Eat with Intention: Conscious Meat Eating for the Holidays

From the very beginning, turkeys have been part of the Thanksgiving feast.

In the autumn of 1621, Edward Winslow wrote that William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Colony, “sent four men on fowling, that so we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.”

Bradford himself fleshed out the details of the feast shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag, writing that “besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many.”

Today, we take more from our “great store of turkeys” than Bradford or Winslow could have imagined. More than 46 million turkeys end up on our Thanksgiving tables each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And nearly all of those turkeys are birds neither Bradford nor Winslow would have recognized. Instead of a sleek black/brown bird able to forage, fly and mate, we now have large turkeys bred to grow abnormally fast and to have so much white meat that they can barely stand up, let alone fly.

Instead, these birds live out their lives in cramped industrial confinement facilities. In these unnatural conditions the turkeys never see the sky, breathe fresh air, peck for insects in the grass, or fly up to a roost at night.

Knowing how most turkeys are raised is enough to put anyone off their Thanksgiving meat course. But you don’t have to swear off turkey! The key is knowing how to eat meat and other animal products “consciously.”

What Is Conscious Meat Eating?

Eating meat consciously means that you’re more mindful of where your meat comes from. It means considering the ethical implications of how it was produced and the economic and environmental impacts of your consumption. A mindful meat eater considers, for example, how the animal was raised and whether the farming practices were sustainable. This is where choosing organic foods and a few other practices can come in handy.

• Choose organic foods: The USDA has certain standards that help ensure that certified-organic meat and other foods come from ethical and sustainable practices. 
• Eat less meat: You can reduce the impact of your consumption by simply eating less meat. In fact, some studies suggest that we don’t even need to eat that much meat to get all the nutrients we need. One study, titled “What is the role of meat in a healthy diet?” found that just 3 ounces of lean beef provides more than half the daily amount a person needs of protein, selenium, niacin and vitamin B12, as well as a quarter of the required amount of iron and nearly half the required amount of zinc. While most people don’t eat beef on Thanksgiving, you can get similar nutritional benefits from just a little bit of turkey. It'sa great source of protein and is full of nutrients such as B-complex vitamins and choline.
• Choose cuts of meat that might otherwise be discarded: This is known as “nose-to-tail" eating. It honors the sacrifice of the animal by recognizing the value of each part rather than just the most popular cuts. It also reduces food waste, which, in turn, is better for the environment. Nose-to-tail eating can also entail things like using animal bones to make broth.

Why Choose Organic?

When you choose organic meat or other products, you can ensure that the animals were treated well and in keeping with practices that are good for both the earth and the animals.

Luckily, more farmers are responding to consumer demand by raising certified organic turkeys that get exercise, eat unmedicated organic feed and enjoy life. Some are also raising heritage breed turkeys such as Bourbon Red, Spanish Black, or Narragansett, which the Wampanoag and Pilgrims would have recognized as close cousins to the turkeys they enjoyed at the first Thanksgiving.

These birds are more expensive, but as with cars, shoes, eyeglasses and most other things, you get what you pay for. When you pay up for a humanely raised, certified organic turkey, you get a healthy bird that lived a good life and whose care and feed did not pollute the air or water. And because certified-organic turkeys cannot be treated with antibiotics or hormones, you don’t put all those extra substances into your body when eating certified-organic turkey, either. 

While human health, animal welfare and the environment are important factors when choosing your Thanksgiving turkey, for many people, the ultimate motivator is taste. When cooked, a healthy turkey — especially a smaller heritage breed — is juicy and aromatic, with a richer, more wholesome and satisfying taste.

The Organic Valley Promise

Organic Valley is committed to supporting agriculture that is beneficial to animals, humans and the earth. While we don’t sell turkeys, we wholeheartedly support organic practices and strive to support farmers who use them.

So, if you want to continue the nearly 400-year tradition of enjoying turkey this Thanksgiving, seek out a local, organic turkey similar to one of those enjoyed at the first gathering. Eating one of these turkeys, in gratitude and in full awareness, is a kind of sacrament — a humble and joyful giving of thanks.