Kill It, Cook It, Eat It - Big Featured Discussion 29 items | updated Mar 22 2011

Many diet plans, food justice articles, animal justice studies note that there are endless issues that consumers are faced with when deciding what to eat. What types of meat to nclude is one of the biggest questions -- from picking red meat or white, right down to monitoring how livestock is raised.

According to Sustainable Table, factory farm systems are heavily reliant on cheap grain. It’s been estimated that these farms get 7-10% on their operating cost.

“This allows our meat and dairy prices to be low but it also results in lower nutritional content.”

One alleged benefit in raising animals on pasture is that these products are healthier for consumers. For instance, compared with feedlot meat, meat from grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and goats, have less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and calories.

"When the animals aren’t being treated like factory assembly line that creates a better quality of beef," said Dr. Patti Whisnant.

However, consuming more carefuly grown also means accepting higher-priced product. Have you encountered other studies that support eating grass-fed meats over corn-fed meats? Do you believe that eating meat, eggs and dairy products from animals raised on pasture is worth the expense to consumers?

See six volunteers judge the importance of freshly slaughtered meat tonight! A new episode of "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" premieres at 10/9c.

Last week, the British media dissected everything about the lunch Prince William’s fiancé, Kate Middleton, had with her future stepmother-in-law Camilla. The story then got a rise out of some animal rights activists when the Daily Mail reported that Kate had ordered foie gras as a starter.

It’s hardly the first time foie gras has caused alarm. The dish has been hotly debated for years, called a range of things from politically incorrect to downright cruel. Often considered a gourmet dish, foie gras ducks are specially fattened in a way that activists have deemed animal torture. Many object to the way tubes are inserted into the ducks' throats to feed them and fatten them, but others have noted that despite the implication, ducks don’t actually have gag reflexes anyway.

In 2006, the city of Chicago banned foie gras, deciding that the preparation of the ducks was animal cruelty. In 2004, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that would have the entire state of California ban the dish by 2012.

What do you think? Have you ever eaten foie gras? Do you think the fact that it’s considered a delicacy outweighs the cruelty gray area? Is foie gras inhumane?

See six volunteers give duck hunting their best shot. A new episode of “Kill It, Cook It, Eat It” premieres at 10/9c.

This past summer, The American Journal of Cardiology published a study by Dr. Darrel Francis indicating that fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of charge to customers in order to neutralize heart risks from fatty food.

Statin drugs reduce the amount of “LDL” cholesterol in the blood. Dr. Francis believes that if these drugs are available to the public, fast food will no longer be a big health issue.

Is Dr. Francis correct? Should the public be allowed to receive free prescription drugs at their local fast food joint to curb the health effects of their meals?

Watch six volunteers learn to kill and cook quality meat! A new episode of “Kill It, Cook It, Eat It” premieres tonight at 10/9c.

When most people think of a Happy Meal, they typically think of cheeseburgers or chicken nuggets, unconcerned with animal quality of life or meat processing. Although several companies like McDonald’s no longer serve nuggets made up of mechanically separated meats, hot dogs, bologna, jerky, and plenty of other fast food or pre-packaged meat products still start with an abundance of meat that looks like this:

According to Fooducate:

Someone figured out in the 1960’s that meat processors can eke out a few more percent of profit from chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows by scraping the bones 100% clean of meat. This is done by machines, not humans, by passing bones leftover after the initial cutting through a high pressure sieve.

The meat is then treated with chemicals to kill bacteria spread throughout the contents when it’s processed. From there, it’s altered with food coloring and artificial flavors to more resemble the meat in its original form.

Do you know how your favorite fast food restaurants or store-bought process their nuggets? What are some of the healthier brands you’ve encountered? Is it possible to enjoy chicken nuggets without eating a bunch of leftover junk?

See six volunteers squirm when faced with all the ways to use even the leftover parts of an animal! Catch the re-airing of “Kill It, Cook It, Eat It” today at 4/3c.

In "Lamb Kebabs," vegan volunteer James tells the workers at the slaughterhouse that nothing about killing the animals seems humane. Government departments like the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and Food Standards Agency in the UK help establish and enforce laws and regulations for slaughterhouse practices to ensure more humane animal slaughter, but does such a thing really exist?

Do you agree with James that no amount of scientific research can make slaughter truly humane? Do the slaughterhouse workers have a point in saying that precise, regulated slaughter is gentler than natural death if the animal has experienced a good quality of life?

Watch six volunteers wrestle with the ethics tonight! A new episode of "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" premieres at 10/9c.

After an eighteenth-month battle, Beastie Boy Adam Yaunch is now Cancer-free. What helped him beat it? Yaunch has claimed that he survived by adopting a vegan diet and using eastern remedies.

Doctors like John La Puma (founder of ChefMD) believe that being particular about the foods we eat drastically affects illness recovery and prevention. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry is anticipating a growth in revenue for 2011.

Does Adam Yaunch's case seem to prove the theory, or is it an exception to the rule? How directly do you think what people eat affects their health?

See six volunteers judge the importance of freshly slaughtered meat tonight! A new episode of "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" premieres at 10/9c.

In Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, he concludes that while it's impossible for any country to sustain the kind of meat production needed for a fast-food-reliant culture, hunting and gathering is equally impractical. In 2009 alone, the U.S. Cattle and Beef Industry was valued at over $70 billion. It's a booming industry that feeds millions of people and employs several thousand, but the environmental and health effects of diets heavy in cheap meats is causing alarm.

Is there a middle ground? Do you think it's possible to eradicte the meat production industry as it exists now? Do countries around the world need to? If asked, how would you suggest creating more sustainable meat production?

Watch six volnteers get an inside look at the meat indutsry tonight! A new episode of Kill It, Cook It, Eat It premieres at 10/9c.

"...if slaughterhouses had glass walls, then everyone would be vegetarian," says Paul McCartney in an informational video titled 'Glass Walls,' sponsored by PETA:

Did you catch Kill It, Cook It, Eat It on Current last night?

This graphic, food-focused show places a variety of eaters right in the middle of a scene like McCartney describes. Volunteers get to see animals reared, slaughtered, and cooked for their everyday meals. From fast-food lovers to rigid vegans, these volunteers are challenged to test their stomachs and beliefs by witnessing and participating in the whole process -- kill to kitchen -- first-hand. Some are able to stomach the sight while others shy away, but who does or doesn't change their mind about how they is where the real surprises. Though adamant about meat concsumption, one McDonald's devotee is horrified by the slaughter. An ambivalent omnivore has trouble watching the animals skinned but ultimately still has meats for breakfast the next day.

Put yourself in their shoes: If tasked with regularly raising and slaughtering animals for the dinner table in addition to cooking meat, do you think the meal would be worth it? Would you be more affected by emotion or the labor? Could you slaughter the animals you eat?

Watch new episodes of "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" on Tuesdays at 10/9c.