And ginormous warehouses built over ancient meadows because there was no more room in urban Atlanta for the behemoths that house millions of things humans buy and then have to pay monthly for smaller storage units to put the excess in. The wildlife has fled to what is left of rural land and forests. We hold on to our 14 acres and pond like it is the last stand.
The one positive thing a city does is allow millions of people to occupy a minimal amount of area. Ironically, in that respect, cities are good for the environment. But as you noted Micheal, when they move out you start getting urban sprawl.
Same here. And the political shift came as well. Urban based politics come with them, even though it does not address or help the rural problems. One big change has been the centralized government schools whereas the smaller local school were quite adequate for most things except skills based high school classes such as shop class, auto and machine maintenance, welding. Though, on farms kids learned a lot of that from their fathers and neighbors.
The greatest financial impact with central schools has been the property taxes to support these schools, the tracks, football and baseball fields, swimming pools and school buses everyone needs to ferry the kids back and forth.
Most of the population has no idea that chicken has a “taste” and it’s wonderful. When you purchase it from your local supermarket it will have zero taste. You may as well be eating tofu or some other gelatinous form of meat that is plant based. Humans need animal proteins as Doc wrote it makes a huge difference in our health. It has been documented for millennia. Vegetarians who for whatever reason refuse to eat meat supplement their diets with proteins through pills or shakes. It costs a lot to buy these supplements when all you need to do is eat a burger or steak or chicken which tastes amazing and much cheaper. Had myself a filet mignon last night and it was ah-mazing! It’s what is called being on top of the food chain and we should be thankful for the animals who nourish us. Getting back to growing and raising your own food is paramount to a healthy life. I can’t wait to get back to it. 2 more years!
We eat eggs and dairy products, but cannot eat animals that used to be alive. We understand the benefits of eating meat, but just cannot bring ourselves to do it.
Heck, we don't even kill spiders that come into our house; we use a hand vac to collect them and then release them outside. What softies! Plus, spiders eat other bugs and thus are good for the environment.
You know Doc and his wife were not meat eaters either. I get your stand on the living animals and that’s noble but God put them here for a reason and that is to nourish us I believe so their sacrifice isn’t in vain. I’m not trying to change your mind here it’s just that you can look at it from many sides.
Yes, we’ve looked at this from many sides. We ate meat as kids. But over the years, despite listening to all sides and experiences, we’re still uncomfortable with eating animals. (Again, we do eat their lovely eggs and dairy products.)
I remember Edgar Cayce saying that the fish willingly give themselves to us for food. I'll see if I can find that statement again. My leaning is that eating flesh tends to make our subtle bodies heavy and less finely tuned to the ethers (aether).
Then there is also the karmic cycle and entanglement. I've been a vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs) for over half a century, and so far no comorbidities, no chronic conditions, no prescriptions, and have plenty of energy with a decent BMI. So some of the statements in this article I'll take with a grain of salt (but not too much!).
That is fascinating information. My mother drank 3 to 4 glasses of milk a day. We had a milk cow . When we no longer had a milk cow she drank whole milk. She had arthritis in her hips and had surgery. The surgeon came out and told her she had the bones of a 22 year old male. She was in her late 70’s. I read part of an article from RFK Jr that said in so many words that the gluten problem is due to glyphosate. I believe this. My grandson cannot eat gluten. It makes him sick. He can eat my baked goods because I make them with organic flour. Eating healthy is important. Moderation in all things. My mom told me growing up the eggs are a complete food. They are good for you. We never stopped eating them when the FDA said they caused high cholesterol.
It is my understanding that home ground flour will allow one who is allergic to gluten to eat bread products. So, perhaps in addition to your organic flour. . . ??
I have organic wheat I grind. I don’t use all whole wheat flour. I make have wheat half white. I really believe it is the sprays like glyphosate that causes the problems
I have a Nutrimill. I really like it. I would start out making bread with organic white flour first, then try making a 1/3 wheat flour. Make sure it is organic. Your body will need to get use to the fiber. You can add a little more wheat flour as your body gets use to it. I use honey instead of sugar for the dough.
I would note our beloved Doctors, on their Doctors advice, began eating meat. Having followed them, via Substack - the progress well documents the impact. So glad it wasn't too late. From gout and clear discomfort to blacksmithing and productive farming.
I expect eggs, cheese and maybe fish are a workable substitute.
For myself, having my fare having had a life worth living makes a difference. Raising one's own on a homestead or farm offers that opportunity
As a beef producer, I encourage everyone to enjoy lean, grass-fed beef several times a week. God provides us with an amazing variety of wonderful things to eat. Bless His Name and enjoy His provision!
I hated the very idea of veal when I learned where it came from. Then I talked to a young lady at the county fair who was raising a dairy calf. Unfortunately the calf turned out to be a male. She was the one who pointed out that a dairy has no use for all the males, so these off spring were always going to have a short life. Her view that turning them into a meal was much more respectful of their usefulness and sacrifice. In other words, putting these young males on the plate was more beneficial and respectful of their worth that slaughtering them for the garbage heap. I personally have no taste for veal still, but can now at least reject my view of it being totally barbaric. (side note: young , perfect lambs were the sacrifice of choice for the Temple and Passover, not full grown sheep, although rams were on the list at some times of sacrifice, as I recall.)
Very insightful. Worth reflecting on. My dietitian mother praised veal for its leaness. Now beef tallow seems to getting kudos. I've been priced out of lamb for ages. Would have tried mutton, but never see it offered.
