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foragehawaii-blog · 5 years

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Plant-only diets...What’s Missing?

(copied from my newsletter)

It is no doubt that a human can survive on a plant based diet with proper supplementation, but is it appropriate for optimal health and more importantly for the health of our babies and children? The answer is the subject of hot debate in a vegan versus omnivore battle that has eaters pretty charged up. With climate change being one of the greatest threats to our world population, the concern for saving energy and stopping deforestation are so 1990. Nowadays its all about kicking meat to save the planet. But what are the health consequences?

My biggest concern about the plant-based agenda is that pregnant women and kids will suffer from deficiencies by removing food groups that supply important nutrients for physical and mental development and function. As a self-proclaimed alpha-female, it saddens me to think of even greater numbers of anemia in young girls. Anemia manifests itself as lethargy, lack of concentration and memory, and other symptoms that only progress gender stereotypes. (Women need greater amounts of iron due to loss of blood during mensuration.) I can only imagine what a 14 year old's idea of a vegan diet is.

But shouldn’t we all go vegan for our health and to save the planet? I’ve addressed the greenhouse gases issue in a previous newsletter, but for this newsletter I would like to address the nutrition. Considering there is plenty of evidence to suggest that ruminants actually play an important role in our ecosystem and deserve a place in the food chain to help feed our populations and store carbon, lets consider what is best for human health.

Since early humans evolved away from their vegan ape ancestors, history hasn’t recorded a single group of people living off a strictly plant based diet through generations. Evidence of early humans eating bone marrow dates back over 2 million years. Every human culture known to man included some type of animal food in their diet regularly or throughout the year. There are points in history when animal foods were omitted for periods of time or at times throughout the year, but not a single example exists of strictly plant eating humans that completely omitted animal foods. More importantly, most cultures have specific animal foods that are emphasized in preparation to, during, and after pregnancy to ensure healthy offspring.

Our bodies have evolved to need certain nutrients not available from plants. I look at it this way, would I rather feed my body 70% of what it needs to function properly, or 100%? More importantly, would I rather feed my baby's developing brain 70% of what it needs to function properly, or 100%? Would I rather get this from a lab, or from real food? The problem is, nutrition science is always changing and the latest research is showing that our current recommendations for numerous vitamins, minerals, and essential compounds are set far too low for optimal health. What about supplementation? Well thank goodness that we have man made B12. That is essentially the only nutrient our body cannot make that is not found in plant foods (with the exception of very small amounts found in seaweed.) That being said, even if our body can make compounds not found in plant foods, that doesn’t always mean we can make enough to be healthy and function properly. Add to that the lack of nutrition in the deficient soils that are growing our food, and you have a recipe for deficiencies all around. And although cereals are fortified with many vitamins and minerals we are missing in foods, combining vitamins and minerals together in supplemental form doesn’t allow the body to properly absorb each nutrient because of antagonistic receptors. Our best bet is to eat nutrient dense foods from local healthy soil found on organic farms that practice permaculture principles, along with properly raised and harvested animals and seafood.

So what are you getting from animal foods that are hard to get from plant foods?

VITAMIN B12- Impossible to get in adequate amounts from plant foods. Deficiency causes anemia. Plays an essential role in production of red blood cells and DNA. I've seen this deficiency first hand when my sister fell ill from it. She was bedridden for a month before doctors diagnosed her. Not fun. This vitamin, along with others are also being research for the important role they play in mental health. Its about time to consider diet as a solution to depression.

PREFORMED VITAMIN A (retinol)- Most people associate vitamin A with carrots, however carrots do not contain vitamin A, they contain beta-carotene that our body can use to make vitamin A considering we are in near perfect health. There is also a large percentage of the population who genetically cannot covert beta-cartotene from plants into preformed vitamin A and must get it from animal foods. On top of that, the conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A decreases as the dietary dose increases meaning the more sweet potatoes you eat, the less beta-carotene converts to vitamin A. Plants are just not a good source for vitamin A requirements.

VITAMIN K2 - There are actually two main forms of Vitamin K. K1 is primarily found in plant foods, and K2 is primarily found in animal foods. K2 is often overlooked but extremely important (emphasis on essential!) for blood clotting, heart health, and bone health. It is strongly associated with preventing heart disease and cancer. Many professionals believe that these two compounds should be grouped as separate vitamins especially because it is impossible to get the essential K2 from K1.

