One Size Never Fits All

Some 20 years ago I was a guest speaker on a course.  This particular course had a delightful mix of characters, one of which stood out like a unicorn in a field of horses. A hardcore vegetarian, she complained to the host that the nearby accommodation arranged for her was at a dairy farm and that this was not OK.

Without batting an eyelid the host replied “You’re in good company. The cows are vegetarian too”.

So I begin this blog with apologies in advance to any vegetarian or vegan readers.

Whatever your dietary preferences, it’s undeniable that red meat is a nutrient POWERHOUSE, especially for growing children! 

In recent years factory-farmed meat has gotten itself into an ethical and environmental pickle with the result that some folks believe meat no longer deserves a place on today’s menus. 

Of the vegetarians and vegans I’ve spoken with, many of them are not so much against eating meat itself, but what prompted their dietary change was the inhuman slaughter methods in abattoirs.

In this respect I couldn’t agree more.

Now, hold onto your hats because here comes the interesting part – science has now rolled out the red carpet for grass-fed meat, giving it the VIP treatment! 

Personally I thought that cows always ate grass which is why I questioned the wisdom of the grain-fed beef fad.

Turns out, it’s not just about saving the planet and being all ethical, but munching on grass-fed meat might just be a way to chow down on some greens too! 

Who’d have thought?

It seems to me that many of the world’s problems sprout from our knack for treating everything like clockwork or trying to pigeon hole everything into convenient spaces.

But hey, if you want to tap into nature’s superpowers, you have to play nice with it, not break it down into little pieces and try to figure it out like a puzzle. 

Trust me, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and Nature’s got some serious skills!

Having seen how badly we humans do when trying to replicate Nature, going WITH THE FLOW of Nature is the sensible choice. The more we try to outsmart it with fancy gadgets and lab-grown stuff, the more it bites us back with heavy costs – economically, ecologically, and socially!

Living by these principles doesn’t make you anti-science, not at all!  It’s like knowing there’s a whole universe out there, but we’ve only seen a glimpse through the peephole. 

True scientists get that; they’re the curious cats always looking to explore and learn more.

So, here’s the thing – I’ve always believed that meat from happy, healthy critters in a functional ecosystem is a win-win for everyone involved, including our precious planet. 

But in a world where “show me the evidence” has become the mantra, it can be a tad frustrating that we don’t have a mountain of research to back up what many of us already know in our hearts to be true. 

Keep digging, science peeps, we’re counting on you!

Dr Elmar Jung

Dr Elmar Jung Dental Practice