I don't think I have ever seen any "mutton" labeled meat. Hmm, I wonder if maybe someone else has insight to that. Is all American labeled "lamb" really "lamb," or is it really "mutton"? The difference being lamb is a younger sheep of 1 yr or so and mutton being closer to 2 and older.
As Alan Watts said: "The world is a mutual eating society" We grow and need multiple sources of nutrition = vegetable and animal. Planting fields in crops deprives animals and insects of habitat. Our own yard land recycled plant and animal "garbage" feed animals and insects. (We take our meat scraps into our back land where the next day it is all gone feeding animals same with some plant scraps). In the old days, our own bodies when we were done with them would feed the insects and worms before we decided we needed to embalm and encrypt them or burn them into ash and air pollution. I know a number of people in rural areas who have opted for natural burial, I have done with my dogs and cats over the last 50 years.
* Side note: My wife and I were at odds about moving off our 80 acre place in 2000. I would have preferred to live out my life there where I had roots and even picked out the place for my natural burial, my wife got tired of the place and taking care of things. We moved. The new owners tore down every building and the house and put up a McMansion which raised their property tax from $3200 to $11, 000, after great expense for tearing down and hauling off the scrap of demolition of all the buildings. They were from Chicago.
What a terrible story ( the McMansion part) happy with the 11k property tax for them though. The wife and me are looking for 5/10 acres to have a little farm. I may do a large raised bed to create the garden. Chickens for sure. Bees absolutely. I grew up on a farm and raised animals. We had bees and use a ton of honey already. Hopefully it has a pond or water source too. The area I’ve been looking has this with streams or ponds. I’m still young enough to work hard as I’ve been retired since 50. Wife is done at 56/7 and then we are outta NJ for the next chapter. Cannot wait
Do it! Best of luck finding what you are looking for. Water is important we had two spring fed small streams within our land. But we were fronted by a river (2nd best trout stream in WI. and a spring coming out of a rock by the road fronting our property. There was a pipe driven into the rock so one could fill water jugs. I put a ladle there so people could take a drink.
I very much want a water source. I am a retired carpenter so I have plans for an underground bunker just in case. I fully support the 2A and all of our civil liberties. I was a Boy Scout so I believe in always being prepared
Even milk today that is on the Shelf is basically a feat of modern science. You’d think it was made the same as it was 50 years ago. Nope. Once it is free from the cow it gets stripped down and then the grades of milk get made. With vitamin d added plus the ingredient that keeps it from spoiling for like 2 weeks. My home state here in NJ denies us from having raw milk. We can drive to Pa. To get it but that’s a bit of a haul from where I live so I get gently pasteurized from a specialty farm that delivers. The taste is much better than anything you can get in a store which now that tastes like a poisonous science experiment. How’s that for a a law though. It is illegal to buy raw milk! F$%ckin NJ
My appreciation for poultry only grows; chickens offer the gift of quality protein in meat and eggs. Isn't it something that classes of philanthropists and health bureaucrats, steeped in arrogance and malice, feel compelled to run out to rural areas, control farm land, and kill off the flocks (reportedly 166 million birds culled during the Biden admin alone). And under what diabolical pretext? Disease prevention.
I thought that culling all of those birds for a diseased few was horrific!
I have always been a meat eater and fish-only when I was a kid-Catholic-. We were raised on raw milk from my grandparents cow and plenty of vegetables from their huge garden. I raised my own meat and vegetables in my 30s and gardened until I suffered a severe herniated disc and had a spinal fusion. I now buy pastured raised beef, chicken and pork directly from a farm and hit up the local farmers market for veggies 🥦
Gonna toss a spanner into the discussion re: Viking/Norse physical superiority — mitochondria. The Norsemen were an isolated society, not much mixing with the populations in the rest of Europe. Mitochondria are maternally passed on. Living in a harsh unforgiving land such as the European far north would have favored the strongest fittest (their human genetics AND the mitochondrial mtDNA), esp in the women - hence, it is no surprise to me that Norsemen were (might’a been) relative giants. When the towering norsemen conquered and settled in the new land AND TOOK ”BRIDES" from amongst the locals, that mitochondrial advantage would’a been lost - that AND a change in diet (favored by the local women - you cook what you know) would have worked together.
Fascinating post - I often regret we aren’t taught world history by factors other than industrial developments. I learned a great deal from this article, which makes such sense. I’m a flexible (fruit) carnivore now and feel 20 yrs younger. Protein from eggs and meat are staples and after two years, I wish I’d done this sooner. Funny how the scourge of covid opened the door to better choices in health and sources. Thank you for the most amazing history lesson!
I went vegan about 15 years ago and feel fine but I have actually been adding dairy and fish to my diet lately as I have the feeling veganism is not such a great idea. This article is very helpful to me in determining what kind of diet I want but not sure I can bring myself to eating meat. I will say that I have stopped encouraging others to give up meat especially my grandchildren. Thanks again for more eye openers.
Jill and I were vegetarian for decades. And increasingly not metabolically healthy. Switched to much more meat, lost weight, increased metabolic health and energy.
I am thankful to have found you but the thought of eating meat at this point makes me queezie. Did you just jump in or was it a gradual change? If you have an older post in the subject I would be happy to read it. Thanks and wishes for a very happy new year.
