Animal-Based Foods & Snacks
Online Sources & More *    

Dr. Al Danenberg ● Nutritional Periodontist

April 3, 2022 [printfriendly]

You know the importance of eating well. We all do. But do you know how to choose the best options?

Is this you? …

• You want to emphasize an animal-based diet for yourself and family.
• You want the best organic, pastured, grass-fed and grass-finished meat products.
• You also want to include healthy snacks.
• You want the convenience of online shopping.

If this is you, then this blog is “just what the doctor ordered.”

Here is where I’m going in this paper:

• The science behind animal-based diets
• Ruminant Animals
• Other Animal Sources
• Regenerative farming – the method of raising these animals
• Online sources

 

The Science

Our diet (the foods we eat and the foods we avoid eating) has a major impact on our quality of life, health, and longevity. The food we eat directly affects the gut microbiome.[1] And a healthy gut is critical to prevent chronic disease.[2]

I have written about the research supporting an animal-based diet, which is based on the evolution of the human species, medically controlled trials, and published patient case reports. An animal-based diet will provide practically every nutrient your body requires in a bioavailable form with all its symbiotic elements in place and in the correct ratios.

• Read the seminal paper published in 2021 about the evolution of the human species over 2.5 million years which got us where we are today. Humans are the most intellectual and dominant animal on earth, and the authors’ story is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.
• Watch this 15-minute video by Brian Sanders about meat, the benefits to the environment, and feeding the world. This short talk about how we got where we are today will be the basis of his soon-to-be released documentary film, Food Lies.

 

 

• Investigate some of the human studies (HERE, HERE) that clearly prove that healthy red meat does not cause cardiovascular disease or cancer. On the contrary, consumption of healthy meat and organs is inversely correlated with these chronic diseases.
• Read this controlled study of Kenyan children who excelled in school when they ate animal-based foods and did poorly when they ate predominantly plant-based foods.
• Look through the results of this study, which showed that total meat intake is positively associated with increased life expectancy. The study included an analysis of 175 contemporary populations.
• Study this 2022 paper which showed that animal-based foods improved the physical growth in 6 to 24-month-old children.
• Peruse the case reports from the Paleomedicina Clinic in Budapest, Hungary where over 5,000 patients with severe and sometimes “incurable” chronic diseases and cancers have been treated and sometimes cured using a strict animal-based diet with no supplements and no prescription drugs. Go to their website and then click on “Scientific Work and Articles”.

My Better Belly Blueprint describes and outlines a healthy and doable animal-based way of eating. It is a way of eating for a lifetime.

A typical “plate of food” following the Better Belly Blueprint consists of at least 70% animal foods from nose-to-tail and no more than 30% raw honey, fruits and a select group of vegetables – no nuts or seeds.

 

 

Ruminant Animals

The ideal muscle meat options come from ruminant animals – cattle and sheep. I wrote about them in my blog, Beef & Lamb – My “Go-To” Meats. Also, these ruminant animals provide high quality organ options – and organs are replete with numerous nutrients our body craves. In addition, the kidney fat (suet) from beef and lamb is healthy and a great source if you need to increase your fat content with the meals you prepare. I wrote about animal fat HERE.

However, your local farmer or butcher may not carry these foods. And if they do, they may not be from grass-fed, grass-finished animals. Fortunately, there are viable options at the click of a key on your computer. I’ll suggest many online sources at the end of this article.

 

Other Animal Sources

I am not including animal products like seafood, chicken, or pork for your regular, daily consumption. These options for animal protein do not have the nutrient density like ruminant meats. If you were to eat them occasionally, then that would be OK. They provide variety which is important.

When it comes to seafood, the healthy options would be wild caught, fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and anchovies – never farmed fish. Other healthy seafood choices include oysters, clams, crab, etc.

When it comes to chicken and pork, there is another problem in addition to the lowered overall nutritional density. Today’s chickens and hogs are usually fed corn and soy products. These products are high in linoleic fatty acid – even if these animals are organically fed. The linoleic fatty acid accumulates in the meat, skin, fat, and organs of the chicken and pork. When you consume these animals that have been fed corn and soy products, the excess linoleic fatty acids accumulate in your body and specifically in your fat cells. These omega-6 fatty acids are inherently unhealthy in excess quantities. Therefore, I do not recommend chicken or pork as part of your routine way of eating if they have been fed soy or corn products. If you eat them once every other week, then they probably will not affect you significantly.

 

Regenerative Farming

Throughout the US, there are organic farms that practice regenerative farming and grazing of cattle and sheep. These farmers treat their animals humanely and allow them to graze on the pasture without any added chemicals.

Regenerative grazing is a principle-driven agricultural practice of building healthy soil by managing livestock on perennial and annual forages, and in a way that supports human and ecosystem health, farm profitability, and community and food system resilience.[3],[4],[5],[6]

Several of these regenerative farms and co-ops of regenerative farmers provide grass-fed, grass-finished animal products for shipping directly to you in dry ice.

But you may have had a difficult time purchasing the healthy meats, organs, and even snacks for your way of eating. I have assembled online sources that can provide these healthy foods.

 

Online Options

I’m listing online sources which provide animal meats and their organs and fats as well as snacks. I have not personally ordered from most of them. I am fortunate that I have local sources where I purchase grass-fed, grass finished beef and pastured lamb. But I have ordered organs and suet online from White Oak Pastures and US Wellness.

 

Meat Sources:

• Slanker Grassfed Meat
• Crowd Cow
• Agridime
• US Wellness Grassland Beef
• FarmFood
• White Oak Pastures
• Nose to Tail

 

Snack Sources:

Most likely, you will not crave snacks when you eat the way I have already described. But sometimes you or your family members may want a snack to take along on a trip or at some other time. Why not make the snack a healthy one?

Some snacks can be made in your kitchen. Examples would be hard boiled eggs, homemade beef jerky, and homemade liver jerky. But you may not want to go to the trouble of cooking.

So, here are some online sources to buy animal-based snacks. However, you will need to check the ingredients of those products you investigate. Some will have sugar, unhealthy oils, and spices that are high in anti-nutrients. Obviously, you’ll need to choose the appropriate snacks.

• Carnivore Aurelius
• Carnivore Snax
• Carnivore Crisps
• Roam Free
• Mission Meats
• Tussock Sedge Farms
• Steve’s

 

There is so much misinformation out there. When I try to decipher what is real or what is inaccurate when it comes to human nutrition, I attempt to take a broad view with a perspective that spans hundreds of thousands of years. Our primal ancestors are examples of how we have become the dominant species on earth. By duplicating the nutrients which they consumed will allow us to continue to thrive going forward. And an animal-based diet is our best means to recreate the success of our primal ancestors.

 

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6524347/

[2] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2022.01.002

[3] https://pastureproject.org/

[4] https://vetsustain.org/work/regenerative-agriculture-practices-provide-benefits-for-ruminant-health

[5] https://www.transformationholdings.com/agriculture/regenerative-agriculture-managed-grazing/

[6] https://countryfolks.com/transition-to-small-ruminant-regenerative-grazing/

 

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* NOTE: The statements I make in my publications are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is not intended to replace any recommendations or relationship with your physician. To support the claims I make in my writings, I cite various medical articles and studies that have been peer-reviewed and published in different medical journals worldwide.