Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat: Why Well-Raised Meat Is Good for You and Good for the Planet Hardcover – Illustrated, July 14, 2020
by Diana Rodgers (Author), Robb Wolf (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars 711 ratings
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We’re told that if we care about our health—or our planet—eliminating red meat from our diets is crucial. 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 that 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 bestselling 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 in 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 at mitigating climate change.
You’ll also find practical guidance on how to support sustainable farms and a 30-day challenge to help you transition to a healthful and conscientious diet. With scientific rigor, 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!
Editorial Reviews
Review
"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."
—Michelle Tam, New York Times bestselling author of Nom Nom Paleo
"All too often, the voices making the least scientifically accurate claims are the loudest, and it’s hard not to be influenced by that sexy Netflix documentary on going vegan. But what if you could do both—eat the animal products that you believe help you feel your best, sourced via farming practices that support the environment and animal welfare? In Sacred Cow, dietitian Diana Rodgers and New York Times bestselling author Robb Wolf help you do just that, with scientific rigor, deep compassion, and wit. They examine the data on cattle and nutrient-density, the environment, and the ethics around eating meat across the globe, arriving at conclusions designed to help you feel good about the beef you are feeding your family."
—Melissa Urban, Whole30 cofounder and CEO
“Diana and Robb have answered the burning question about meat. Sacred Cow proves ‘It’s not the COW, it’s the HOW.’ The answer to our broken food system is not no meat, it's better meat. If you are concerned about red meat’s impact on your health and the planet, this book is for you.”
—Mark Hyman, MD, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine
“Diana and Robb have precisely and approachably laid out the science on how grazing animals are critical to the future of sustainable agriculture. They also definitively refute the claims that meat is unhealthy and make a convincing case that eating meat can be done in an ethical manner. I highly recommend Sacred Cow for anyone who eats.”
—Mark Sisson, New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet and founder of Primal Kitchen foods
“Humans have been eating meat for at least 2.6 million years, and it has played a critical role in our evolution. In this important book, Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf use the most recent scientific evidence to make the nutritional, environmental, and ethical case for better meat—and to debunk increasingly common myths and misunderstandings about the role of animal products in our diet.”
—Chris Kresser, New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine
“Sacred Cow: The Case for Better Meat is a comprehensive, well documented treatise that provides us with all the scientific data we need to make informed choices about how to eat that will benefit BOTH ourselves and our planet!”
—Frederick Kirschenmann, PhD, Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University
“Abandoning animal agriculture might well be the greatest mistake humanity could ever make. Today’s science cannot give definitive answers to the complex questions of human nutrition and ecological integrity. However, the scientific evidence indicting animal agriculture is weak, and evidence defending animal-based foods and farm animals as essential for human health and agricultural sustainability is strong—as clearly documented in Sacred Cow.”
—John Ikerd, PhD, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri
“The current war against meat eaters and livestock farmers promises ethical, ecological, and health benefits from fake lab meat and plant-only diets. Sacred Cow debunks every utopian promise with precision missiles from science and a deep understanding of how life and the planet actually work.”
—Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farm and editor of The Stockman Grass Farmer
"The shift in agriculture, from one based on biology to one based on chemistry, and the resulting shift in our diets from whole foods to highly processed foods have resulted in nutrition-related disease, obesity, and environmental destruction. Diana and Robb fully understand the problem and the solution: we must change our diets and regenerate our soils, and well-managed grazing animals are critical to this transition.”
—Allan Savory, president of Savory Institute and chairman of the Africa Center for Holistic Management
“So much of the confusion about creating a sustainable future is based on a misunderstanding of ecology, evolution, and our place within the natural world. Much of our confusion has to do with our increasing separation from nature, especially how our food is produced. This book clearly explains how it all fits together, and how the interwoven evolution of ruminants, grasslands, and homo sapiens is not something to be left in the past, but to be celebrated and reclaimed.”
—Mark A. Ritchie, PhD, executive director of the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute
“Diana and Robb have written a tour de force making the case that meat can be good for our bodies, the animals, and the earth. Sacred Cow is the antidote to miserably meatless mondays and impossibly impotent impossible burgers. The cure is an ethical approach to eating animals, giving them their rightful place in our ecology.”
—Chris Masterjohn, PhD, former assistant professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College
About the Author
Diana Rodgers, RD, is a “real food” nutritionist and sustainability advocate. She’s an author, runs a clinical nutrition practice, and is the host of The Sustainable Dish Podcast. Diana writes and speaks internationally about the intersection of optimal human nutrition and environmental sustainability. Diana is an advisory board member of Animal Welfare Approved, Savory Institute, and Whole30.