How would you describe your protein intake per meal? Every meal has protein source? What percentage of the plate has protein? 30%? 40%? 3-5oz? Per meal? Or does it matter? Just make sure animal protein is part of every meal?
I am limiting myself to 60 grams of protein per day, primarily due to kidney failure. That's down from 80 to 90 a day. At the same time, increased my vegetable and fruit intake which is a trick managing my blood sugar as a diabetic but it can be done. Have more energy and much more conscious of the protein quality I choose to consume.
I've been mostly vegan for 5 years. It did have a very positive effect on my blood work (lipids, A1C) initially but it's so hard to be faithful. And although I have not been able to identify any nutritional deficiencies, I feel like I don't quite have the vitality I once did so I'm adding back regularly salmon, eggs and occasional beef. I can say that it makes me somewhat happier. I think eating 'clean' (avoid ultra-processed foods, additives, seed oils) is a good idea no matter what. Good luck.
. . . consider that you BELIEVE your doctor-provided protocol, targeting lowered cholesterol leads to better health. Consider, on the other hand, this is a false premise.
Lower cholesterol is not relevant to extending your life.
Was a vegetarian for 10 years at first my health improved, then it went bad. Got autoimmune (graves)disease and had high blood glucose, I refused "medical treatment"I lost 60 pounds in 4 month and was emaciated. More than doctor told me I would die by refusing medical treatment. That was 2003, cleaned up diet started eating meat but most importantly fixed my gut. Took lots of probiotics , followed and still follow "The Makers Diet" I "cured" my through food! We Homestead and eat local meat.
Did you ever find a probiotic that REALLY worked? I have tried a number and only recently found one that is. . . just OK. It works, but . . . anyway, would love to hear more detail on the makers diet and your best probiotic "find"!
Ask your local butcher to cut out the best marbled rib eye, Chuck eye, and / or T bone steaks and cook them medium rare, rest for 5 or 10 minutes, then eat them with your best veggies with your eyes closed as your spouse feeds you and you / him.
Yes, Dr. R, a definitive cataloguing of historical facts. Brilliant and immensely helpful to today's population fed too much on group-think and opinion sans facts.
My own history mirrors your personal experience. I was an Australian swimming champion (Gold Medal 1954) and raised as a meat-eater, but switched to vegetarian around 1962 because the great Olympic distance swim Champ, Murray Rose, was a vegetarian, and opinion at the time was that this conferred an advantage.
I went full vegan which I continued for nearly ten years as I traveled to England and Europe to pursue my studies and business interests . . . my experience was that my health and vitality noticeably declined . . . but returning to animal protein restored my vitality and strength.
I'm still going strong at age 90, Murray Rose died age 73.
Fascinating, especially about the Vikings. My parents came from the Netherlands and the Dutch are known for their height. Must be all the dairy and fish they still regularly eat.
Growing up in the suburbs probably stymied the Dutch height in me a little. But having been in the farmland the past 40 years and benefiting from my wife's from-scratch 3 meals a day cooking with our farm products has helped me tremendously... after 2 open heart surgeries for aortic valve issues and only taking a baby aspirin, ubiquinol, and magnesium, I often put in 12 hour days here on our farm. I wouldn't trade it for anything,
Hopefully RFK, Jr's MAHA movement will provide a legacy for future generations of Americans to be stronger and more robust,
Hooboy - I will try to keep this down to 1000 words.
Twenty five years ago I decided Hubs and I needed to lose some pounds so I ventured into the Atkins diet = basically the start of low carb diets, keeping carb count to less than 40 per day. It worked. We lost weight. But I can't just do a thing. I am curious so I did a deep dive study on the topic and came to two conclusions - one, if you need to lose weight, pick a diet you can live with. Fad diets do more harm than good because the body reverts to survival mode and the metabolism slows to a near stop. So when you go off the diet you will quickly regain what you lost plus some, Second, there is a fine line between carbs and what I re-dubbed High Value Carbs - like fruit for example.
One of the sneakiest additions to our diets in so many ways is sugar. In my research I read Sugar Blues by William Duffy. Eye opening history of how the sugar industry rose. I researched the 'Food Pyramid' that in the fifties had wheat as the foundation, sponsored by - guess - the wheat industry. Duh.
Over the years I wrote a column for fabulousfoods.com sharing recipes. I published several cookbooks with high value carb recipes. I learned I don't have to count carbs. In the end it comes down to eating clean and fresh and avoiding processed sugar.
Ha! Actually portion size is often controlled by appetite which changes with the kinds of food we eat. Protein digests much slower than empty carbs so we fill full longer. Sugar is converted and almost instantly kicks in the process of glucose being grabbed and pushed around to our cells. Guess which cell in the body has no limit to growth - the fat cell. So, when every other cell has been filled to capacity, the fat cells get the remainder.
Lot's of historical events point to the basic causes of ill health. Assisi, Italy was built on a side of a hill for two reasons. Defense and having the rain wash the human waste that was thrown out the window into the coble stone streets and have the rains flush the waste out of the city. As American farming became mechanized, the family farm could not support all the children and they moved into cities to find work. Reversing it is a real challenge, because survival skills need to be taught. Most today don't have a clue.
When my MIL passed in 2020 during covid there was bidding wars on real estate in Pine Hill NY. The elite "cidiots" wanted to escape the NYC toilet . We sold her house for about 8% over asking and it went in a couple weeks with a cash sale.
I actually picked that phrase up from a good friend just down the road from Pine Hill in Boiceville! You probably know the Russian excavation business owner.
