A ruminant is an animal with four stomaches, flat teeth and massive jaws. They carry large abdomens, which house bacteria that ferment and breakdown fibre with enzymes many hundred times more powerful than anything we can synthesise.
Ruminants eat grass and weeds, grass grows without pesticides and fertilisers. Weeds are what we call pioneer species, they correct mineral and other imbalances and help to break up compacted and damaged soils. Weeds help to put networks in place with fungi, bacteria and insects, this enables more fragile species can to populate the area. The fecal matter, (droppings) of the ruminant build rich soils and is sought after by organic farmers the world over, it works even better when it is further digested by earth worms, dung beetles, mixed with extra carbon such as dry leaves and further digested by bacteria.
The more damaged an area, the more weeds will be the only thing and the very necessary thing present. This appears to be part of the operating system of nature that makes life a possibility.
Ruminants on grasslands helped to create most of worlds richest soils. Deeper and richer than in forrest’s.
Those grasslands and the animals that roamed them supported human life up until around 10,000 years ago when we discovered using seeds as a food and as a commodity. Land ownership and taxes Soon followed.
Pasture raised meat and wild caught fish are some of the last links to natural food chains. Believe it or not there are currently thousands of people who have intolerances to bio active compounds in plants and actually thrive on a diet of
Isn’t Meat too acidic to be healthy?
Acid, yes your stomachs needs ph of about 3 from memory, highly acidic. Otherwise how can you dissolve calcium? Meat disappears almost completely, carnivores crap about every 3-4 days with no discomfort, bowel or colon issues. Saves a lot of water and paper lol..
Amino acids and fatty acids in electrolytes and water comprise organisms. Perhaps this does not mean anything, but to me it suggests that that we are made of acids (proteins or amino acids) floating in a conductive soup constrained by membranes of fat, (fatty acids such as phospholipids). So if acidity is bio reactive, nature seems to have put it to good use.
Aren’t forests being cut down to raise cattle and isn’t meat production cruel and unhealthy?
Industrial “anything” production is generally bad news for the environment. Remember that all began with plant production, including a diabetic humanity bubble that we are not ready to discuss yet because it drives consumption and GDP.
Without modern tech I would not be here, I spent my first weeks in an O2 tent, or something like that. So it would be hypocritical to say I would love to go back to bow hunting bison bareback on a horse. Paddle boarding and spear fishing may be as close as I get. I do buy only pasture raised beef or wild caught fish, lately more fish but fried in Ghee for those extra precious ruminant produced fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins.
I respect that many vegetarians care deeply for the environment. Personal food choices should be personal.
Environmental policy however is as serious as cancer and so far it is being swung by big agriculture, big pharma and big energy. If they continue to use guilt to twist our compassion driving policy further towards the industrialization of both animal and plant based food systems it wont end well.
Where do we go now?
Our Earth sustained great herds, and before that great dinosaurs, if their is a problem it will not be solved by removing more animals, in favour for more barely digestible carbohydrates and fibre. Though a voluntary one child per couple and adopt beyond that, could fairly painlessly bring our population down to levels where there were ample resources per head. Either we do it by choice or nature will bring it about, personally I would not choose her for an enemy.
Fortunately it is not really my problem, I just choose a simple lifestyle so that I have more time to apply critical thinking to big challenges. I have been on a diet of about 70% saturated animal fats and 30% protein with zero plants for well over a year now, and the brain absolutely flies on this fuel.
Nature appears to me as the ultimate decentralised operating system, agriculture has always been walking us away from that perfect model. It is the nature of comfort seeking to move towards control, but how can you control nature, perhaps it is more interesting to ask why is it that we are always seeking for more pleasure and less fear, but never quite arriving?
Thank you for reading, you will probably begin to hear a lot more people thinking this way in answer to the big push towards more plant based living as “the healthy answer”, from my experience it is anything but.
=8-P