DHA- Not all Omega 3 Fatty Acids are created equal. Our body can use ALA (the omega 3 fatty acid form found in plant foods) to make DHA and EPA but at a very low conversation rate, not enough to meet daily needs for mental health. Considering DHA makes up 30% of our brain matter, I wouldn't want to rely on a plant based diet to properly support my brain. I wrote in detail about the difference of plant-based versus animal based omega 3 fatty acids here.

HEME IRON- When I was a vegetarian, D-1 Athlete, and nutrition major I struggled with iron deficiency. Whenever I would tell people this there response was, eat more spinach! That was terrible advice. Unfortunately the USDA nutrient database does not take into account bioavailability when listing nutrients in foods. In the case of iron, only a small percentage of non-heme iron (found in plant foods) is absorbed in the body compared to heme iron (from blood sources) which is between 15-35%. Eating heme iron with non heme iron increases non-heme iron bioavailability fourfold. However, calcium, tannins, fiber, and caffiene all prevent iron absorption. Not helpful when the exhaustion from being iron deficient leads one to be dependent on lattes! Red meat and liver are the best sources of iron. It can take up to a year to completely deplete iron stores and up to a year to restore them. This is the most common deficiency found world-wide.

ZINC- Zinc found in plant-based sources like legumes and whole grains is absorbed less efficiently because of other plant compounds that inhibit absorption. Meat and shellfish are the best sources of zinc.

COMPLETE PROTEIN, AMINO ACIDS & OTHER COMPOUNDS: -Glycine (insert my love of bone broth here) -Carnosine -Creatine -Taurine -Choline -Carnosine Plant-only diets are almost always high carb. Complete proteins and a number of conditionally essential amino acids and organic compounds are often lacking in plant-based diets. Protein is an important component of every cell in our body. Low protein diets often increase one's desire for sweets (insert type 2 diabetes) Quick tip: If you find yourself craving lots of sweets, eat protein! Conclusion The argument can be made that proper and careful supplementation can support a healthy vegan diet, however, from strictly plant sources you would still fall short of some of these nutrients, not to mention you would probably be eating a lot of processed foods. For pregnant woman and children, the science just doesn't prove that a vegan diet is adequate. Red Meat, eggs, & fish are truly superfoods and eating "nose to tail" is just as important in order to balance our amino acid intake and get sufficient nutrients. I don't know about you, but every year that goes by I find myself questioning what should I eat for health? The recommendations are always changing but the safest bet is to eat like our ancestors did long before diet related disease began. Whole foods from good sources, in moderation. That being said, I'm sure this topic will continue to be debated, but I honestly feel like we are conducting a large human experiment with strictly plant-only diets that may prove to be quite detrimental to babies and children. We have already done this with highly processed and refined foods and are now seeing the massive affects on the human race. Fertility of our land and people is built into the symbiosis of the ecosystem. By taking animals out of the equation we most certainly lose that fertility.

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Q&A Former Die-hard Vegan

I met Terry a few months ago at the Kailua market when she came to pick up beef bones and liver. Through e-mail I had learned that she was converting from six years of Veganism, to embracing regenerative agriculture and eating more of a keto based diet. Terry had been the most die hard, activist, hard-core Vegan I had ever encountered. So I wondered, what changed her mind?

Due to the fact that I am a meat advocate, I have gotten my fair share of hate from the Vegan Dogma advocates. I have tried my best to stay neutral and remind myself that eating a vegan diet is not associated with hate and sophomania. I love and enjoy vegan meals. I also commend anyone making an effort toward improving their health and the environment and I’ve always known I share that in common with every vegan out there. I think vegan diets can be very helpful to people if it gets them on track to a better lifestyle and eating healthier. That being said, I believe (based on science) that a long term vegan diet is nutritionally inadequate and not optimal for health for most people and especially children. I also believe there is adequate evidence to confidently say, that it is not better for the environment that a diet based on the natural ecosystems of regenerative agriculture.

So...here is some of the Q&A I received from Terry:

Q: Tell us a little background about yourself and what your diet was like before you went vegan.

