Why I Went From Vegan To Eating High Quality Meat

The argument for saving the planet by going vegan is one I used to subscribe to, and I’m extremely thankful for the realization that eating local is far more beneficial and effective for causing the least harm to the earth. I became aware that eating meat can and should be sacred, and that there’s a reason that the native peoples of this land consumed meat with reverence and gratitude. I saw how my imported vegan diet was costing myself and the planet and began to change my ways.

High Quality Meat Makes The Difference

When I started eating meat I experienced a difference in my energy levels, the strength I felt in my body and mind and vigor for life. I learned about the importance of eating 100% grass fed & finished meat and finding sources for quality meat that I could truly feel good about.

If you’re going to eat meat, it needs to be good quality. This is the key to meat being sustainable for the earth and beneficial to your health. With the vast majority of meat in stores coming from factory farming (and often imported from faraway locations), it’s important to be extremely discerning with where your meat comes from.

When I learned that eating buffalo actually helps to bolster the buffalo population, it was a big shift in my perspective on eating meat. The buffalo population experienced a massive decline during colonial times and their numbers in the wild have never recovered. Because the demand for beef is so high, American farmers choose to raise cattle rather than bison (the proper term for the animals in America — although “buffalo” has become an interchangeable nickname) in order to sustain their livelihoods. When we vote with our dollar by purchasing ethically sourced bison meat, we encourage farmers to raise more bison and actually help to increase their population in America.

To give some perspective on the demand for beef versus the demand for bison meat, consider the fact that 50,000 bison are slaughtered for meat every year, while 150,000 cattle are slaughtered every day. Cows are not native to America and are detrimental to the environment in the massive population numbers that the beef industry demands. They produce large amounts of methane — in fact, the world population of cows produces so much greenhouse gas that they would rank third globally if they were their own country.

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Bison are native to the land and produce less methane than cows. They actually help pollinate plants with their migration patterns, and the rough texture of their fur is perfect for transporting pollen as they travel. They’re a natural and integral part of the North American ecosystem, and increasing their numbers could help us return to balance that this land hasn’t experienced for hundreds of years. Bison are handled as little as possible and live in a way much closer to wild animals than domesticated farm creatures. Wild animals are more robust, more adaptable and much healthier. When we eat meat that has these qualities, we benefit in the same ways. After all, you are what you eat.

As much as I love eating bison, it’s good to vary the meat you consume. Your body benefits from having different high quality meats the same way it benefits from different fruits and vegetables. If you eat broccoli and no other vegetable except broccoli every day, your health will not be as good as if you included a variety of veggies in your diet. In the same way, I realized my body would benefit if I branched out from just eating bison every time I ate meat.

Although we have a wildly over sized demand for beef in this country, there are some options available for well sourced, high quality meat that isn’t detrimental to the environment. 100% grass-fed beef is much healthier than cows that are fed grains. There are also regenerative agricultural practices that exist where grazing animals are strategically moved periodically so that the grass is left at an optimal length to produce the highest amounts of oxygen to counteract methane emissions.

I had never been a fan of eating pork, and that didn’t change for me as I explored what types of meat I liked to nourish myself with. It was when a trusted friend convinced me that wild boar was completely different from pork, robust with the qualities of wild meat and remarkably different in every way from domesticated pork. As a kid I loved bacon,and it was quite an experience to enjoy wild boar bacon for the first time. I felt energized and healthy after consuming it rather than heavy and lethargic like I used to feel after eating store-bought pork bacon. The taste of the wild boar meat far exceeded my expectations.

As a converted meat eater, I feel like it has enhanced my life and world perspective in many ways to understand what it means to sustainably eat meat. It’s easy to discern the difference between meat that is bad for the planet and for our bodies, and meat that helps us to sustain good health and good way of living.