Five “blue zones” exist in the world that are noted for the longevity and health of the residents. There, people remain active and lead vibrant lives well over 100 years old. Loma Linda, California, is one of those five, and the only one in the United States. But in each of the zones, one of the common denominators is healthy, organically grown diets with some meat, mostly vegetables, and olive oil.
Food-like Substances
As I get more acclimated to my new home in Tennessee, I’m on the lookout for organically grown fruits, vegetables, and humanely raised beef and chicken. While I remain vegetarian and mostly vegan, I’ve decided that the crap (oops, “ingredients”) in plant-based (read “soy”) so-called meat substitutes are probably not good options. I’m tired of food-like substances. I want the real thing, the way God made it.
Most sources I’ve read discourage meat-eating for cancer prevention/remission. However, we’re a nation of meat-eaters. So, are there healthy options?
I pass by some of those healthy options every time I drive to my son’s home. I slow the car down on the narrow road that winds between pastures for grazing. Sometimes I stop for a moment, if no one is coming in the opposite direction, to look a cow in the face. She’s that close to me. She’s not kept in a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), locked into a mini-cage next to other cows in a row, forced to chow down on corn and soy, and pile poop at her feet. No. This cow roams freely, eats grass (which is what God made for her to eat), snoozes in the sun, and fertilizes the ground with her poop.
Meet Jose Rodriguez and John Kolenda
Crossville’s Center for Lifelong Learning offered a class on regenerative farming, presented by Jose Rodriguez and John Kolenda. Neither had planned on becoming a farmer. John had been a teacher before he and his wife established KC Farms. And Jose, well, he owned several businesses, became a pastor, and now runs Little Creek Farms. Between them, they humanely raise chickens for egg laying and for cooking, pigs, goats and lambs, etc. No Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations for them!
They became friends as the Lord led them to the same conclusion. We’re to care for the land and not destroy it, as we seem hell-bent on doing. Here’s an example of regenerative farming that returns to the land what it gave us.
A farmer raises cows, which graze happily, like the ones I pass each week. The grasses they munch are the perfect food for their stomachs. They poop here and there as they amble along. Later, the poop draws maggots, which the chickens devour for their protein, while their little claws mush all that excellent fertilizer into the ground. Then the field lies fallow for about 90 days until it has regained its fertility. Everyone’s happy and healthy—cows, chickens, people, even the land. Just the way God created it to work.
It’s a Battle
But we mess everything up. We grow acres upon acres of corn and soy to feed cows what they shouldn’t eat in the first place, so they get fat and juicy. Their last moments are full of terror when they see the murder that awaits them. Their poop piles at their feet, and then workers cart it to a huge pile to dispose of it (often contaminating our water supply). To prevent or cure infections from such a life, they’re plied with antibiotics.
Burping cows produce methane. There’s some debate; which is worse for the environment — carbon or methane? But if you’re not raising thousands of head of cattle per year, but enough for your family farm, how much methane is problematic? Not much, I would think.
I believe we should eat more fruits, grains and veggies than meat. Look at our typical dinner plate: an enormous slab of meat, and maybe a small pile of greens and a slightly larger pile of potatoes fried in unhealthy seed oils.
And I swear the food/restaurant industry defies me to eat healthy. I was having lunch with friends in a family-style restaurant and failed to find anything on the menu (tasty though everything looked…this is the South after all) that wasn’t drenched in butter, cheese, or grease. I finally selected the salad with chicken slices. How bad could that be, even though I’m sure the chicken had a horrendous existence in a long shed and never saw daylight? Still, I’d get veggies in the salad, I thought.
So, my lunch arrived with: iceberg lettuce, covered with slices of ham, cheese, bacon, and yes, chicken. I’m sure most of the customers would think that was a delicious lunch, full of extras. Next time I’ll order the egg sandwich without the cheese and skip the butter (don’t need 3 tablespoons of the stuff) and coffee. Yummy.
Courage
Jose and John told how the Lord led them to realize that most of what we eat in America is junk that passes for food, and blessed both their farms with healthy animals and a growing customer base. It took courage to walk away from careers and follow this path to give “animal husbandry” a good name.
I’m thankful that I met both these men and learned about their farms. And I would eat any of the meat from the animals they care for and humanely process (even though most of my plate will still hold more veggies than meat).
https://littlecreekfarmtn.com/
