The World's Biggest Scam

May 5, 2021

Beef Australia 2021

Check out Brian's full presentation from Beef Australia 2021!

[embed]https://youtu.be/VvYMLwFhpVo[/embed]

Here's a rundown of his presentation and links to his sources:

What do some of the world's biggest crises have to do with beef?
Well first, it helps to identify some of the escalating problems that we are facing as a society.

These are new problems, and they're not the result of overpopulation. In the last century, a clever idea has emerged.
And that idea was to point the finger at meat consumption, especially beef consumption.
It's human nature to point the blame at one thing, so this message is now the mainstream dogma.
Whether it's cancer, climate change, obesity, diabetes, or the unethical killing of animals, the answer is always the same: blame it on meat consumption.

Beef & Human Health

Let's take a look at our dietary history...

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-2-million-years-humans-ate-meat-and-little-else-study/
We didn't just eat meat. Meat drove changes in our biology. Its nutrient density allowed our brain to grow and our gut to shrink.
Meat made us human.
At first, our ancestors were consuming scraps of meat here and there. However, over 27 lines of evidence show that our more recent ancestors were high trophic level carnivores.
In other words, we were hunted every animal in sight.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41033-3
For some reason, everyone thinks that grilled chicken is the gold standard when it comes to meats. But our ancestors preferred bigger animals who carried more fat, more organ meats, and more nutrients.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41033-3
In order to accommodate for meat consumption, our large intestine shrunk and our small intestine grew. We no longer needed our large intestine for extensive amounts of fermentation.
Bioavailable animal foods were easily digested and absorbed by our small intestine.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10378206

In addition to the changes in our gut size, we can look at the acidity of our stomach to gauge what our diet should look like.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4519257/
Many people point to the diet of gorillas as a model for what humans should eat. Yet, the pH of our stomach suggests quite the opposite.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution/Increasing-brain-size
As our brain grew, the shape our jaw and teeth changed. We may not have canines, but we have hands to process foods outside our body (See the work of Dr. Bill Schindler!).
It's our large brains that have allowed us to outsmart every other species. Well, we've outsmarted other species in terms of technology and a lot of other things but not nutrition.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228580573_A_corrected_ethnographic_atlas
The dietary patterns of traditional cultures and modern hunter-gatherers also points to the fact that animal foods are essential and healthy. These cultures are virtually free from chronic disease!
On the other hand, countries with a lack of animal-sourced foods have children that suffer from development problems.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336542060_Animal_source_foods_Sustainability_problem_or_malnutrition_and_sustainability_solution_Perspective_matters
Organizations, like the WHO, tend to caution us about meat consumption in western countries. Meanwhile, many of the conditions they observe in developing nations can be resolved through the inclusion of animal foods.

Source: https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/133/11/3932S/4818051?login=true
What about countries with an abundance of animal-sourced foods?

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/health/hong-kong-world-longest-life-expectancy-longevity-intl/index.html
Anytime someone points to some epidemiology showing that a plant-based diet confers longevity benefits, ask them about Hong Kong.
Hong Kong now consumes more meat than any other nation. Look at what has happened to their lifespan...

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/what-the-world-eats/
Studies have shed further light on their meat consumption:

Source:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3778858/
We know that humans have a basic requirement for protein, but what's the best source? Not plants.

Source: Best C.H., N.B. Taylor. 1950. The Physiological Basis of Medical Practice, 5th Ed.
Micronutrients are equally as important. So why not strive for the best sources?

While the WHO has struggled to find evidence for meat causing cancer, we're busy filling up on the best source of protein and micronutrients: beef.
Our last article discussed how saturated fat was blamed for the surge in death and diseased caused by cigarettes.

Source: https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/full-article/meat-and-cancer
Illustration: Suzi Smith
Let's look at what actually happens when you start to consume a lot of meat and avoid a lot of processed foods:

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29417495/
That's the reversal of disease – the exact opposite of what the mainstream dogma tells us.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900714003323
Improvement in blood markers almost across the board are impressive. But what's even more impressive is the improvements in the quality of life that diabetics experience on low carbohydrate diets.
While the debate about LDL continues, the outcomes and reversal of disease are paramount.

The real problem isn't meat or beef. It's the foods that line the center aisles of almost every store in the world.
Almost all of these foods are packed with polyunsaturated seed oils. These toxic oils have replaced the protective saturated fats found in beef and dairy.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234653504_European_cardiovascular_disease_statistics
It's crazy how processed foods filled with flour, sugar, and oil are idolized compared to meat.

Right around the time our diets were flooded with flour, sugar, and oils, nutritional deficiencies started appearing across our population.
Instead of adding back nutrient-dense foods, the solution was to add vitamins and minerals to foods that were otherwise free of nutrients.

Source: Library of Congress, 1948
Someone decided that adding iron to cereal was a good idea. While the heme-iron found in meat is readily absorbed by the human body, the iron found in breads and cereals tends to overload our body.
It's no coincidence that countries where foods are fortified experience the brunt of the chronic disease epidemic. Breakfast cereals exhibit magnetic properties since they are fortified with iron.
A slew of studies demonstrate why this is problematic:

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm
Our poor dietary choices have been lucrative for the healthcare system. At the end of the day, future generations will be forced to burden the cost.
Just how many of these costs are preventable?

Source: https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-economic-burden-non-communicable-diseases

Beef & The Environment

Statistics regarding the environment and cattle tend to be extremely misleading. Most land isn't suitable for growing crops, but it is suitable for grazing cattle.

Source: https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony_Mitloehner_05.21.2019.pdf
Most of the time, the majority of cattle are roaming happily. And as they roam, they are upcycling nutrients from plants that are inedible to humans.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X18305675#tf0045
The four stomachs of cattle and other ruminants give humans access to nutrients that are otherwise inaccessible. They convert the inedible byproducts of crops to high quality protein and micronutrients!

Source: https://academic.oup.com/tas/article/2/4/439/5050230
As they graze, they regenerate soil. We've destroyed soil all over the world with infrastructure and monoculture operations.
Without healthy soil, there is almost no hope for health humans. Even President Roosevelt knew this:

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
As cows graze, they return carbon to the soil.

(Photo courtesy of White Oak Pastures)
Industrial plant-based burgers contribute to climate change, while cattle and grass-fed meat are the solution!

(Photo courtesy of White Oak Pastures)
Statistics regarding water usage and livestock are misleading. The water that rains on their land is almost always counted towards their climate footprint. This is known as green water.

Original Graphic. Source: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2696
But when you look at the water that is used to hydrate and service the cattle, the truth is revealed:

Original Graphic. Source: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/10/2696
It turns out, cattle don't require the levels of water needed to produce plant-based foods, like almonds. Almond milk is not an environmentally friendly alternative!

Graphic courtesy of the “What I’ve Learned” Youtube Channel

Graphic courtesy of “Sacred Cow” Diana Rogers, (@sustainabledish)
We're told that climate change is getting worse year after year. Yet, the cattle population has remained relatively the same over this time period.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263979/global-cattle-population-since-1990/
The herd size has even decreased since the 1970s. What hasn't decreased is the number of cars, trains, and planes.

Source: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/cattle-beef/sector-at-a-glance/
There's a lot of concern over methane, but it's always been a part of the life cycle. It dissipates in the atmosphere relatively quickly compared to CO2. Burning fossils fuels should the main concern, not belching cows.