A: Typical S.A.D., (Stupid/Shitty American Diet), with improvements, along the course of my 60 plus years on this planet. I had minored in health in college, and seemed to be up on what foods were good for you, (as ruled by F.D.A. Food Pyramid, the American Medical Gods,etc.). I have/had no major health issues, like being over weight, diabetic, etc.

Q: Why did you decided to go vegan and for how long?

A: My oldest daughter had been vegetarian, then vegan, since high school, but I called her a "closet" vegan because she never said much about it...like her big mouth mom would have! We'd touch on it, in conversations along the years, with not much thought to my ever becoming veg/vegan myself!

It was the night before my birthday, and I had just got done talking with my daughter. I was on my way to bed, and thought, what's something new I could do on my birthday that I'd never done before? It hit me: I'll go Vegan!I went to bed, got up the next morning, and have been, 100% VEGAN, for 6 solid years ever since. (until August 16th of this year).

Q: Did you experience health benefits or detriments along the way?

A: I was on such a VEGAN HIGH, eating, breathing and sleeping VEGANISM, I thought I had died and gone to Vegan heaven! I was the Vegan Queen of my community, all my new friends were Vegan, I started a group called, Imagine A Vegan World, for 5 years+, I went to the First World Vegan Expo, in CA., I read every Vegan book, saw all the great Vegan gurus, only ate at Vegan restaurants, activly marched and demonstrated for animal rights, wore Vegan t shirts, and I was known by my car license plate read: BVEGAN. Was I healthy? I sure as hell knew I was! Never doubted that for one moment. Even when my diet usually ended up being more junk food Vegan than whole foods, I used to say, if they ever found out that the Vegan Diet was bad for you, I would still do it for the animals.

Looking back, I and most Vegans live in our own little Vegan Bubble, hang with only other Vegans, read only the Vegan side of issues, etc. And we separated ourselves from those, Vegetarian heathens, let alone those terrible meat eaters! I never questioned whether I was healthy. How could I not be? I told everybody I felt 1000% better, had such mental clarity and just knew it was the best thing I had ever done in my life!

Q: What made you change your diet to include animal products and was it a difficult transition?

A: All of the difficulties were NOT because of transitioning my foods, as it was sticking my head up out of the Vegan Herd, and the hypocritically hostile ostracization to blatant banishment, without ever being open to understanding why I could/would possibly do such a thing?! THAT was a revelation, and opened my eyes to just how crazy the Vegan agenda is.

Just some things I became 'woke' to:* Most Vegans are on the Left, and in "my" tribe, I found out I was the only outsider, leaning right.* Vegans always take the moral high ground, and will turn on you like a hungry bamboo eating baboon if you cross their belief barrier. About that time, I started feeling less energy than normal, and knew I wasn't eating the best. So, I began to do some personal research by getting some blood work done...before I started a high fat, low carb, medium protein, Keto type diet.

Being full fledged vegan for 6 years, it surprised me that my blood test results weren't too bad; no red flags to speak of. I wanted to see what changes a real grass fed butter, beef, eggs, cheese, organ meats, etc., would do for me. I did it mostly in secret, away from the vegan vultures of virtue. It's been 4 months on Keto and solid, fatty meats, dairy, eggs. If you would have told me, even 6 months ago, that I would not be vegan anymore,and that I was thriving on a meat lifestyle, I wouldn't have believed it!

The more I read, and research, I realize how closed minded, and wrong I was. I truly did not know there are many people who got sick and almost died because of vegan's poor nutrition, and blind ignorance. That it's next to child abuse to put a baby on a vegan diet?! Then the rabbit holes of finding out that the vegan diet does not improve our planet. That's a whole other topic, and one I'm hoping will begin to snap people out of this vegan fog they are in.

Thank You Terry for sharing your thoughts with us and supporting Forage!

-Jess

#omnivore #vegan #veganism #cleaneating #meat #grassfed #regenerativeagriculture

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Learning to Provide for Yourself: Q & A with @annekimi69

Working at farmer’s market we tend to see customers more often than we see some of our closest friends. We also share the passions of good food and supporting local ag. This being the case, I have made some wonderful friends through my customer base and always relish in the connections we make and the joy of familiar faces coming back week after week. That, coupled with social media, have led me to develop quick friendships with some of you that have inspired me, taught me, and continue to energize me.