Well that explains why they're trying to eliminate our rural areas. They're good for people. And healthy. Exactly the opposite of what they want for us!
Very true, Karen. I believe what they want from us is obedience so they can control us more easily. My heart tells me I’m a farmer, but my spirit longs for the sea. My wife put up with me living on our boat for over twenty years. So in our retirement, in deference to her wants, we bought a house. Unfortunately, it is a Villa within a condo association, and too little room for even a small vegetable garden.
How lucky you were to live on your boat for 20 years! Sounds glorious!! We live in a similar situation that you are now. No room for a garden, and SO many restrictions on everything. I call HOA's little commie villages, as a small amount of people control almost every aspect of our lives.
You’re so right, Karen. We love our little cottage, but my sense of civil responsibility led me to join the association board. All great people, but any homeowners association, just doesn’t fit my ideas of freedom and liberty.
Thank you for this comprehensive history of humans and how diets have changed our health. I saw your posting on X this morning and shared it with my husband. It’s amazing how much of a difference eating meats rather than grains can make. It seems that Americans have been encouraged to eat less meat over my lifetime. With the increased emphasis on less processed foods and lower carbohydrates it is past time to adopt a more protein rich diet that includes various fish, fowl and meats. Thank you for pointing out the importance.
For several years now, we only eat humanely raised and slaughtered grass fed and finished beef, pork and lamb. Organic chicken only if truly free range. Unpasteurized cheese and local eggs from a nearby farm where I can actually see the chickens and ducks foraging. Wild caught fish and shrimp, cooked lobster from Newfoundland that do not boil the lobsters live. I still have reservations eating an animal. I have childhood memories of feeding a pet rabbit, then learning we were eating him next time; watching my dad chop the head off a chicken, my mother plucking the feathers. Strangely, I do not recall being overly upset as a child. Today, I watch the transport truck carrying pigs and I cringe and have to get away from it; my heart aches.
That was a cruel awakening for a child, Helen. My dad and I raised rabbits (in the city, no less) our agreement was that the older mother and father rabbit was hands off for eating, but the younger ones to eat made sense, too many to keep as pets. But I loved and took care of them the same and gave thanks for the nourishment. My dad was extremely humane killing them and it still was hard on him.
You know DD it's funny how it only affected me when I became an adult and these memories came to me, but not in a frightening way. My mom said the rabbit and chickens were intended to feed us which is why we always gave thanks for the food at dinner time. I still give thanks when I eat meat; not so much when I make mac and cheese LOL!
This topic of diet is always going to be debated, as different bodies seem to need different types of nourishment. What we don't need are chemically loaded foods of any kind. Balance is best, if you ask me. Funny how people can get on a bandwagon calling one diet superior over another, and then switch to the opposite bandwagon. There are some tried and true basics, but just like health treatments, not one size fits all...
That was a very interesting lesson in historical nutrition and the consequences of urban development! I live in the SF Bay area and even here with our Berkeley Bowl and many Whole Foods it can be challenging to get food with real vitality left in it. I've been noticing over the last decade or more how vegetables that are supposed to be green aren't. The broccoli may have a thin green layer on the stem but the rest is white and the heads are not the deep green they are supposed to be but rather anemic. And carrots are getting less orange.
I used to live close to Amish country in Pennsylvania and one of the benefits was the multitude of roadside vegetable and fruit stands with direct from the garden produce. Also the easy access to raw milk and fresh dairy products. Back in the 80s when I used to accompany a physician mentor on his weekly trips to the Kimberton Waldorf School and the Camp Hill Village we would talk about nutrition and farming. I remember him telling me even back then about a study analysing carrots from around the country showing that many had surprising low levels of B- carotene!
What you do is inspiring. Not everyone can be homesteaders though. It saddens me that there aren't more organic or biodynamic CSAs around that folks like me can live close to and support.
Good article. But what we have experienced from this urban flight is urbanization of our formerly rural area. Not liking it much.
And ginormous warehouses built over ancient meadows because there was no more room in urban Atlanta for the behemoths that house millions of things humans buy and then have to pay monthly for smaller storage units to put the excess in. The wildlife has fled to what is left of rural land and forests. We hold on to our 14 acres and pond like it is the last stand.
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe. - Thomas Jefferson
The one positive thing a city does is allow millions of people to occupy a minimal amount of area. Ironically, in that respect, cities are good for the environment. But as you noted Micheal, when they move out you start getting urban sprawl.
Well actually that's not a good thing, the millions piled upon each other is part of what the doctors are talking about in this essay.
Same here. And the political shift came as well. Urban based politics come with them, even though it does not address or help the rural problems. One big change has been the centralized government schools whereas the smaller local school were quite adequate for most things except skills based high school classes such as shop class, auto and machine maintenance, welding. Though, on farms kids learned a lot of that from their fathers and neighbors.
The greatest financial impact with central schools has been the property taxes to support these schools, the tracks, football and baseball fields, swimming pools and school buses everyone needs to ferry the kids back and forth.
Most of the population has no idea that chicken has a “taste” and it’s wonderful. When you purchase it from your local supermarket it will have zero taste. You may as well be eating tofu or some other gelatinous form of meat that is plant based. Humans need animal proteins as Doc wrote it makes a huge difference in our health. It has been documented for millennia. Vegetarians who for whatever reason refuse to eat meat supplement their diets with proteins through pills or shakes. It costs a lot to buy these supplements when all you need to do is eat a burger or steak or chicken which tastes amazing and much cheaper. Had myself a filet mignon last night and it was ah-mazing! It’s what is called being on top of the food chain and we should be thankful for the animals who nourish us. Getting back to growing and raising your own food is paramount to a healthy life. I can’t wait to get back to it. 2 more years!
