What Nature Intended
But how does a flexitarian diet and trying to eat less meat lead us to a more natural diet?
For a look at what nature intended, let’s examine that cow that ends up as a burger. Cows were created to do two things (besides be tasty): Walk, and eat grass. Most cows raised for slaughter in the US can do neither. Grass is an expensive food source (partially because you need so much of it, so you need a lot of space), so most cows are corn- or grain-fed. Unfortunately, feeding a cow anything but grass makes it sick. So non-grass-fed cows are given heavy doses of antibiotics throughout their lives. This keeps the cow “healthy” in the sense that you’re “healthy” while taking antibiotics for strep throat. Moreover, just like in humans, overuse of antibiotics can lead to bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant: Superbugs showing up in our food, which means more additives are needed to keep the food chain safe.
Moreover, most cows are kept in feedlots, where they cannot get the exercise they need. Their meat gets fattier, since they’re not exercising. And they’re raised to grow faster than nature ever intended them to—a grass-fed cow reaches his full weight at about four years. A corn-fed, feedlot cow makes it in about 18 months.