One such friend is @annekimi69. Anne grew up on Lanai and is dedicated to legit food sourcing and sharing her ever deepening knowledge of kitchen wizardry and food facts. Her back story is like many of us, dealing with health issues that took her on a diet journey to be more selective and refine her home cooking skills.

I love watching Anne’s instagram stories because her passion for food is ever evolving and she also includes many other wellness related posts. She often cooks with wild game hunted by her partner Kento, and recently I asked her to share a little about her latest endeavor to learn to hunt for herself.

Why did you sign up for the Hunters Education Course?

I grew up in a hunting community but didn’t hunt then. Seeing neighbors come home with deer and watching people skin and butcher deer in their garages was a normal thing and never grossed me out. I love venison and always missed it after I moved to Oahu. Once I started learning about factory farmed meat and where it came from it got harder and harder to buy it.

About three years ago I got together with my childhood friend who comes from a family of hunters and we’ve had a steady supply of venison ever since. In high school he taught me how to use a gun so I figure the next natural step is to learn how to hunt for myself. The class is also full of lots of information about wildlife management and how we are all impacted by it. It’s a great class to take even if you don’t want to hunt.

Why is it important for you to hunt?

I feel like we are so disconnected from the food we buy and its too easy to ignore the hard questions- like how was this animal raised? What was it fed? Did it have a good life? Once I started asking those questions I had to reexamine my choices. Now I ask myself, Am I okay buying this meat knowing this animal was frightened and confined most of its life? Am I okay buying this meat knowing the industrial food system had no respect for this animal?

My answers were all no, I’m not okay with it. It doesn’t feel good. I feel like hunting is the last step for me to be as close to being connected to the process of consuming meat. I know this animal, I know where it lived, I know it ran with a heard, I know what it ate. At the end of the day it just makes me feel clean and whole. The health benefits and quality are clear.

Do you believe harvesting deer humane and sustainable?

Growing up I always knew hunting was integral to land management as well as wildlife management. They are food from the land. It is more painful for me to see starving deer or deer dying of drought. My only worry is getting off a good shot to prevent as much suffering as possible.

From now until March I plan to hit the gun range. It is my responsibility to take careful shots. I’m okay if I don’t shoot anything the first times out. Its a process and I don’t want to just go out and shoot without first developing my skills.

Thank you Anne for sharing this little nugget of inspiration! And congratulations on passing your test with high scores! We look forward to learning more about your hunting adventures.

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Billfish Conservation: Is it Okay to Eat Marlin?

As you can tell by the photo above, I enjoy catching fish...big fish...with spears on their face. One thing I’m not a fan of, is catching them just to let them go. As my career as a fisherman (or woman if you prefer) has tapered off, and my business selling local meat and fish has taken off, I get less of these occasions nowadays, but I do always relish in the excitement and fun of a chance fishing for these hard fighting amazing creatures. When I first started fishing for a living in 2009 it was 6 months before I even got a chance to catch a blue marlin. That was considered a poor year for marlin fishing.

I grew up hearing old fishermen tell stories of 1,000 pound plus blue marlin and the long fight and hard work it took to land such a beast. I still to this day have yet to catch one over 600lbs. The large ones continue to come up every year but the old timers are pretty confident that there are less of them around than there used to be. This has never really bothered or concerned me because I have witnessed year after year of very productive seasons and healthy populations from my observation. After 20+ years of fishing, my partner still has years that are better than he’s ever had.

This of course is not scientific data, but as most fisherman know, what the scientists conclude often is contradictory from what the fisherman observe. Fishermen that spend more time on the ocean than land and much more time in the field than many of the scientists. This is not to discredit research but I have always wondered how in the world population estimates can come anywhere close to really knowing how many fish are out there. What I do enjoy checking out are comparisons of catch rates throughout the years..

For this reason it baffles me that Hawaii has lost its exemption to sell billfish to the US Mainland. In 2012 the Billfish Conservation act was sign into law and prevented any sales of billfish within the United States, except Hawaii. Ironically, this excluded swordfish- a targeted species that has huge lobbying efforts due to its massive industry. This year the law was amended to prevent Hawaii from exporting any billfish for sale to the US but still allows for sale within Hawaii an Pacific Insular Areas....except swordfish (a targeted species) is exempt...insert eye roll.