We eat eggs and dairy products, but cannot eat animals that used to be alive. We understand the benefits of eating meat, but just cannot bring ourselves to do it.
Heck, we don't even kill spiders that come into our house; we use a hand vac to collect them and then release them outside. What softies! Plus, spiders eat other bugs and thus are good for the environment.
You know Doc and his wife were not meat eaters either. I get your stand on the living animals and that’s noble but God put them here for a reason and that is to nourish us I believe so their sacrifice isn’t in vain. I’m not trying to change your mind here it’s just that you can look at it from many sides.
Yes, we’ve looked at this from many sides. We ate meat as kids. But over the years, despite listening to all sides and experiences, we’re still uncomfortable with eating animals. (Again, we do eat their lovely eggs and dairy products.)
Like I said I wasn’t attempting to change your mind. Having convictions are good and it’s a noble cause. Eggs and diary will work.
I remember Edgar Cayce saying that the fish willingly give themselves to us for food. I'll see if I can find that statement again. My leaning is that eating flesh tends to make our subtle bodies heavy and less finely tuned to the ethers (aether).
Then there is also the karmic cycle and entanglement. I've been a vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs) for over half a century, and so far no comorbidities, no chronic conditions, no prescriptions, and have plenty of energy with a decent BMI. So some of the statements in this article I'll take with a grain of salt (but not too much!).
That is fascinating information. My mother drank 3 to 4 glasses of milk a day. We had a milk cow . When we no longer had a milk cow she drank whole milk. She had arthritis in her hips and had surgery. The surgeon came out and told her she had the bones of a 22 year old male. She was in her late 70’s. I read part of an article from RFK Jr that said in so many words that the gluten problem is due to glyphosate. I believe this. My grandson cannot eat gluten. It makes him sick. He can eat my baked goods because I make them with organic flour. Eating healthy is important. Moderation in all things. My mom told me growing up the eggs are a complete food. They are good for you. We never stopped eating them when the FDA said they caused high cholesterol.
Have a great day!
It is my understanding that home ground flour will allow one who is allergic to gluten to eat bread products. So, perhaps in addition to your organic flour. . . ??
I have organic wheat I grind. I don’t use all whole wheat flour. I make have wheat half white. I really believe it is the sprays like glyphosate that causes the problems
Melanie, I bought my wife a book on grinding flour for Christmas, so this concept has been ON my mind a bit. . .
Selfish plan though-- I am the one with the gut problem!
Wondering which mill you have and / or would recommend?
I think the book was written by a lady who sells the flour down in Athens Georgia, maybe Atlanta area. . .?
I have a Nutrimill. I really like it. I would start out making bread with organic white flour first, then try making a 1/3 wheat flour. Make sure it is organic. Your body will need to get use to the fiber. You can add a little more wheat flour as your body gets use to it. I use honey instead of sugar for the dough.
I would note our beloved Doctors, on their Doctors advice, began eating meat. Having followed them, via Substack - the progress well documents the impact. So glad it wasn't too late. From gout and clear discomfort to blacksmithing and productive farming.
I expect eggs, cheese and maybe fish are a workable substitute.
For myself, having my fare having had a life worth living makes a difference. Raising one's own on a homestead or farm offers that opportunity
I, personally, don't do veal.
As a beef producer, I encourage everyone to enjoy lean, grass-fed beef several times a week. God provides us with an amazing variety of wonderful things to eat. Bless His Name and enjoy His provision!
I hated the very idea of veal when I learned where it came from. Then I talked to a young lady at the county fair who was raising a dairy calf. Unfortunately the calf turned out to be a male. She was the one who pointed out that a dairy has no use for all the males, so these off spring were always going to have a short life. Her view that turning them into a meal was much more respectful of their usefulness and sacrifice. In other words, putting these young males on the plate was more beneficial and respectful of their worth that slaughtering them for the garbage heap. I personally have no taste for veal still, but can now at least reject my view of it being totally barbaric. (side note: young , perfect lambs were the sacrifice of choice for the Temple and Passover, not full grown sheep, although rams were on the list at some times of sacrifice, as I recall.)
Very insightful. Worth reflecting on. My dietitian mother praised veal for its leaness. Now beef tallow seems to getting kudos. I've been priced out of lamb for ages. Would have tried mutton, but never see it offered.
I don't think I have ever seen any "mutton" labeled meat. Hmm, I wonder if maybe someone else has insight to that. Is all American labeled "lamb" really "lamb," or is it really "mutton"? The difference being lamb is a younger sheep of 1 yr or so and mutton being closer to 2 and older.
Yea. I’m not a big veal guy either. I also don’t eat much pork. Bacon of course and ribs in the summer time but that’s about it there for me.
Gave up pork when I learned of the mRNA injections.
My son in law is raising cows, grass fed.
Animals eat each other, so part of the system. Maybe sad in away, but then we all pass on, so a demise one way or another.
