Last newsletter I mentioned the importance of animal foods from a nutritional standpoint and came to the conclusion that a diet without adequate animal nutrition simply doesn’t work in the long term for humans to thrive. Remember, surviving and thriving are very different. One can easily survive off of plant foods just as our ancestors did at times when meat was lacking, but when fresh meat was an option it was always the first option and there’s very good reason for this. Here is a good recap for those that may have missed the previous newsletter. https://www.kevinstock.io/health/evidence-for-a-meat-based-diet/
And here is a list of nutrients essential to human life that are NOT found in plant foods
Vitamin A
Vitamin K2
Vitamin D3
Vitamin F
Vitamin B12
Carnosine
Creatine
Carnitine
Taurine
Heme-iron
CoQ10
CLA
Now that we’ve covered nutrition, lets talk about the environment. The best judge of a healthy and diverse ecosystem is the health of the soil, and the best steward of the soil is a ruminant animal. Cows eat grass without disturbing the environment, they digest it and poop out a pile of fertilizer which causes carbon sequestration, creating nutrient-rich soil where plants thrive and in turn create a rich ecosystem for all animals. In Alberta’s case, that ruminant animal used to be the mighty Bison, now, it’s fair to say that cattle have taken that spot. There is a reason we call “Alberta Beef” the king of Beef. It’s not because the Cargills of the world have set up shop in Alberta, it is because of the high quality and robust pastures of this Province. If cattle are the best thing we could possibly do for our soils, therefore the environment, and high-quality meat is needed for optimal human health, then that alone makes a pretty strong case for eating Beef. What we need is to shift away from the feedlots and towards a more sustainable approach, an approach that puts the health and welfare of the animal as top priority, an approach aligned more closely with nature and not one based solely on profits. Feedlots are not necessary, they are simply a way to increase profits and control the food system. If we want to be good stewards of the environment, the best way to do it is by the food choices we make on a daily basis.
For a better understanding of how eating meat is important for our environment, I encourage everyone to visit https://www.sacredcow.info/ At the same time, I encourage everyone to sign up for the free film premier coming soon called “The Sacred Cow – The case for (better) meat”.
The mainstream media would have you believe that cow farts are contributing to climate change, but this is a flat-out lie. Check out the diagram below for a better understanding of the role cow burps (not farts) play in the carbon cycle.
We’ll look at why eating animal foods is the best thing we can do for the animals in the next edition of the newsletter, in other words, animal welfare and the ethics of consuming meat.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly at jeff@valbella.ca if you would like to discuss these topics in more depth or if you have questions or comments. In the meantime, eat a grass-fed steak and stay strong and healthy!