Porkbiotic One of the major reasons Dr. Wright recommends eating meat from grass-fed, free range animals is to avoid the hefty dose of antibiotics that most conventionally raised animals are pumped full of prior to slaughter. Farmers use antibiotics to help keep the animals healthy and bacteria-free. Sounds like a good thing, but antibiotics -- from any source -- can wreak serious havoc in your body, killing off the friendly bacteria that help bolster your immune system. But a new study out of the UK found that farmers may be able to get the disease-preventing effects they're looking for by switching gears and using that friendly bacteria, rather than killing it off along with the bad via antibiotics. Specifically, researchers from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in England found that probiotics can reduce the incidence of salmonella in pigs. Lowering the risk of salmonella in pigs means lowering the risk of this bacteria being transferred to humans in pork products. Of course, despite the fact that this research looks promising, the "experts" out there aren't about to declare probiotics a good alternative to the current methods. Even though probiotics are completely natural (or, perhaps more accurately, because they're completely natural), and more and more research has been emerging to show just how beneficial they are to human health, the mainstream makes it a habit to live by its mantra: "More research is needed." So don't expect to see probiotic pork in your local supermarket anytime soon. That's not to say that you can't get antibiotic-free meat, though. As I mentioned above, this is one of the biggest benefits of organic, free-range meat. And there are plenty of sources for it: Natural food stores, online retailers like U.S. Wellness Meats (www.grasslandbeef.com), and even some national supermarket chains carry free-range meat. Like other organic foods, it can be more expensive than the regular variety. But you're paying for increased safety and health benefits. Plus everyone I know who has tried organic meat says it tastes a whole lot better -- and, if you ask me, that alone is well worth a few extra cents per pound. Source:
"Probiotics may make safer pork products, say scientists," Food Navigator (www.foodnavigator.com), 9/5/07 | 
