How to Source your Meats & Read Labels

The more I learn about nutrition, the more I realize the importance of sourcing your food properly. If your budget allows, it is best for your family to always reach for the most natural form of an animal. An animal that is being raised in its natural environment, eating it’s natural diet, will produce the best proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals for you. That said, here is a guide to sourcing the most nutritious animal meat and by-products.

Chicken

Cage-Free vs. Free-Range vs. Pasture-Raised and Humane Certifications

Cage-free animals are not caged, but this doesn’t mean they’re in wide, open spaces. They are usually living in tight, confined quarters.

Free-range means animals have access to the outdoors. However, you don’t know how much time they spend outdoors, which is typically little to none.

Pasture-Raised animals are raised outside, in their natural habitat.

The best chicken, or eggs, to source would be those from a local farmer who you know feeds them a natural diet, and has them roaming free, as they normally would. If that is not an option for you, try to buy chicken or eggs with pasture-raised labels, and humane certifications.

Beef, Lamb, Buffalo, Bison, Goat

Grass-Fed vs Grass-Finished vs Pasture-Raised

Grass-Fed means animals have been fed grass, instead of corn/grains/commercial feed, which they are not evolved to eat. However, sometimes these animals will be fed an unnatural diet a few months before they are sent to market.

Grass Fed & Finished or 100% Grass-Fed means they were grass fed their entire lives, with no supplemental grain/corn/feed. These animals live healthier lives, and make healthier food.

Pasture-Raised means they roamed free and had access to a natural diet. However, when winter snow covers the ground these animals may be fed grains.

Your best choice is to order from a local farmer, either online or at a Farmer’s Market. If that is not an option, look for Grass Fed & Finished, or 100% Grass fed.

Seafood

Wild-Caught vs Farm-Raised

Farm-raised seafood is raised in tight quarters, fed food that is unnatural to it.

Wild-Caught seafood is raised in its natural habitat, with a diet that it is naturally evolved to eat.

When buying seafood, you should buy a boat and catch it yourself.

HA! Just kidding!

You should look for wild-caught seafood.

Humane Certifications

Animal Welfare Approved (most rigorous of the humane label) assures the animal was raised outside, in their natural habitat.

Certified Humane means animals are cage-free and have access to their natural habitat.

Global Animal Partnership has 5+ steps that they use to grade a product. Step 1 being animals were raised without cages, gates, or crowding. Step 5+ being animals are raised in their natural environments and and spend their entire lived on the farm.

A note on "Regenerative"

As defined by the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, “Regenerative Agriculture” describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle. Specifically, Regenerative Agriculture is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle, and build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density

This improves the integrity of the soil, and the nutritional value of what comes out of it.

"These practices improve health of the animal and human consumer through improved micro-nutrients availability and better dietary omega balances." -RAI, 2017

Click here to read more.

In Conclusion

Buy pasture raised, 100% grass-fed, wild-caught, and regeneratively farmed when you can.

I remember when my first client ever made this swap and realized that she no longer had her daily headaches; She realized that the hormones in the meat she was eating before was causing severe and consistent headaches. What a relief to live without them!

Feeling good everyday was more than enough reason for her to source her food from sustainable, natural, organic, and regenerative farms, even though it is certainly an expensive habit.