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Further Reading: For those who eat meat

Not all animal protein is equal and it is really important to make that clear.  As a general principle – what the animal eats then goes to us. So if the animal is grain fed, then those grain-based fats and proteins will go into the animal changing its composition of fat and muscle and then that comes through to us.  If the animal is grass-fed or wild, then all those healthy antioxidants go into the meat and we eat them. And if it is fish then they eat smaller fish who eat algae, which is where a lot of the healthy fat omega 3 comes from, and then that comes to us.  Grass-fed and wild animals are often also naturally higher in the healthier omega 3 fats.

So making the right decisions on what animal meat you eat is important for your health.   Grass-fed and wild animals are better as a general rule.

Also, we have to keep in mind the ethical considerations about how the animal is treated and raised.  If the animal is a battery hen, alive for 6 weeks, fed hormones and antibiotics, kept in tiny cages so it cannot even stand – then we should just not be supporting this kind of industry.

But in my opinion, the best animal products come from regenerative agriculture sources.  These are very specific, and hence quite rare, forms of farming that rotate animals through paddocks and improve the soil of the land at the same time as having healthy grass fed animals.  Hence this is better for us, better for the environment and is a more ethical way to treat the animal. But because these are quite rare you have to search for them.

Below are some further talks you can watch on this topic by Allan Savory and Joel Salatin

Also keep in mind meat is very high in calories and simply reducing the size of your portion here can make a big difference.  For example beef/lamb/pork and chicken are about ~200-300 calories per 100 grams. Considering that most people have at between 200-300 grams of meat in a meal, that is 600-900 calories!  If you compare that to a wild animal meat like kangaroo or many white fish (not fatty fish like salmon), this is only ~100 calories per 100 grams because they are naturally very low in fat and the fats they do have are healthier e.g. omega 3.  So consider reducing your portion of meat and trying different a different type.  If you get hungry – add more non-starchy vegetables or plant protein as the evidence shows they fill you up just as well.