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When Tom Anderson, a family-practice doctor in Indiana, started to see similar rashes and lesions appear on his patients, he became concerned. When they began to grow in size, some getting as big as saucers, he took a culture and had it tested in a lab. The result: MRSA.
Convinced that the antibiotic-resistant staph infections were becoming unusually common in town, Dr. Anderson began looking for a possible cause. Eventually, his search turned to the pig farms outside of town and he concluded that, in some way, the pigs were spreading the infection to their human neighbors.
His conclusion was not isolated. MRSA first appeared in hospitals in the early 1990's and, recently, has been found in pigs in the United States. The link between strains of staph in pigs and humans was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2004 and is thought to be related to the use of antibiotics in animal feeds. Certainly, there is not enough evidence to initiate a large-scale public health panic, or to even establish a definitive link between pig farming and the spread of MRSA in the United States, but it is becoming clear that our farming methods are producing more than cheap bacon.
If you are concerned about the quality of your food, how it was raised, and what implications the process has for your health, then there are many options available for making your diet better for the planet.
You can start with our guide to going green with your diet. Once you have that under control, try eating or organic food. Whether you shop at a farmer's market or join a CSA, you will be helping local farmers, reducing your carbon footprint, and discovering a new world of fresh, unprocessed food. If you really get excited, you could try becoming a vegetarian for 30 days. Planet Green's Kelly Rossiter has tons of great recipes to help you out.
The way our food is produced can be shocking and, occasionally, unhealthy. As a consumer, you can make a statement with your food choices and contribute to a greener future.
Read more about eating green:
How to Go Green: Eating
Kelly's All-Natural Recipes
Try These Healthy Cookwares
Should You Avoid Aluminum and Teflon Cookware?
Make Your Comfort Foods Healthy
6 Tricks to Save Tons of Money on Sustainable Foods
Incorporate More Fruit Into Your Diet this Year
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