in these kinds of close quarters. We then consume antibiotic ridden animals. These are extremely detrimental to our health. Free range chickens and other free range animals are not given antibiotics, only the things they need to keep them healthy and thriving. This of course is another great reason why free range is so much better for us.
When deciding whether or not to take a certain avenue when it involves your health it should be researched thoroughly first. Just in the way this provides information on free range chickens and other free range animals, you can find pertinent information on almost every health subject. If you are well informed about something you can put it into effect easily and it is more than likely to be successful.
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