Now a little background on marlin. First off, there are a handful of billfish species included in this bill. Although the Atlantic marlin populations on the east coast have population concerns, here in Hawaii, NOAA lists Pacific Blue Marlin as a sustainable species with populations levels above targets according to a 2016 stock assessment. Striped marlin are listed as having above target population in eastern Pacific, but overfishing concerns in the central and western Pacific due to international fisheries. These are the two most commonly caught marlin species in Hawaii and neither of them are targeted species by our longline fleets.

I have mentioned in the past about the day-boat fishing industry making up 2% of the total catch brought into Hawaii for sale. The majority of fish sold in Hawaii is caught by the longline fleet. They specifically target bigeye tuna and swordfish. For them, any marlin species is considered “by-catch” and in general commands a lower price. I have heard stories of boats dumping billfish out of their holds in order to make room for more valuable tuna or swordfish.

This is a problem. If the fisherman does not see value in the marlin species, they are likely to throw them back. I suppose in an optimistic mind you would imagine the fish swimming away happily and living a long happy life, but this is not the case. My fellow day-boat fish supporter Ashley Watts spent a number of years working as a NOAA observer on the long-line boats and has shared with me that most of the marlin caught by the longliners come up dead by the time they pull the hooks in.

So I question how this billfish conservation act really helps the population that has no evidence of population concerns. With day-boat and charter boats making up such a small percentage of the catch, and the longliners not being able to properly release marlin alive, and also not having any incentive to keep them as the price has definitely plummeted with this bill, how does this make sense? On top of the fact that NOAA clearly states that there is no evidence that the population is in danger and they are not a targeted species. How does the swordfish industry get disregarded when it is a targeted species that is caught in much greater numbers and a later sexual maturation age?

Unbelievably, President Trump made this official, which I imagine happened after a nice round of golf in Florida with some billfish conservationist buddy giving him a little elbow nudge. East Coast mentality has clearly been forced onto our Pacific region. I still don’t get why a guy so unconcerned about climate change, EPA regulation, etc, happens to care about regulating the healthy population of Pacific Billfish (except swordfish...double eye rolls here.)

As a side note, if you’ve ever gone marlin fishing you probably know that they are not the easiest fish to catch. They are very good at throwing the hooks with their large aerial displays and rough bill that can easily cut a fishing line after hours of fighting. It is not an easy feat, and besides the fact that they are highly migratory, they get big because they are survivors. On my partner’s boat we specifically use lighter line on our leaders so that we have less chances to catch the big ones. Although it is every fisherman’s dream to catch the fish of a lifetime, it doesn't make much sense to us spending hours fighting a huge fish that has a high probability of getting away, is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with, won’t be able to be chilled properly, and will sell for less than a $1/lb. Not to mention the bioaccumulation of mercury in the flesh. It is becoming more and more popular to catch and release these fish on the small fleet of charter boats that do target them. Overall, even without the bill, marlin is not species that is highly sought after in the market.

As for the mercury content of marlin, there are a number of factors to consider. First off, mercury content in marlin is listed as high because blue marlin can grow very large. Mercury bioaccumulates in fish, therefore, a 15 year old marlin will have much more mercury in it than a 4 year old marlin. Marlin doesn't necessarily have anymore mercury than tuna, it just has a chance of having more if you were eating a 500+ pound fish. This is why I prefer to eat fish that are 200 pounds or less. Plus, they are also much easier to get iced properly and usually have better meat. For our Forage business I prefer marlin 200lbs or less.

Secondly, a lesser known fact is that of the selenium interaction with mercury. Selenium binds with mercury in a way that prevents our bodies from absorbing all of it. Luckily, most pelagic species in Hawaii have high amounts of selenium (with the exception of swordfish and shark.) This information has been known for decades but public health advisors are hesitant to share it with the general public due to the fact that it doesn't cover all species. Now, looking at a chart of mercury and selenium content in blue marlin isn’t very helpful as I mentioned before that the size varies greatly and so does the mercury content. With decent levels of selenium, and the addition of selenium rich vegetables, it is pretty safe to say that we can greatly reduce any risk of mercury exposure when consuming marlin if we stick to smaller fish and moderate our consumption. The best example I have seen of this living out in real life is the fisherman that live, sleep, and eat on the long line boats. Considering they are eating fish on a much more regular basis than any of us, the reports of mercury poisoning are extremely low.

