Sacred Cow: The Best Book and Documentary About Nutrition and Sustainability So Far

Veganism has seemingly exploded in popularity lately. For instance, Google searches for veganism has seen an increase of 580 percent over the last five years. At the end of 2019, the term has received almost five times more interest than the 'vegetarian' and 'cruelty-free' searches combined. Surprisingly, only one half of one percent of Americans are vegans. There is five times that number of ex-vegans in this country. One study came up with six percent of us being vegan, but that was self-reported. The problem with self-reporting is that it is not very accurate. Of the three self-avowed vegans I work with, two of them regularly eat animal-based foods in front of me routinely. (1) 

Despite the relative rarity of actual veganism, their PR is impressive. Netflix has several remarkable documentaries on veganism as we speak. Their messages are so powerful that most of us go along without question. The health benefits of plant-based diets aside, vegans also include in their arguments a large dose of animal-based food bashing in their talking points that are generally taken as gospel without question as well. 

Even mainstream outlets push towards vegetarianism and veganism. The EAT Lancet Global Dietary Guidelines are calling for less than 1/2 an ounce of red meat per day, for human and planetary health.

Meat is being vilified as causing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, yet there are no solid studies to back this up. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley has invested millions in highly processed meat alternatives, with the assumption that engineering our proteins in factories will be a better alternative to something nature has already figured out: grazing animals restore the land while converting cellulose into protein.

The counter-argument to the stance against animal-based foods take a PHD-level dissertation to gain any traction. As such, they usually fall on deaf ears, as no one wants to waste precious cocktail hour conversations on such seemingly complicated subjects like methane's effect on climate or sustainable farming practices.

I am happy to report that things are hopefully changing. Diana Rogers and Robb Wolf have teamed up to produce a book, and a documentary called Sacred Cow that takes a more critical look at the assumptions and misinformation presented about meat. They layout in easy-to-understand science that 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, and regenerative cattle ranching is one of our best tools at mitigating climate change. I highly endorse their projects and message.

Sacred Cow proposes a new way to look at sustainable diets. The book takes a deep dive into the nutritional claims against meat, why cattle raised well are actually good for the environment, and address the ethical considerations surrounding killing animals for food. The truth is, you cannot have life without death, and eliminating animals from our food system could cause more harm than good.  

I was able to see the documentary screening, and it is a bit different from the book. First off, it is narrated by  Nick Offerman, who I really admire as an actor, so I was impressed from the beginning. If you want to see it before the official release date, you can sign up here. The film focuses more on the fundamental moral, environmental, and nutritional quandaries we face in raising and eating animals than some of the other science covered in more detail by the book. The film informs us that well-managed cattle are the unlikely heroes. It does a wonderful job of covering how we can increase biodiversity, improve soil health, increase the water holding capacity of the land, and raise high quality, nutrient-dense protein while preserving family farming communities. 

One of their strongest messages is how removing animals from our food system could cause more harm than good. In fact, they do a convincing job of demonstrating how a sustainable food system cannot exist without animals. Without animals processing plant matter and returning it to the earth to enrich soil, fossil fuel derived fertilizers must be used in place of animals. Why rely on fossil fuels when nature has supplied the eco-friendly solution already? Animals are part of the ecosystem and deserve their place as part of a sustainable food supply.