When I became a vegetarian in 1970, it was because of the toxins in industrial meat production, as well as the corporate stranglehold on small farmers. People forget that more farmers left the farm in the 1960s than at any other time - at least in the US. We got out in 1965. So it was more of a political move, rather than for health reasons. The greater health benefits came along later. In 1971, Diet for a Small Planet came out and that was a real eye-opener in combining amino acids in various foods. (Lappe's star pattern is similar to Liebig's barrel, by the way. Same kind of thinking that one deficient nutrient limits the others.) Likewise the emphasis on whole grains, which was nurtured by the food co-ops in the early 1970s. In 1981, after passing up about a thousand free meals, I came off the vegetarian bandwagon and defaulted to a little bit of meat, mostly for flavoring. This is now known as flexitarianism and it is a more balanced approach. Here in France we have access to locally-grown meat, eggs and dairy, so I don't worry about the corporate stranglehold as much. I have a quite different take on cows and pigs and chickens than Gunnar and most small holders who have animals. Cows were the bane of my existence for the first fifteen years of my life and so I don't have any. If you query the smallholders who have animals, you usually find they really, really like animals. Therefore, they don't mind not being able to leave the farm at will and the extra level of infrastructure. I never had a vacation until I was an adult. Consequently, I will pay any price the neighbors want for their eggs and any price for the cheese and meat I buy in the local markets. Since I don't have to do the work, any price is a good deal. Remember, if the local beef is twice as good and only costs 50% more than the crap in the supermarket, the local beef is a big win.
In the late 1970-s we had dairy goats on the farm, milking twice per day AND making cheese every second day as well as boiling the brown whey cheese, THAT is a lot of work! But we were a small "collective" farm at that time which made it manageable, The cattle I have now, we don't milk so the work load is considerably less. Still, it is my wife Ann-Helen that is the animal caretaker, I ran feed and put up fences, but she takes care of them. I am more of a grower myself, even if I have grown a lot more fond of the animals over the years, and appreciating the social play between them and us as well as the herd dynamics.
My spouse and I are mostly vegetarian. She has an iron deficiency as a result, and needs to take iron supplements. We eat quite a bit of fish, especially sardines and mackerel, which are known for their high levels of fatty acids that are good for the brain. At least there are studies showing this! The Mediterranean diet seems to continuously be recognized as about the best diet one can follow, while the Japanese diet, which is rich in fish and vegetables, obviously leads to longevity somehow. We give our daughter red meat sometimes, in particular beef, because we don't want to take any risks on her brain development and nutrition, but we do so precisely because of the lack of knowledge on the comparative health impacts of different kinds of meats.
As a rancher, I have always eaten beef. I grew to love lamb as I got into milking sheep. I guess I quit worrying about what other people think I should do, and eat meat that was once someone I nurtured. I did try to eat grocery store beef as a young adult, but it wasn't the same.
Now I am inclined to eat meat maybe once a week, but really exist on dairy products I produce and usually give most away. Things like Trudee butter and Rosie string cheese...
In most contexts dairy (and eggs) is quite "superior" compared to meat when it comes to food produced from livestock. And from dairy animals there will also be a stream om meat. The disadvantage with dairy is mainly that it is a lot of work.....'
True about the work, but over time it becomes moving meditation. I also hand milk my critters, and we grow to enjoy our time together during milking time. Feeds my spirit and soul long before it nourishes my body. Bliss
When I became a vegetarian in 1970, it was because of the toxins in industrial meat production, as well as the corporate stranglehold on small farmers. People forget that more farmers left the farm in the 1960s than at any other time - at least in the US. We got out in 1965. So it was more of a political move, rather than for health reasons. The greater health benefits came along later. In 1971, Diet for a Small Planet came out and that was a real eye-opener in combining amino acids in various foods. (Lappe's star pattern is similar to Liebig's barrel, by the way. Same kind of thinking that one deficient nutrient limits the others.) Likewise the emphasis on whole grains, which was nurtured by the food co-ops in the early 1970s. In 1981, after passing up about a thousand free meals, I came off the vegetarian bandwagon and defaulted to a little bit of meat, mostly for flavoring. This is now known as flexitarianism and it is a more balanced approach. Here in France we have access to locally-grown meat, eggs and dairy, so I don't worry about the corporate stranglehold as much. I have a quite different take on cows and pigs and chickens than Gunnar and most small holders who have animals. Cows were the bane of my existence for the first fifteen years of my life and so I don't have any. If you query the smallholders who have animals, you usually find they really, really like animals. Therefore, they don't mind not being able to leave the farm at will and the extra level of infrastructure. I never had a vacation until I was an adult. Consequently, I will pay any price the neighbors want for their eggs and any price for the cheese and meat I buy in the local markets. Since I don't have to do the work, any price is a good deal. Remember, if the local beef is twice as good and only costs 50% more than the crap in the supermarket, the local beef is a big win.
In the late 1970-s we had dairy goats on the farm, milking twice per day AND making cheese every second day as well as boiling the brown whey cheese, THAT is a lot of work! But we were a small "collective" farm at that time which made it manageable, The cattle I have now, we don't milk so the work load is considerably less. Still, it is my wife Ann-Helen that is the animal caretaker, I ran feed and put up fences, but she takes care of them. I am more of a grower myself, even if I have grown a lot more fond of the animals over the years, and appreciating the social play between them and us as well as the herd dynamics.
That is some beautiful looking beef!
She was a 6-7 year old cross breed cow that went dry (no calf) for a year and thus became very fat and as we both know the flavour is in the fat.
My spouse and I are mostly vegetarian. She has an iron deficiency as a result, and needs to take iron supplements. We eat quite a bit of fish, especially sardines and mackerel, which are known for their high levels of fatty acids that are good for the brain. At least there are studies showing this! The Mediterranean diet seems to continuously be recognized as about the best diet one can follow, while the Japanese diet, which is rich in fish and vegetables, obviously leads to longevity somehow. We give our daughter red meat sometimes, in particular beef, because we don't want to take any risks on her brain development and nutrition, but we do so precisely because of the lack of knowledge on the comparative health impacts of different kinds of meats.
As a rancher, I have always eaten beef. I grew to love lamb as I got into milking sheep. I guess I quit worrying about what other people think I should do, and eat meat that was once someone I nurtured. I did try to eat grocery store beef as a young adult, but it wasn't the same.
Now I am inclined to eat meat maybe once a week, but really exist on dairy products I produce and usually give most away. Things like Trudee butter and Rosie string cheese...
In most contexts dairy (and eggs) is quite "superior" compared to meat when it comes to food produced from livestock. And from dairy animals there will also be a stream om meat. The disadvantage with dairy is mainly that it is a lot of work.....'
True about the work, but over time it becomes moving meditation. I also hand milk my critters, and we grow to enjoy our time together during milking time. Feeds my spirit and soul long before it nourishes my body. Bliss
Excellent questions to raise.