To conclude, it is officially marlin season! And...our local commercial fisherman are unfortunately going to begin seeing the consequences of this bill with regards to their yearly income. Although the fish can still be sold within Hawaii, the economic hit of eliminating exports will definitely be felt. I will continue to support the fishing of this species and the fishermen that catch it and properly care for it. The above statements are entirely subjective but based on experience and research, and I am not interested in debating them besides just sharing my thoughts on this blog. I am however, very open to new information if you have something to share with me kindly. At the end of the day there will be the vegans, the meat eaters, the selectavore, the conservationists, the givenofucks, and everyone else in all their categories. I’m in mine coming from a place where fishing helps to support my family and our diets. I also care greatly about conserving fish species, which is why I whole heartedly support the efforts of Local I’a Hawaii.

By selecting day-boat fish from sustainability minded fisherman, we can support an industry that is using fishing methods that have minimal environmental impacts. Cheers!

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Day Boat Fishing on Oahu

If you have been to our farmer’s markets stands you will notice that we often sell fish along with the local meats we primarily carry. I get asked very often for specific types of fish and often sense a bit of disappointment when I don’t have what my customer is requesting. Surely I could source most of our popular species year round if I wanted to. I would go through a wholesaler or directly to the auction, I would purchase fish from the long-liners that go out far enough to target more areas and larger populations using more aggressive methods. But that’s not what I do.

I choose to source solely day-boat fish because I believe it is the most sustainable form of fishing we have to offer consumers on the islands. I also love selling fish that I know the story of. When I source from my partner’s boat I know when the fish were caught, how well the fish were handled, and that they were properly bled and brined and kept on sufficient ice. Unfortunately, there are many fishermen on the island that do not care for their fish, and because there are no inspectors on board making sure sufficient ice is brought etc., I have to make sure to source only from people I trust take care of their catch. I am very selective and would rather have no fish than fish improperly cared for.

Let me back up and give a quick explanation of the types of fishing that catch the majority of the local fish we eat in Hawaii. Ninety eight percent of all the “local fish” sold in Hawaii is from the Long-line fleet. If you would like to understand this fishing method just watch the movie ‘The Perfect Storm.’ They travel up to 800 miles from shore and set lines up to 10 miles long with 10,000 hooks. They primarily target Bigeye Tuna but also catch other pelagic species like marlin, ono, small tuna, monchong, opah, walu, shark, whales, dolphins, turtles, seals etc. They spend an average of 3 weeks at sea before coming in to unload their catch at the Honolulu Fish Auction. The fish are packed on ice until they arrive. Distribution takes up to a week, so as you can imagine the fish are not exactly fresh and not exactly local.

The Day-Boat fleet consisted of trollers (not to be confused with trawlers...totally different), who run lures or bait behind the boat hoping to hook one or two fish. You can book a sportfishing charter if you would like to experience that type of fishing firsthand. There are also bottom fishermen who set deep lines with electric reels to catch some of our most prized fish here in Hawaii like Opakapaka and Onaga. Most of these fishermen just go out for the day and come back in to sell their catch (25 miles out or less.) There are also fishermen who go out for 2-3 days at a time in order to fill larger fish boxes using different methods. I consider these fishing methods much more sustainable than the long liners. And considering the auction sells anywhere from 25,000-100,000lbs of fish a day, 6 days a week, I think being 2% of that catch in its self shows just how much better the catch is managed.

Now, I have seen “day-boat mahi mahi” advertised on some of the menus here on Oahu. I have even seen “non-long line” tuna advertised at Whole Foods when no one BUT the long-liners were catching tuna, and after I specifically spoke with the supplier of whole foods local fish who confirmed with me that he in fact sells them the long line fish daily. This took place shortly after Human rights issues on the long-line boats were rampant in the media and press.

There is no way a large supplier can consistently source a local day boat fish species in large numbers everyday all year round. If you see a restaurant with a specific type of fresh local fish printed on the menu, like Mahi Mahi, and claiming to be from “day-boats,” chances are they are not being truthful. Most places that truly source fish from day-boat fishermen will be changing the menu constantly based on what is available. Which brings me to the information I originally wanted to share with you: our Day Boat fishing seasons!

