I've asked myself whether eating meat is even the right choice for me. Probably more than anyone else who has ever started a meat company.
I've tried it many ways: eating lots of meat, not eating meat, restricting meat. And every time, I feel better when it's a part of my diet.
There are plenty of vegetarians & vegans out there who've figured out how to feel awesome not eating meat.
Cheers to you.
It just doesn't work for me.
I don't have the time, patience, or brain space to skip meat and feel like the best version of myself.
Here's how I (NOT A NUTRITIONIST) think about it
Our body needs three main macronutrients in the right quantities.
Our body breaks our food down into protein, fat, and carbs. Meat is a great source of two:
- Protein is primarily responsible for building and repairing stuff in your body: muscle, skin, hormones, immune cells, etc.
- Fat plays a key role in things like hormone production and vitamin absorption.
Getting these (+ carbs) in the right quantity and ratio is the first step to feeling like I can take on the world (or maybe just the rest of my day).
But quantity isn't the whole story.
1 gram of protein or 1 gram of fat are not necessarily created equal.Â
A few examples:
Take amino acids, a key building block of protein.
- Our bodies need them to build and repair muscle, skin, and hormones. 9 of the 20 amino acids your body needs come from what you eat; your body can't make them.
Not every protein-rich food gets you all 9 in one place.
- Meat is often called a "complete protein" because it naturally contains all 9 in one food.
- Most individual plant proteins are missing or low in one or more, which is why plant-based eating usually means eating a variety of sources across the day to cover the full set.
Or the essential fats, omega-3s.
- Our bodies need them for things like keeping inflammation in check, and they come exclusively from what you eat.
Not every food that gets you these fats in a form your body can use right away.
- Plants deliver omega-3 as ALA, which your body has to convert into an active form (EPA and DHA) before it's usable... and that conversion is notoriously inefficient.
- Meat skips that bottleneck, as omega-3 already shows up ready to use (albeit in smaller amounts than fish).
The standard American diet is notoriously rich in omega-6s... another essential fat that's key, just in balance with omega-3s. Overloading on one crowds out your ability to absorb the other (they use the same "processing channel"). Which means getting omega-3s in a form your body can actually use matters even more, since most of us these days are already starting from behind on that ratio.
These are not insurmountable differences... meat's just a shortcut.
Much more knowledgeable people with actual degrees in nutrition science have assured me that people can get what they need exclusively from plant-based sources.
It just requires more thought and planning, in large part because you have to piece it together from lots of different sources. For some people, it requires taking targeted supplements.
IDK about you, but... I'm not exactly hunting for more things to think about and plan around. I'm looking for high quality shortcuts.
So where does that leave us?
None of this makes being an omnivore or herbivore inherently "healthier" or "better" in my opinion.
What I've landed on for myself is much more specific: meat in moderation is an important part of my diet. Because I'm simply not willing to spend the time to get everything my body needs to feel awesome exclusively from plants.
But if I'm going to eat it, I want each ounce to be working as hard for me as it possibly can. Stay tuned for more on this.