Everyone's talking about protein. But what about how that protein is raised?

As a small business owner, part of my job is keeping up somewhat with  online “trends”. And by keeping up, I just mean knowing about the existence of a few. Most times I think they’re silly. A lot of times I haven’t heard of them, or don’t care to. 

But in the case of the latest “protein” trend, where everyone’s focused on getting enough protein? Yes, I can get behind that. 

In fact, if you’re a woman of a certain age (I’m in my late thirties), you’re probably seeing a lot about protein these days, along with information about lifting weights, perimenopause, and getting enough sleep. 

But I do have one bone to pick with the conversations I see about protein. Especially when it comes to meat. 

There seems to be little to no attention paid to the quality of that animal protein. How was the animal raised? Why does that matter? How does farming impact the nutritional value of the meat you’re eating? 

I see very little about that in the larger conversations around protein. 

And I think that’s a shame, not just because I’m a farmer dedicated to raising meat that’s higher quality and higher nutrition, but also because if you’re spending so much time tracking and paying attention to your food…you probably want to make sure it’s the best food possible. 

So, let’s talk about how farming practices can influence the quality and nutrition of the meat that you eat at home. For the purposes of this blog, let’s focus specifically on pork. 

If you were to source pork from the store, you’d find pale pink pork that comes from pigs that are primarily raised indoors from birth until death. 

They usually live on a small concrete pad. They likely don’t see the sun or forage for plants. Their sole source of food is usually GMO feed. They aren’t allowed to use their natural skills for rooting or exploring -- in fact, they've been specifically bred to have those desires weaken, so they're more acclimated to the conditions they live in. 

They get little to no exercise on this pad, and have their tails removed at birth, because they will bite one another’s tails as a result of the stressful, crowded conditions they endure. 

Now let’s contrast that with the lives of our heritage breed pigs in the woods on our farm. 

Our Red Wattle pigs spend their days outside, in the sunshine (this will be important later!). They are constantly moved to fresh forage in the woods, where they crunch nuts, work up roots with their noses, devour young saplings, plants, and bushes, and help fertilize mature trees in the forest. 

And they work hard. They exercise quite often – and they nap quite often, too. When they’re hot, they wallow in the mud to cool off. They supplement what they find in the woods with non-GMO, locally grown and milled feed. 

And so what does this do for the pork you eat from these pigs? Quite a lot. 

Meat from our heritage breed pigs is a different color, to start – a deep red, sometimes pink-purple color that shows enhanced nutrition. 

And what is this enhanced nutrition? Twice as much vitamin E as what you’ll find in conventional pork, and almost three times as much Vitamin D (from all that sunshine our pigs do get). 

But even more important? The healthy fats you’ll find in this pork. Pastured and woodland-raised pork is higher in healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, and contains less saturated fats. 

Plus, you’ll find a much healthier ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids – on average about two and a half times more omega-3 fats, and about a 60% reduction in omega-6 fats. 

And all that exercise? It makes a big difference in the quality and flavor of the fat you'll get from the pigs (on the meat as well as the fat that's rendered to make lard). But it also gives much better texture, flavor, and tenderness to the pork. 

This is the big picture we think about on our farm. It’s not just about hitting a certain number of grams of protein per day.

It’s about making sure the protein you’re eating is doing the best possible work for your body – giving you the most vitamins, the healthiest fats, and the best nutritional value for your money. 

So yes, let’s keep talking about the importance of protein. But let’s make sure we’re also talking about where that protein comes from, and why it matters.

If you want to taste the difference, you can shop our woodland-raised pork right now. If you're looking for lean options, ground pork and pork tenderloin are two excellent cuts to try first.