As Alan Watts said: "The world is a mutual eating society" We grow and need multiple sources of nutrition = vegetable and animal. Planting fields in crops deprives animals and insects of habitat. Our own yard land recycled plant and animal "garbage" feed animals and insects. (We take our meat scraps into our back land where the next day it is all gone feeding animals same with some plant scraps). In the old days, our own bodies when we were done with them would feed the insects and worms before we decided we needed to embalm and encrypt them or burn them into ash and air pollution. I know a number of people in rural areas who have opted for natural burial, I have done with my dogs and cats over the last 50 years.
* Side note: My wife and I were at odds about moving off our 80 acre place in 2000. I would have preferred to live out my life there where I had roots and even picked out the place for my natural burial, my wife got tired of the place and taking care of things. We moved. The new owners tore down every building and the house and put up a McMansion which raised their property tax from $3200 to $11, 000, after great expense for tearing down and hauling off the scrap of demolition of all the buildings. They were from Chicago.
What a terrible story ( the McMansion part) happy with the 11k property tax for them though. The wife and me are looking for 5/10 acres to have a little farm. I may do a large raised bed to create the garden. Chickens for sure. Bees absolutely. I grew up on a farm and raised animals. We had bees and use a ton of honey already. Hopefully it has a pond or water source too. The area I’ve been looking has this with streams or ponds. I’m still young enough to work hard as I’ve been retired since 50. Wife is done at 56/7 and then we are outta NJ for the next chapter. Cannot wait
Do it! Best of luck finding what you are looking for. Water is important we had two spring fed small streams within our land. But we were fronted by a river (2nd best trout stream in WI. and a spring coming out of a rock by the road fronting our property. There was a pipe driven into the rock so one could fill water jugs. I put a ladle there so people could take a drink.
I very much want a water source. I am a retired carpenter so I have plans for an underground bunker just in case. I fully support the 2A and all of our civil liberties. I was a Boy Scout so I believe in always being prepared
There's no shortage of spiders. Removing a few from the population wouldn't upset the predator/prey balance in your local ecosystem.
But so many of us read Charlotte's Web!
If one of them communicates, don't kill it!
My grandmother (born ~ 1900) had said the same thing: meat doesn't taste the same.
Even milk today that is on the Shelf is basically a feat of modern science. You’d think it was made the same as it was 50 years ago. Nope. Once it is free from the cow it gets stripped down and then the grades of milk get made. With vitamin d added plus the ingredient that keeps it from spoiling for like 2 weeks. My home state here in NJ denies us from having raw milk. We can drive to Pa. To get it but that’s a bit of a haul from where I live so I get gently pasteurized from a specialty farm that delivers. The taste is much better than anything you can get in a store which now that tastes like a poisonous science experiment. How’s that for a a law though. It is illegal to buy raw milk! F$%ckin NJ
My appreciation for poultry only grows; chickens offer the gift of quality protein in meat and eggs. Isn't it something that classes of philanthropists and health bureaucrats, steeped in arrogance and malice, feel compelled to run out to rural areas, control farm land, and kill off the flocks (reportedly 166 million birds culled during the Biden admin alone). And under what diabolical pretext? Disease prevention.
I thought that culling all of those birds for a diseased few was horrific!
I have always been a meat eater and fish-only when I was a kid-Catholic-. We were raised on raw milk from my grandparents cow and plenty of vegetables from their huge garden. I raised my own meat and vegetables in my 30s and gardened until I suffered a severe herniated disc and had a spinal fusion. I now buy pastured raised beef, chicken and pork directly from a farm and hit up the local farmers market for veggies 🥦
You have adapted in the best possible way.
Gonna toss a spanner into the discussion re: Viking/Norse physical superiority — mitochondria. The Norsemen were an isolated society, not much mixing with the populations in the rest of Europe. Mitochondria are maternally passed on. Living in a harsh unforgiving land such as the European far north would have favored the strongest fittest (their human genetics AND the mitochondrial mtDNA), esp in the women - hence, it is no surprise to me that Norsemen were (might’a been) relative giants. When the towering norsemen conquered and settled in the new land AND TOOK ”BRIDES" from amongst the locals, that mitochondrial advantage would’a been lost - that AND a change in diet (favored by the local women - you cook what you know) would have worked together.
Yet we still have "Tall Nordics" in Outer Space.
Fascinating post - I often regret we aren’t taught world history by factors other than industrial developments. I learned a great deal from this article, which makes such sense. I’m a flexible (fruit) carnivore now and feel 20 yrs younger. Protein from eggs and meat are staples and after two years, I wish I’d done this sooner. Funny how the scourge of covid opened the door to better choices in health and sources. Thank you for the most amazing history lesson!
I went vegan about 15 years ago and feel fine but I have actually been adding dairy and fish to my diet lately as I have the feeling veganism is not such a great idea. This article is very helpful to me in determining what kind of diet I want but not sure I can bring myself to eating meat. I will say that I have stopped encouraging others to give up meat especially my grandchildren. Thanks again for more eye openers.
Jill and I were vegetarian for decades. And increasingly not metabolically healthy. Switched to much more meat, lost weight, increased metabolic health and energy.
I am thankful to have found you but the thought of eating meat at this point makes me queezie. Did you just jump in or was it a gradual change? If you have an older post in the subject I would be happy to read it. Thanks and wishes for a very happy new year.
We jumped in - as my doc insisted that I was further damaging my heart (mRNA vaccine damage) by continuing as a vegetarian.
So, we decided to try basically a paleo diet for a month and never looked back.
