Both grass fed & grass finished are good keywords to seek out when buying ruminant meat. Grass finished means the animal was fed some form of grass (whether fresh or hay) for the entirety of their life.

Pastured poultry is your best option when it comes to finding high quality chicken, duck or turkey. A few companies (few and far between) go as far to have corn and soy free poultry, which is an even better option. To be honest, all of these options are kind of difficult to find. Seeking out a local poultry farmer is your best and most affordable option, as many grocery stores do not have pastured poultry for sale. 

Your next best bet is to buy organic chicken. Like you’ll find out below, poultry is often marketed with buzz words. Natural, vegetarian fed, and even free range only go so far in taking care of the chicken. While those labels aren’t necessarily bad, they don’t mean much. Chickens shouldn’t be vegetarians, they are natural regardless, and free range doesn’t mean they’re grazing on grass. Seeking out organic or certified humane poultry ensures a decent environment for the chicken during it’s life and death. 

Raw milk is simply unpasteurized or unheated milk. When milk is not heated to high temperatures, it contains both lactose and lactase, the enzymes needed to digest it. Many people speculate that everyone is lactose intolerant because pasteurized milk requires enzymes we don’t make as humans. Coincidentally enough, raw milk contains those exact enzymes! It’s a complete food- offering protein, fat, and even come carbs. Most raw milks come from the cow, into a filter, and into the bottle right away. They are fresh, often stilll having some cream on top.

While raw milk can be difficult to find, raw cheese & butter is likely in your local grocery store right now. Many artisan cheeses are made from raw milk. Parmesano regiano, pecorino romano, comte, gruyere, and even some swiss and cheddar cheeses are made from unpasteurized milk. These cheeses go through less processing and are also extremely nutritious and accessible options.

Aside from seeking out the raw label, grass-fed dairy and A2A2 dairy are also nutritious and gut-friendly options. Just like with ruminant meats, grass fed is never a bad option. Grass fed dairy is exactly what it sounds like, the cows are fed grass and able to graze on pastures like nature intends it. Finding grass-fed milk ensures both a quality product and ethical treatment of the animals. 

Along with grass-fed dairy, seeking A2A2 protein is important, especially when it comes to buying milk. A2A2 protein is a primary protein found in all mammal’s milk. Some milks have A1/A1 protein or A1/A2 protein. This is historically because of a genetic mutation that has passed on to the majority of cows today. Your basic grocery store milk is often A1/A2, or has. noindication of which it is. Farmers have gone out of their way to raise A2/A2 cows because the quality of the milk is much better. In fact, A2 protein is not only better for digestion and nutrient absorption, but is overall associated with general health. For example, this study suggests populations that contume A2 protein have lower incidence of CVD and type 1 diabetes

• • Pasture raised eggs means the chickens are raised in a pasture with outside access. The chickens have a life like what they would naturally have- outside access to a pasture, foods they would eat, and sunshine. Pasture raised are both the most ethically produced & nutritionally dense.
  • Certified Humane standards require chickens are given space, their own dust bathing area, perches & an environment with a low ammonia level. While this label is good, I suggest still prioritizing pasture raised.
  • Organic labeled eggs the chickens are cage free, fed a no pesticide diet, have no hormones/antibiotics, and have seasonal outdoor access. Another great label to seek for.  
  • Other egg labels to avoid or ignore 
    
    • Cage free means the chickens aren’t raised in a confined cage. It doesn’t mean they have access to the outdoors, though. It just means no cage. They could very well be cage free in a small warehouse. This term doesn’t have any regulation on the chicken’s diet.
    • Free range chickens have access to food, water, and the outdoors. Outdoors doesn’t mean grass, though. It could, but it could also mean concrete. This one also has no regulation on the chicken’s diet.
    • Natural is just buzz a word for overpriced for now reason.
      

      Chickens are natural, they’re animals. Eggs come naturally from chickens. If an egg carton doesn’t say natural, don’t sweat it. They’re still natural and always will be. 

    • Vegetarian fed is another buzz word for unnecessarily overpriced.
      

      Chickens naturally graze on bugs and small rodents, so a vegetarian diet doesn’t have to be necessary for a healthy chicken.

Shop local

Produce from local farms and small grocers is more likely to be in season, fresh, and ethically grown. There was no transport across the country, and it’s grown on a smaller scale than your average factory food farm. Many local

Shop organic

While organic is more expensive, it’s also usually higher quality and more natural in size and taste.

Get involved in your community

When you get involved in your community, you may find friends that grow produce, community supported agriculture brands, or small locally run produce delivery businesses. There are options everywhere, you just need to find them! If you live in a busy city, you’re more likely to find community gardens and CSA programs that deliver produce and sometimes animal products from local farms just outside the city. If you live in a rural area, it’s more likely you’ll find local farmers and friends that grow food you can contact directly. In some places, you’ll have all of these options! Seeking out small produce delivery business or CSA programs allows you fresh, high quality and seasonal food all year round, often delivered right to your door step. Finding farmers or having friends that grow food may be a little more effort on your part, but I guarantee you there is some out there. 

Grow your own & embrace sustainable and regenerative practices

You don’t need acres of land to grow your own food all year round. For example, those little plastic boxes of fresh herbs at the grocery store have traveled hundreds of miles to get there. They go bad rather quickly because of their long life in a temperature controlled truck. Herbs are one of the easiest things to grow, they require little space, a small amount of maintenance and many of them can live all year. A big pot of soil can house 4-5 different herb varieties. You can grow your own, always have fresh herbs, dry some when in abundance, and never have to buy old herbs from the grocer all from a little effort of putting it together. 

While we can’t live off of herbs alone, it’s the sentiment behind the statement. Having just a pot or two of herbs or produce is a great way to start growing your own food. As you continue, maybe you can make a trade with someone in your community growing a different type of produce. Or, maybe you move somewhere with more land and are able to grow some more food and use what you learned from your little herb garden.  

Gardening and growing your own produce even on a small scale can support your local environment, pollinators, and soil quality. You can use natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion or homemade eggshell fertilizer. If possible, you can start your own composting pile. If produce isn’t your thing, having a pot or two of plants local to your area for pollinators is another simple way to support your local environment. 

Seek out wild-caught over farmed when you’re shopping for seafood.