Do You Embrace the Omnivore’s Diet?
I do.
People often assume I’m vegan or vegetarian because I grow vegetables. No sir. No ma’am. Let me set the record straight—I am an omnivore through and through.
I eat meat. Quite alot actually.
And I know where it comes from.
I eat 100% grass-fed beef and lamb, wild-caught fish, pastured pork and chicken, venison, and other wild meats.
The problem with the meat in the grocery store is you don’t know where it came from or what it was fed or how it was treated.
Ya know how I say ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’? I abide by that in my own diet. I like to know where all my food comes from. The meat I sell through the CSA is the meat I feed my own family.
While high-quality, ethically raised meat is an important part of my diet, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
My plate is also piled high with organic vegetables. I eat a variety of veggies, fruits, seeds and beans, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense animal products like pastured eggs, butter, and raw milk cheese.
I believe in eating mostly plants, complemented by healthy, high-quality animal products and fats to create a truly balanced and nourishing diet.
A Word About Fat
Fat is good—let’s just get that straight. Healthy fats from pastured butter, olive oil, avocados, and raw milk cheese are essential for brain health, hormone balance, and energy. Pastured eggs are another staple, providing high-quality protein and essential nutrients like choline, which supports brain and liver health. Stay away from seed oils. They are poisoning us. More on that in another blog.
By choosing pastured and grass-fed animal products, I’m not just supporting ethical farming practices—I’m nourishing my body with nutrient-dense foods that fuel me for the hard work of farming and living life to the fullest.
I mean it takes a lot to fuel this brain and keep up with teenagers!
Why Veganism Doesn’t Work for Me (And Maybe Not for You Either)
While veganism appeals to many as an ethical and environmental choice, it doesn’t always support long-term health. Several studies indicate that vegan diets can lead to deficiencies in critical nutrients like Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids—all essential for maintaining energy levels, cognitive function, and overall health.
Plant-based diets can work for some, but they require meticulous planning and supplementation to fill the nutritional gaps. For example, B12, a vitamin critical for brain health and red blood cell production, is only naturally available in animal products. Without it, vegans are at risk of anemia, fatigue, and neurological issues.
Another challenge is getting enough quality protein. Animal proteins are complete, providing all the essential amino acids your body needs. And more and more research is pointing to needing to eat up to a gram of protein for every pound of body weight. That’s a lot of beans and nuts!
If you choose to go vegan, there’s no room for junk food. You can’t live on Oreos and call it healthy veganism. Whole, nutrient-dense foods must make up the majority of your diet, which is no small task.
I was a vegetarian for most of my twenties. I chose to stop eating meat due to land/water issues. I carried an extra 10- 15 pounds and I had a lot of cravings. Looking back, I know it just didn’t work for my body.
Now I understand with regenerative farming, raising animals on good quality pasture makes good environmental and ecological sense. Grazing animals on grasslands can help heal depleted soils around the world.
Five Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed and Pastured Meats
Red meat has gotten a bad rap. I’m telling you it’s just not true.
- Higher Nutritional Value
Grass-fed meat is richer in omega-3 fatty acids, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), and antioxidants like Vitamin E, all of which support heart health, reduce inflammation and may lower the risk of chronic diseases.
- Better for the Environment
Well-managed pastures sequester carbon, reduce erosion, and support biodiversity, making grass-fed farming more sustainable than grain-fed operations.
- Ethical Treatment of Animals
Pastured animals live in more natural, humane conditions, grazing freely rather than being confined to overcrowded feedlots. Pastured animals are usually raised by smaller farms who are good stewards of their land and animals.
- Superior Taste
The varied diet of pasture-raised animals creates meat with richer, more complex flavors compared to CAFO-produced meat. There is a fresher scent and flavor to grass-fed meat that I’ve come to look for and love.
- Supports Local Farmers
Choosing grass-fed and pastured meats supports small-scale, sustainable farms and keeps money in your local community.
Three Reasons to Avoid CAFO Meat
What is a CAFO?
CAFO stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, a system where large numbers of animals are confined in small spaces and fed grain-based diets to promote rapid growth.
-
Poor Animal and Human Welfare
CAFOs are notorious for inhumane conditions. Animals are kept in overcrowded, unsanitary environments with limited or no access to pasture, leading to stress and disease. Don’t think for a minute that stress and disease don’t change the quality of the meat.
As for human welfare; manure pits are very dangerous. A tragic example highlighting these dangers occurred in June 2024 at Champion Farm in Clinton, New York. Two off-duty volunteer firefighters, Tyler Memory and Nathan Doody, died after falling into a manure tank filled with toxic fumes. One man fell into the tank while attempting to retrieve equipment, and the other perished in a rescue attempt. The fumes, potentially including hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, led to unconsciousness and death within minutes.