If your issue is an ethical one, perhaps look for the "Natural Causes" brand - scouring the world for stuff that's already dead! : )
Earl, in my neck of the woods we call that roadkill. 😂
Exactly my experience and am so much healthier for the switch.
thank you for letting us know what you both have experienced switching from being vegetarians to eating meat. Weight loss too.
How would you describe your protein intake per meal? Every meal has protein source? What percentage of the plate has protein? 30%? 40%? 3-5oz? Per meal? Or does it matter? Just make sure animal protein is part of every meal?
I am limiting myself to 60 grams of protein per day, primarily due to kidney failure. That's down from 80 to 90 a day. At the same time, increased my vegetable and fruit intake which is a trick managing my blood sugar as a diabetic but it can be done. Have more energy and much more conscious of the protein quality I choose to consume.
I've been mostly vegan for 5 years. It did have a very positive effect on my blood work (lipids, A1C) initially but it's so hard to be faithful. And although I have not been able to identify any nutritional deficiencies, I feel like I don't quite have the vitality I once did so I'm adding back regularly salmon, eggs and occasional beef. I can say that it makes me somewhat happier. I think eating 'clean' (avoid ultra-processed foods, additives, seed oils) is a good idea no matter what. Good luck.
your "positive effect". . . blood work.
. . . consider that you BELIEVE your doctor-provided protocol, targeting lowered cholesterol leads to better health. Consider, on the other hand, this is a false premise.
Lower cholesterol is not relevant to extending your life.
https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/books-by-dr-malcolm-kendrick/the-clot-thickens/
Was a vegetarian for 10 years at first my health improved, then it went bad. Got autoimmune (graves)disease and had high blood glucose, I refused "medical treatment"I lost 60 pounds in 4 month and was emaciated. More than doctor told me I would die by refusing medical treatment. That was 2003, cleaned up diet started eating meat but most importantly fixed my gut. Took lots of probiotics , followed and still follow "The Makers Diet" I "cured" my through food! We Homestead and eat local meat.
Any advice on probiotics?
I use Dr Mercola complete probiotics I also use his full spectrum enzymes
Did you ever find a probiotic that REALLY worked? I have tried a number and only recently found one that is. . . just OK. It works, but . . . anyway, would love to hear more detail on the makers diet and your best probiotic "find"!
I can offer a FIX for you.
Ask your local butcher to cut out the best marbled rib eye, Chuck eye, and / or T bone steaks and cook them medium rare, rest for 5 or 10 minutes, then eat them with your best veggies with your eyes closed as your spouse feeds you and you / him.
Enjoy every bite slowly.
You will be henceforth "meat"-pilled.
Many I know who have been vegan have started by incorporating eggs in the diet, slowly. Hopefully you are using raw dairy.
Yes, Dr. R, a definitive cataloguing of historical facts. Brilliant and immensely helpful to today's population fed too much on group-think and opinion sans facts.
My own history mirrors your personal experience. I was an Australian swimming champion (Gold Medal 1954) and raised as a meat-eater, but switched to vegetarian around 1962 because the great Olympic distance swim Champ, Murray Rose, was a vegetarian, and opinion at the time was that this conferred an advantage.
I went full vegan which I continued for nearly ten years as I traveled to England and Europe to pursue my studies and business interests . . . my experience was that my health and vitality noticeably declined . . . but returning to animal protein restored my vitality and strength.
I'm still going strong at age 90, Murray Rose died age 73.
good one. . .
"the Rest of the story"
Fascinating, especially about the Vikings. My parents came from the Netherlands and the Dutch are known for their height. Must be all the dairy and fish they still regularly eat.
Growing up in the suburbs probably stymied the Dutch height in me a little. But having been in the farmland the past 40 years and benefiting from my wife's from-scratch 3 meals a day cooking with our farm products has helped me tremendously... after 2 open heart surgeries for aortic valve issues and only taking a baby aspirin, ubiquinol, and magnesium, I often put in 12 hour days here on our farm. I wouldn't trade it for anything,
Hopefully RFK, Jr's MAHA movement will provide a legacy for future generations of Americans to be stronger and more robust,
Hooboy - I will try to keep this down to 1000 words.
Twenty five years ago I decided Hubs and I needed to lose some pounds so I ventured into the Atkins diet = basically the start of low carb diets, keeping carb count to less than 40 per day. It worked. We lost weight. But I can't just do a thing. I am curious so I did a deep dive study on the topic and came to two conclusions - one, if you need to lose weight, pick a diet you can live with. Fad diets do more harm than good because the body reverts to survival mode and the metabolism slows to a near stop. So when you go off the diet you will quickly regain what you lost plus some, Second, there is a fine line between carbs and what I re-dubbed High Value Carbs - like fruit for example.
One of the sneakiest additions to our diets in so many ways is sugar. In my research I read Sugar Blues by William Duffy. Eye opening history of how the sugar industry rose. I researched the 'Food Pyramid' that in the fifties had wheat as the foundation, sponsored by - guess - the wheat industry. Duh.
Over the years I wrote a column for fabulousfoods.com sharing recipes. I published several cookbooks with high value carb recipes. I learned I don't have to count carbs. In the end it comes down to eating clean and fresh and avoiding processed sugar.
Well, when I hit 230 lbs decided something had to give and that turned out to be portion size. Have not changed anything else and now am at 200 lbs.
Yes, portion size matters.
Like. It certainly does. In the past, I thought the proper portion was eat until you can’t eat anymore. Another proof of my naïvety.
