What are rabbit meat side effects and benefits? Is rabbit meat vegan? Gluten free? Acidic or alkaline? Low fodmap? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here are rabbit meat pros and cons: all the info on rabbit meat that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day and if you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on rabbit meat side effects.
You are going to learn all about rabbit meat benefits and side effects. This will include rabbit meat benefits for your health and potential risks, rabbit meat water footprint and rabbit meat carbon footprint, rabbit meat sustainability, if rabbit meat is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if rabbit meat is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about rabbit meat benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Rabbit Meat Side Effects And Benefits
Health
Rabbit meat side effects may include:
- protein poisoning
- high cholesterol
- lead poisoning and potential diseases if wild rabbits have been shot by lead pellets
- antibiotic resistance if domesticated rabbit meat
Rabbit meat benefits may include:
- strong teeth
- strong bones
Additionally, rabbit meat is…
- Acidic pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
- Note: rabbit meat is a “white meat”
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Environment
Water footprint: unknown, likely moderate to high
Carbon footprint: unknown, likely moderate to high
Destruction: high, rabbit meat production is relatively destructive, solid waste (excrement/manure) runoff, contamination of air, land/soil and water, deforestation for feed crops, animal agriculture leading cause of: species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution and habitat destruction, responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction
Rabbit meat is…
Animals
Kills: rabbits must be killed in order to produce rabbit meat
Harms: rabbit meat production requires rabbits to be used
Indirectly kills or harms: wildlife and ecosystems, surrounding wildlife (fox, coyote, bobcat, hawk, or owl and more) may be killed to prevent predation on livestock, wastewater, runoff and leakages negatively affect aquatic ecosystems, pesticides used to control pests and predators cause pollution to ecosystems once they enter groundwater and surface waters, the impact of such waste and chemical pollution on sensitive ecosystems results in biodiversity loss, ecosystems are contaminated via ammonia deposition, drug residues and hormones, additionally, intensive feed production for livestock contributes to biodiversity loss via land use, land-use change and modification of natural ecosystems and habitats, excretion of hormones is cited to be a possible cause of endocrine disruption in wildlife, steroid levels are high enough to cause endocrine disruption on runoff from fields where manure has been applied, resulting in reproductive disorders and disease transmission to a variety of wildlife populations
Rabbit meat is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
Laborers
Health and safety: hazardous, meat processing workers have some of the highest rates of occupational injury and illness in the USA, the work environment in processing plants is dirty, dangerous, at times machines that injure workers by crushing, amputating, burning and slicing them, workers use tools such as knives, hooks, scissors, and saws, injuries include cuts, stabs, infections, scars, scratches, missing fingers, swollen joints, working conditions are humid, slippery, loud, hot or below freezing resulting in respiratory problems, skin infections and falls, workers experience
Living conditions: poor, workers must process thousands of animals per day, they are pressured to work as fast as possible, rest breaks and bathroom breaks are discouraged or denied, many workers must wear diapers, they experience stress, physical and emotional pain
Wages: low, in the USA workers are poorly compensated and earn under $15 an hour, they are often pushed to work faster so companies can profit more
Rabbit meat…
The world’s top rabbit meat exporting country is Spain, followed by Hungary, China, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Poland.
Is rabbit meat alkaline or acidic?
Rabbit meat is acidic. Meat is an acidic food group.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Is rabbit meat gluten free?
Yes, rabbit meat is gluten free. Rabbit meat does not contain gluten when unseasoned and unbreaded.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Is rabbit meat a common food allergen?
No, rabbit meat is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to rabbit meat but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Is rabbit meat sustainable?
No, rabbit meat production is relatively unsustainable.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
Is rabbit meat vegan?
No, rabbit meat is not vegan. Rabbit meat are meat, the product of a rabbit, therefore making it an animal-derived food. A rabbit must be killed in order to produce rabbit meat.
An estimated 3 million rabbits are killed for food every day worldwide.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
Does rabbit meat have human rights issues?
At this time there are concerns with rabbit meat production.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks.
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
This post was all about rabbit meat side effects.
Sources:
Game meat, rabbit, wild, raw – FoodData Central – USDA
How many animals are killed for food every day
rabbit meat – Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
