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Organically Farmed: Better For You and The Animal

I have tried the vegan approach before, but at heart I am a meat-eating vegetable lover. I love the textures of red meat, fish and especially chicken. As a coach I don’t go pushing a specific diet on anyone. If anything we encourage adding more tasty, nutritious and wholesome foods. That’s why I am particularly conscious about where my meat comes from and the ethical practices that they use.

I get my organic meat from Grierson Organic Meat in Perthshire. They rear organic Pork, Beef, Lamb, Mutton and Chicken. To find out about their company philosophy and farming techniques, watch the following video.

Obviously, this is going to be a bit more expensive than popping over to your local Tesco’s, however I order in bulk and have the peace of mind to know that good quality, “non-commercially farmed” meat, is in abundance in our house. I have had a tour round a poultry farm before, and seen first-hand the kind of natural conditions the animals are reared in and also the abattoir the animals are butchered in.

The produce is excellent; the animals live a natural, happy, non-caged existence and they are butchered as humanly as possible.

The guys at Grierson Organic Meat take online orders then deliver, so you don’t need to go along to collect direct from the farm like I do. They arrive quickly and well packed.

Meat Transport box

The orders come vacuum-packed and ready to be frozen. There are a number of places to go to get good quality grass-fed meat from but I recommend Grierson Organic Meat

Vaccuum Packed Red Meat

My fish comes from the fishmonger and gets delivered every Tuesday, and our eggs are free-range and come from a farm, delivered to our front door. We order 3kgs of Salmon a week and 5 dozen eggs, so delivery is free.

Farm shop

So, why “free-roaming, pasture-fed” meat?

Firstly, I do not agree with the way factory-farmed meat and poultry is produced. You only have to watch on YouTube how the chickens, pigs, and cows are treated. In my opinion, it is wrong, inhumane and I actually feel disgusted when watching the standard practices used. These go on to become the products that you see on the supermarket shelf.

Cows Feeding

An unhappy, unnaturally fed animal goes on to create sub-standard produce. A typical supermarket chicken today contains more than twice the fat, and about a third less protein than 40 years ago.

Commercially-farmed animals are kept in cramped, unhealthy conditions where bacteria is rife. The beaks of chickens, turkeys and ducks are often removed in factory farms to reduce the excessive feather-pecking and cannibalism seen among stressed, overcrowded birds. Animals are fed on grains, sprayed with pesticides and antibiotics and generally have a low quality of live. All these components affect the quality of the meat.

There is a lot of information on the web about these issues. Check out this link to the PETA site if you are interested in finding out more. Some things may shock you.

Investing in your health and tantalising your taste buds.

Free Range Chickens

The general perception is that free-roaming, pasture-fed is too expensive. It is but not substantially more when taken in to account of the peace of mind and level of health. That’s an investment that I am happy to make.

If you like the taste of great locally sourced food, it’s a no-brainer. Why not check out farms in your local area and see what they have on offer in terms of produce? Do what we did and go along for a visit to check out the conditions for yourself.

Until next time, “Strength for Life”

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Davie McConnachie

Davie McConnachie is Scotland’s leading health and wellness coach, multi-award-winning gym owner, motivational speaker and the founder of DMC Fitness, a fitness education facility known as the premier choice for 1-2-1 personal training. He has inspired thousands of people to fall in love with fitness – his true purpose and mission in life.

Diving into the world of fitness and wellness has helped Davie to deal with his own trauma and inner demons. He, overcame many dark times using his own unique methods to continue his cycle of healing.