Sacred Cow by Diana Rodgers & Robb Wolf
Sacred Cow Book Review
I first came across the book Sacred Cow when looking for further information about animal-based diets. The book immediately grabbed my attention as I’d previously come across one of the authors, Robb Wolf, when I read his book The Paleo Solution in 2012, and I’d listened to him many times on podcasts previously.
The book’s strapline is ‘The Case for (Better) Meat’, which is exactly what I wanted to understand further. I was interested in the pros and cons of grass-fed grass-finished beef vs grass-fed grain-finished vs feedlot bred beef in relation to any nutritional differences, as well as the ethical and environmental concerns that I and many others have about animal-based vs plant-based diets.
Diana Rodgers, a registered dietitian and advocate of real food and sustainable farming, along with Robb Wolf, a former research biochemist, author and co-founder of The Healthy Rebellion, a social movement with the goal of liberating 1 million people from the sick-care system, take the reader through a nutritional education with a focus on how the consumption and an animal-based diet can be both healthy and if managed correctly have a positive environmental impact.
Their film Sacred Cow builds from their book with a focus on the environment and ethical impacts of both animal and plant farming practices. Something which many will find shocking when fully appreciating all the issues at play in this complex subject that is poorly communicated via the mainstream media.
I’d highly recommend the book and film to those seeking to be fully informed to help them understand the impact of nutritional choices, whether a vegan, carnivore or omnivore.
Publishers Book Summary
We’re told that eliminating red meat from our diets is crucial if we care about our health or the planet. That beef is bad for us, and cattle farming is horrible for the environment. But science says otherwise.
Beef is framed as the most environmentally destructive and least healthy of meats. We’re often told the only solution is to reduce or quit red meat entirely. But despite what anti-meat groups, vegan celebrities, and some health experts say, plant-based agriculture is far from a perfect solution. In Sacred Cow, registered dietitian Diana Rodgers and former research biochemist and New York Times best-selling author Robb Wolf explore the quandaries we face in raising and eating animals – focusing on the largest (and most maligned) of farmed animals, the cow.
Taking a critical look at the assumptions and misinformation about meat, Sacred Cow points out the flaws in our current food system and the proposed “solutions”. Inside, Rodgers and Wolf reveal contrarian but science-based findings, such as:
- Meat and animal fat are essential for our bodies
- A sustainable food system cannot exist without animals
- A vegan diet may destroy more life than sustainable cattle farming
- Regenerative cattle ranching is one of our best tools for mitigating climate change
You’ll also find practical guidance on supporting sustainable farms and a 30-day challenge to help you transition to a healthful and conscientious diet. With scientific rigour, deep compassion, and wit, Rodgers and Wolf argue unequivocally that meat (done right) should have a place on the table.
It’s not the cow, it’s the how!
Transparency
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