This incident is not isolated. In 2016, two workers in Idaho lost their lives in similar circumstances. Alberto Navarro Munoz had been working at a farm for only two weeks when his tractor tipped over into a manure pit. Earlier that year, Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera drove a truck into a manure pit after snowmelt flooded the area, making it challenging to distinguish from the road. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed fines of approximately $5,000 on the farms involved in these deaths.
These tragedies underscore the hazardous working conditions within CAFOs, where exposure to toxic gases from manure pits can result in fatalities. So instead of the need for improved safety protocols what if we all vote for raising animals in conditions that don’t call for manure pits? Old fashioned farming can protect farmworkers from preventable deaths.
-
Health Risks
CAFO meats often contain residues of antibiotics and hormones used to promote growth and prevent disease. Overuse of antibiotics in CAFOs contributes to antibiotic resistance, a growing public health crisis.
Why Cows Are Fed So Many Antibiotics in a CAFO
Cows raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are often fed a diet rich in grains such as corn and soy, instead of grass, which is their natural food source. This unnatural diet creates multiple health problems for the animals, leading to the widespread use of antibiotics.
Cows Are Meant to Eat Grass, Not Grain
Cows are ruminants, meaning their stomachs are specially designed to digest fibrous plant materials like grass through a process of fermentation in their rumen. A diet of grain, while calorie-dense and cheap, disrupts this delicate digestive system.
– Acidosis: Grain diets lower the pH of the rumen, causing acidosis—a condition that can lead to ulcers, liver abscesses, and other serious health issues.
– Weakened Immune Systems: Grain-fed cows are more prone to illnesses, such as infections and respiratory diseases, due to stress and weakened immune systems.
– Rapid Weight Gain: Grain accelerates growth and fattening but at the expense of the cows’ overall health and well-being.
The Role of Antibiotics in CAFOs
To manage the health problems caused by grain diets and the stressful, overcrowded living conditions, CAFOs rely heavily on antibiotics.
– Disease Prevention: The confined, unsanitary conditions in CAFOs make cows highly susceptible to infections, necessitating regular antibiotic use to prevent outbreaks.
– Growth Promotion: Antibiotics are often used to promote faster growth, as they alter gut bacteria and increase feed efficiency.
The overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming has dire consequences for human health, primarily by accelerating the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
What Is Antibiotic Resistance Exactly?
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve to survive exposure to antibiotics that were once effective at killing them. These resistant bacteria can spread to humans through:
– Direct Contact: Farmworkers handling animals or manure.
– Food Supply: Contaminated meat and dairy products.
– Environment: Water and soil polluted by runoff from CAFOs.
Have you heard of MERSA? Yep. It kills a lot of people annually.
The Human Impact
– Hard-to-Treat Infections: Infections caused by resistant bacteria are more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. Common infections like urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and sepsis can become life-threatening.
– Increased Mortality: Each year, antibiotic-resistant infections claim the lives of an estimated 1.2 million people globally, with projections suggesting this could rise significantly in the coming decades.
-Economic Costs: Prolonged hospital stays, expensive treatments, and lost productivity due to resistant infections strain healthcare systems and economies.
The Cycle of Resistance
CAFOs create a perfect storm for resistance. The routine use of antibiotics fosters the growth of resistant bacteria, which can then spread through the food chain, waterways, and human populations. As these bacteria evolve, they render our existing antibiotics ineffective, leaving fewer options for treating infections.
-
Environmental Damage
CAFOs produce massive amounts of waste, often stored in lagoons that can contaminate water supplies and release harmful greenhouse gases like methane and ammonia.
Final Thoughts: The Joy of Being an Omnivore
Eating a diet rich in organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, and pastured animal products allows me to feel connected to my food and ensures I’m nourishing my body with high-quality, nutrient-dense options. I believe in honoring the animals we consume by choosing products from farmers and ranchers who raise them ethically and sustainably.
Being an omnivore isn’t just about preference—it’s about balance, health, and sustainability. With a focus on eating the rainbow, incorporating healthy fats, and selecting high-quality animal products, I’ve found a way of eating that keeps me thriving, energized, and deeply satisfied.
That said I have no judgment for vegetarians or vegans. I simply wanted to share my own experience of eating and to set the record straight.
If you are looking for a great source of locally sourced food including organic veggies, pastured non-GMO eggs, raw milk local cheese, grass-fed, pastured local meat, and organic sourdough bread you can source all of these items through the Oak Spring Farm CSA. You can also find them through local farmers’ markets. Ask farmers about their practices and do your research on how food is raised and the many differences between conventionally grown and pasture-raised animals.
I hope this blog has informed you, and not overwhelmed you. Eating is one of the most important acts we do daily for our body, mind and soul. Food can connect us to ourselves, our planet, and each other or it can isolate us. It’s our choice with every meal. Happy Eating.
Please click here to learn more about our CSA. Please forward this blog to a friend who may find it informative.
Sign up Today for 2025 Warm season CSASign up with one simple down payment then pay weekly as you go.
However and wherever you source your food. Buy local. Support local farms and farmers!
Cheers,
Lisa
