Politically correct health and nutrition “experts” and policymakers have never let the facts, reality, or science stand in the way of advancing their agendas to control human behavior.
Instead, they twist, bend, or simply ignore the science. They first did it in the 1920s to prohibit alcohol. Then, they did it again in the 1990s to ban smoking tobacco in public places. (On the other hand, they promote marijuana, which is an intoxicant and an inhalant.)
Well, now, they’ve set their sights on indicting meat.
And they’re citing a new report published by a Stockholm-based nonprofit in conjunction with the once-scientific British medical journal The Lancet to justify their stance.
The thing is, this report is full of junk…and I’m not buying it. It argues that people should give up meat and dairy because it’s better for your health and better for the health of the planet.
But both parts of that argument are just plain wrong. And dangerously so.
So, today, let’s look at what the science really tells us…
Humans are natural omnivores
When you consider the human diet from an anthropological point of view—which includes the study of human biological history, dentition, metabolism, physiology, and growth and development —it’s clear that humans are omnivorous. We’ve evolved to consume a wide variety of food sources, including meat, in order to meet our nutritional needs.
In fact, eating a balanced diet with unprocessed, natural meat, poultry, and seafood gives you healthy proteins, fats, and bioavailable minerals—which are much more difficult to get from other sources.
Plus, as I’ve reported before, many Americans don’t get enough protein to maintain muscle mass in the first place. And meat is the best source of complete proteins, plain and simple.
Not to mention, most Americans are deficient in important minerals that come from meat, including calcium (which should never come from supplements), magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
Of course, all that science did not stop the ninny, nanny mayor of New York City from pronouncing that all city public schools would adopt “Meatless Mondays.”
Thankfully, some experts are pushing back at this “meatless” nonsense. In fact, in a recent interview, Diana Rodgers, a sensible, certified nutritionist, said, “the reality is, eating meat is really not the problem and giving it up could cause more harm than good.”
And I couldn’t agree more.
As I just explained, meat is an irreplaceable, nutrient-dense food. And it’s an especially critical source of nutrients for children.
So, depriving school children of this key nutrient source could prove particularly harmful, as studies show that people, and especially children, who don’t eat meat typically show deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals—including B vitamins and vitamin D. And the truth is…these deficiencies can damage a child’s growing brain and nervous system.
Now, let’s move onto the second argument in the “meatless” movement…
Sustainable ranching supports grasslands
Politically correct nutritional “experts” and policymakers also claim that eating meat is bad for the environment.
However, as I’ve reported before, there’s absolutely no evidence that raising free-range chickens and cattle—using sustainable grazing practices—is bad for the environment. On the contrary, there’s plenty of evidence to show these animals are good for the grasslands.
In fact, in the same article I mentioned earlier, Ariel Greenwood, a rancher in New Mexico, said, “There are many, many ways to raise meat and dismissing all meat as being destructive is asinine because it ignores the significant variation in production methods and ecosystems in which meat can be produced.”
And she brings up a great point. For example, during my training as an anthropologist, I learned that huge areas of the globe simply have never supported conventional plant agriculture. So, thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations learned to raise livestock (cattle, goats, and sheep) on these grasslands using sustainable practices that actually stimulate plant growth.
In fact, these healthy, free-range, pasture-raised animals provide natural fertilizer and restore all-important nitrogen to the soil, without the use of artificial chemicals. And this kind of sustainable practice increases biodiversity, improves water, stores carbon, and restores the soil.
Modern ranchers use traditional, sustainable practices that benefit the environment
Today, modern ranchers like Greenwood continue to employ these traditional, sustainable practices. In fact, Greenwood is part-owner of a company called Grass Nomads that helps other ranchers sustainably manage their grasslands.
And their traditional practices really are better for the environment…
In fact, a recent lifecycle analysis showed that free-range, grass-fed beef has a lower carbon footprint than conventional beef (or chicken). It even has a lower footprint than the ultra-processed, plant-based “fake” meats!
In the end, this whole, over-hyped, politically correct, “eat less meat” campaign is really a money grab to promote these ultra-processed, plant-based foods like Burger King’s Beyond Burger®.
And it’s working.
The plant-based, processed food market is projected to be a nearly $10 billion annual market in three years.
And—guess what else?
The same companies behind these terrible, highly processed meatless products are the same companies that brought you the terrible, processed, low-fat foods that were filled with sugar in the 1980s and 1990s. (In fact, the processed, genetically modified plant matter that goes into fake meat is a lot like sugar and carbs—the original highly processed, refined plant matter.)
Of course, the U.S. government is also getting in on the money grab now. In fact, I’ve heard some federal lawmakers are now tossing around the idea of proposing some kind of meat ban…or at least a meat tax. (Big government never met any tax they didn’t’ like.) It’s all just part of the global, crony, corporatist strategy to restrict consumer food choices and benefit the big, crony, corporatist companies.
In the end, as always, I recommend eating whole foods with minimal processing. And continue giving your body what it really wants and needs—real meat and full-fat dairy from organically raised, free-range, grass-fed cattle and poultry.
If you need help cutting through all the clutter, take a look at the September 2019 issue of my monthly newsletter, Insiders’ Cures (“Cage-free, grass-fed, organic…oh my!”) to help bring home the healthiest whole foods. Subscribers have access to all of my content in the archives. So if you haven’t already, click here to sign up today!
Source:
“The ‘eat less meat’ movement is growing. Does it distort science?” The New Food Economy, 9/5/19. (newfoodeconomy.org/climate-change-eat-less-meat-plant-based-impossible-burger-regenerative-ranching/)