Ha! Actually portion size is often controlled by appetite which changes with the kinds of food we eat. Protein digests much slower than empty carbs so we fill full longer. Sugar is converted and almost instantly kicks in the process of glucose being grabbed and pushed around to our cells. Guess which cell in the body has no limit to growth - the fat cell. So, when every other cell has been filled to capacity, the fat cells get the remainder.
One shared by many!
Lot's of historical events point to the basic causes of ill health. Assisi, Italy was built on a side of a hill for two reasons. Defense and having the rain wash the human waste that was thrown out the window into the coble stone streets and have the rains flush the waste out of the city. As American farming became mechanized, the family farm could not support all the children and they moved into cities to find work. Reversing it is a real challenge, because survival skills need to be taught. Most today don't have a clue.
I hope, for our sake, that not too many people read this post.
We don't need any more "cidiots" coming to rural America.
All one needs to do is study the downfall of my once conservative great state of Maine to understand my position.
I like your "cidiots" first time I heard that.
When my MIL passed in 2020 during covid there was bidding wars on real estate in Pine Hill NY. The elite "cidiots" wanted to escape the NYC toilet . We sold her house for about 8% over asking and it went in a couple weeks with a cash sale.
It's a small world.
I actually picked that phrase up from a good friend just down the road from Pine Hill in Boiceville! You probably know the Russian excavation business owner.
My wife is the one from Pine Hill. I was around there for about 10 years back and forth to central NY.
Small world is right!
Well that explains why they're trying to eliminate our rural areas. They're good for people. And healthy. Exactly the opposite of what they want for us!
Very true, Karen. I believe what they want from us is obedience so they can control us more easily. My heart tells me I’m a farmer, but my spirit longs for the sea. My wife put up with me living on our boat for over twenty years. So in our retirement, in deference to her wants, we bought a house. Unfortunately, it is a Villa within a condo association, and too little room for even a small vegetable garden.
How lucky you were to live on your boat for 20 years! Sounds glorious!! We live in a similar situation that you are now. No room for a garden, and SO many restrictions on everything. I call HOA's little commie villages, as a small amount of people control almost every aspect of our lives.
You’re so right, Karen. We love our little cottage, but my sense of civil responsibility led me to join the association board. All great people, but any homeowners association, just doesn’t fit my ideas of freedom and liberty.
thanks for confirming once again why I will NEVER buy into an HOA home.
Thank you for this comprehensive history of humans and how diets have changed our health. I saw your posting on X this morning and shared it with my husband. It’s amazing how much of a difference eating meats rather than grains can make. It seems that Americans have been encouraged to eat less meat over my lifetime. With the increased emphasis on less processed foods and lower carbohydrates it is past time to adopt a more protein rich diet that includes various fish, fowl and meats. Thank you for pointing out the importance.
For several years now, we only eat humanely raised and slaughtered grass fed and finished beef, pork and lamb. Organic chicken only if truly free range. Unpasteurized cheese and local eggs from a nearby farm where I can actually see the chickens and ducks foraging. Wild caught fish and shrimp, cooked lobster from Newfoundland that do not boil the lobsters live. I still have reservations eating an animal. I have childhood memories of feeding a pet rabbit, then learning we were eating him next time; watching my dad chop the head off a chicken, my mother plucking the feathers. Strangely, I do not recall being overly upset as a child. Today, I watch the transport truck carrying pigs and I cringe and have to get away from it; my heart aches.
That was a cruel awakening for a child, Helen. My dad and I raised rabbits (in the city, no less) our agreement was that the older mother and father rabbit was hands off for eating, but the younger ones to eat made sense, too many to keep as pets. But I loved and took care of them the same and gave thanks for the nourishment. My dad was extremely humane killing them and it still was hard on him.
You know DD it's funny how it only affected me when I became an adult and these memories came to me, but not in a frightening way. My mom said the rabbit and chickens were intended to feed us which is why we always gave thanks for the food at dinner time. I still give thanks when I eat meat; not so much when I make mac and cheese LOL!
This topic of diet is always going to be debated, as different bodies seem to need different types of nourishment. What we don't need are chemically loaded foods of any kind. Balance is best, if you ask me. Funny how people can get on a bandwagon calling one diet superior over another, and then switch to the opposite bandwagon. There are some tried and true basics, but just like health treatments, not one size fits all...
That was a very interesting lesson in historical nutrition and the consequences of urban development! I live in the SF Bay area and even here with our Berkeley Bowl and many Whole Foods it can be challenging to get food with real vitality left in it. I've been noticing over the last decade or more how vegetables that are supposed to be green aren't. The broccoli may have a thin green layer on the stem but the rest is white and the heads are not the deep green they are supposed to be but rather anemic. And carrots are getting less orange.
I used to live close to Amish country in Pennsylvania and one of the benefits was the multitude of roadside vegetable and fruit stands with direct from the garden produce. Also the easy access to raw milk and fresh dairy products. Back in the 80s when I used to accompany a physician mentor on his weekly trips to the Kimberton Waldorf School and the Camp Hill Village we would talk about nutrition and farming. I remember him telling me even back then about a study analysing carrots from around the country showing that many had surprising low levels of B- carotene!
What you do is inspiring. Not everyone can be homesteaders though. It saddens me that there aren't more organic or biodynamic CSAs around that folks like me can live close to and support.
We call “Whole Foods” “Woke Foods” where I live…..
Yup, can't argue with that.