Robb Wolf, a former research biochemist is the two-time New York Times/Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast, books and seminars. Robb has functioned as a review editor for the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism (Biomed Central) and as a consultant for the Naval Special Warfare Resiliency program. He serves on the board of Directors/Advisors for: Specialty Health Inc, The Chickasaw Nation’s “Unconquered Life” initiative and a number of innovative start ups with a focus on health and sustainability.
Product details
Publisher : BenBella Books; Illustrated edition (July 14, 2020)
Language: : English
Hardcover : 250 pages
ISBN-10 : 1948836912
ISBN-13 : 978-1948836913
Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
Dimensions : 6.3 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #16,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#22 in Vegetarian Diets (Books)
#42 in Meat Cooking
Customer Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars 711 ratings
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sacred cow must read regenerative agriculture diana and robb food system robb and diana climate change red meat robb wolf diana rodgers well written well researched grass fed highly recommend better meat health and the environment easy to understand rodgers and robb regenerative farming human health
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Dr. Jonny Bowden
5.0 out of 5 stars It's not just a "must read" -- it's a "must own".
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
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There are few books-- other than the annual "Jack Reacher" novel-- that i've looked forward to more than Sacred Cow. I pre-ordered it and started reading within hours of getting it.
And i have not been able to put it down.
This is not just a "must read", it's a "must-own" and here's why.
If you're like me, you lament the extreme partisanship that's taken over the nutrition world. Vegans and carnivores have become like red states and blue states, and discussion and exchange about these wildly emotionally charged issues (i.e. to eat or not eat meat, the care and feeding of the planet) is becoming more and more difficult.
You either take your team's tribal talking points, or you go to "the other side".
Robb and Diana have done neither. They present the reasonable, rational and often surprising truth about meat eating, NOT in an agenda-driven agitprop way, but as interested parties open-mindedly seeking to get as close to "the truth" as you can in a field so highly influenced (and understandably so) by emotion.
I happen to support that position. As a dyed-in-the-wool animal lover it pains me to say this but i believe that the human genus-- which has been on the planet for between 2.4 and 2.6 million years-- simply does better with some animal products in our diet.
But that is a hard case to make at the dinner table-- even when you're a published author and nutritionist-- in the face of angry arguments about what meat does to the planet and how it causes cancer and heart disease.
Robb and Diana explore every one of those arguments and they do so fairly, cogently, thoroughly....and without raising their collective "voice".
That's why I say this is a "must own". If you're ever called upon to refute some of the arguments against eating meat-- as I am constantly-- you will want this book handy as a reference. I know I will!
Finally, one more bunch o' kudos: Robb and Diana come to some conclusions that neither "side" of the meat debate are going to love. But they sincerely want to get to the facts about stuff-- even when those facts may throw doubt on some of their own previous conclusions. That makes them remarkably reliable and trustworthy, at least to me.
I'm truly going to recommend this book to everyone.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS
author, "Living Low Carb", "The Great Cholesterol Myth"
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Bad Baxter Farm
5.0 out of 5 stars Our Dexter cows give #sacredcowbook 5 moos up!
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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Our Dexter cows give #sacredcowbook
5 moos up!
In all seriousness. I have followed these amazing authors & the Paleo (aka real food) lifestyle for years so I am thrilled they are taking on the topic of healthy meat, regenerative agriculture & the quality of grassfed vs grain. Its not the cow, it's the how.
This is one of our Mama's that provide us milk daily & her son is our future meat for the freezer. Quality matters.
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Leland S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Crucial Reading for those interested in health and the environment
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
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I have been waiting for the release of this book for a couple of years and could not be happier to have it in hand. This is an invaluable resource for those concerned about human health and understanding the nutrient density of meat. It is equally important for those concerned about the positive impact of regenerative agriculture on the earth, the positive impact of ruminant animals on soils and carbon sequestration. Concise, clear and easy to read, this is a volume you can pass along to skeptical friends and with its diligently cited references, this book provides a cornucopia of material for your references you can turn to time and again. I can't recommend it more highly.
23 people found this helpful
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H. Gilbert
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
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I am so glad this book has been written. Please read it! The authors are knowledgeable, experienced, and research- oriented, and they write with humor, perspective, and thoroughness. Any thoughts you've had about meat are acknowledged and addressed with compassion and thoughtfulness as well as just plain smarts. I've been eating Paleo, staying very healthy, and studying all these issues for years. I get so tired of the same old same old stuff about saturated fats and beef being bad for you, "just eat 'healthy grains' and industrial oils." Good research has proven those old canards to be untrue, yet it is hard to fight the influence of all the moneyed interests that benefit from them. Just look into the origin of the title, "Sacred Cow" at the beginning of the book (it's not about religion.) It's a great comment on the whole issue. And go get yourself some real grass-fed beef and enjoy it!
18 people found this helpful
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Christopher Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody wants the same thing!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
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Everybody wants the same thing! To maximise human nutrition while minimising animal suffering and harm to the environment. The Sacred Cow describes the best way to achieve these goals.
19 people found this helpful
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Stephanie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great source for those who think raising beef is bad for the planet.
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2020
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This book is well researched, well and understandably presented and explains exactly how we can improve our health with REAL food, as well as heal the planet. It exposes the fallacy of correlative epidemiological “research” results vs experimental, potential causative research. Everyone who is concerned with the health of our planet (and everyone should be!) as well as our personal health, should be reading this whether vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, or carnivore. There is no doubt that current, industrial, mono-cropped, ranches and farms (not to mention fake meat!) are destructive and unsustainable. But to not raise or eat meat does not make our environment healthier, quite the contrary. As they say; it’s not the cow, it’s the how! I am lucky enough to be able to buy my beef and lamb from a local rancher who raises his animals free range, grass fed and organic.
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Gabriela Mora-Mora
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, recommended to omnivore, vegetarian and vegan people
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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Excelente libro. Muy aterrizando acerca de el verdadero impacto ambiental de la fincas ganaderas trabajadas de manera sostenible. Además de abarcar temas como la importancia de consumir carne, nutricionalmente hablando, y del gran aporte ambiental que hacemos al comerla.
Excellent book. Very landing on the true environmental impact of livestock farms worked in a sustainable way. In addition to covering topics such as the importance of consuming meat, nutritionally speaking, and the great environmental contribution we make by eating it.
15 people found this helpful
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Ben Williamson
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books of the decade
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020
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This book is one of the most important books you’ll read this decade. Diana and Robb do an excellent job with a fair, balance, nuanced, and comprehensive discussion of a tough and ideological topic. I’ve bought several copies to give to friends during this pivotal time for rethinking the food system.
12 people found this helpful
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pacific9000
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent deep dive into the issues, with sound logic for health and the environment.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2020
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This book is making a break through towards a more realistic approach to nutrition and ecology. It is very valuable in the level of detail, it will be a great reference book, including quite a few informative diagrams and well presented data. It is also easy to read, it clearly sets out the issues and breaks through the anti meat mythology in a logical way.
10 people found this helpful
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K J Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars An important read for all those who think that not eating meat is the only way to save the planet
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2020
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Backed by masses of scientific research this book shows how meat can be produced in a sustainable way, in fact in a way that can actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also improve biodiversity. It also highlights that far from being unhealthy, meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods we can eat and is something we have evolved to eat and is essential for health.
The book is written in a easy to read way and tackles all of the concerns over raising meat for food in a systematic manner, dispelling the many popular misconceptions put forward to outlaw the eating of meat all backed by scientific research. I would recommend it for animal based and plant based readers alike.
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Hunter & Gather
5.0 out of 5 stars Compulsory reading for anyone that eats: Well-rounded presentation of fact rather than ideology.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2020
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Diana and Robb have executed a fantastic piece of work in Sacred Cow. I eagerly anticipate the release of the film.
I believe history will look back on this book very favourably in saving this planet and homo sapiens from pending doom!
It could not be more timely given our current climate of fake news and distorted marketing claims.
Sacred Cow systematically details several important points related to regenerative agriculture, optimal human health and the health of our planet.
This should be compulsory reading for any human that eats.
2 people found this helpful
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Anonygirl
5.0 out of 5 stars the cow is as important to the soil as bees are to pollination of plants.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2020
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I highly recommend this wonderful book. It gave me a much better insight into how carefully our planet's ecosystem is balanced. I'm now in love with soil health!
The book is well written and researched and so kindly dispels the myths of the vegan/plant-based agenda. But the writers clearly love plants too. Its about how we live in harmony, both communities and not opposed.
Its full of surprising information. One important one is that there isn't enough arable land for crops but there is enough for grazing ruminant animals.
Even if you're opposed to eating meat, I recommend this book for looking at another point of view. Regenerative agriculture is a great way to save the planet.
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Joseph
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2020
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An excellent book. I’ve long been fascinated by the debate between meat eaters and non-meat eaters: which one is healthier? Is eating meat bad for the planet? Is eating meat damaging to our health? This book answers those questionS and many more in a really interesting and informative way. I listened to Rob Wolf on a couple of podcasts first (Mikhaela Peterson & Joe Rogan) and found him to be very well-informed, as well as very likeable.
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