Our boat fishes primarily on the West side of the island out of Waianae Boat Harbor. Different sides of the island are more or less productive with different species, but overall the seasons are fairly predictable. The moon has a lot to do with how the fish bite and some days, whether the fish swim by your lure or not, they may not be feeding. Big tides usually bring a bitter bite. We catch all our main pelagic species year round, however, there are seasons for each species when we see more of a specific species coming near the island.

Summer is well known for Ahi (yellowfin tuna.) We catch a different species of Ahi than what the long-liners usually catch (bigeye), but they are both marketed as Ahi. The yellowfin tuna have different features than the bigeye tuna and their meat is a little lighter red. According to the old timers, prior to the 1970′s when the long-line fleet started, fishing for Ahi and all pelagic fish for that matter, was much easier. The decline of the fish population from over-fishing has been largely due to the massive number of fish that the long-liners and other world-wide commercial fishing vessels catch. Us day-boats make a very small impact on the over-all local harvest (2%.)

October, in general, is usually a pretty terrible month for fishing for pelagic fish. A lot of fishermen take their vacation in October. Keep that in mind at the markets because you will notice a decline in the fish I have for sale. The pelagic fish are highly migratory and October happens to be in between seasons when the Ahi leave and the marlin arrive. Closer to winter we start seeing the stripped marlin coming in schools. These are small billfish that have a delicious orange meat great for sashimi. The larger blue marlin also come around and we get a lot of smaller tuna in large amount during the winter as well. As winter season fades and spring begins the mahi mahi schools come around in large amounts followed by Ono just before summer starts. Then the ahi arrive and it starts all over again.

Now I’m not entirely familiar with all the bottom fish seasons because I hardly ever fish that way, but I do have some good friends who bottom fish and I source from them when it makes sense. I also connect with Local I’a to get some short-line deep species like Monchong when available.

I hope this information helps you to understand a little bit about our truly local sustainable pelagic fish. And also to be flexible with our fish supply at the markets. I have been working on a vac-sealed and frozen production that allows us to offer more day boat fish during the weekend markets. I think this is a GREAT option and shouldn't be discounted just because its not fresh. Keep in mind that fish frozen right after it is caught is going to taste much fresher than fish that takes 3 weeks to get to the store after it is caught. Thank you all again for supporting sustainable harvest methods!

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Q&A: Greenhouse Gases Associated with Beef

Jess, Just read something about beef requiring much more resources than pork or chicken and also the amount of methane from cattle, does that make beef less environmentally friendly? Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock I love this question because climate change and livestock is poorly understood by most people who write about it. Not to say I am an expert by any means but it doesn't take much effort to dive into the scientific literature and find the bigger picture. To begin with I would like to define a term: Reductionist: analyzing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of its simple or fundamental constituents. This is one of my biggest fears. It is why I often find it hard to get points across without going on for days. It is why I spend hours upon hours researching answers to my questions. This short blog will by no means account for the complexity involved in this answer but I hope to spark some curiosity and better understanding of the subject. As a quick side note: Keep in mind that Makaweli Beef is 100% grass-fed, no hormones/antibiotics/steroids and uses all hydroelectric renewable energy. Their inputs are minimal to say the least. Spend a few hours checking out the Savory Institute if you're interested in the land requirements and feasibility of raising large amounts of beef or other livestock on pasture.

Lets take a look at the emissions of beef to begin answering this question. The three main greenhouse gases associated with livestock are: 1. Methane (CH4) 2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and 3. Nitrous Oxide (NO).

METHANE Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has been emitted into the atmosphere for millions of years. Decomposing organic matter releases gases, including methane. Fracking (gas and oil extraction) is responsible for the largest share of the world's rising methane emissions. Wetlands and rice paddies also contribute to a large portion of global methane emissions, as does food waste in landfills (this is not the case with properly composted food waste.) Believe it or not, termites actually produce more methane than cattle by weight. The main source of methane emissions from cattle is from liquified manure storage, but for some reason it is more fun to talk about cow farts than poop lagoons (manure lagoons don't exist with pasture raised cattle.) Ruminants, like cattle, emit methane through the unique digestion process of converting nutrient rich grasses into high quality protein. All ruminants, including buffalo, deer, sheep, antelope, giraffe, and the extinct mega-fauna, breathe out, burp, and occasionally fart methane. This process evolved 90 million years ago in a symbiotic relationship with the earth. Methantrophs (methane consuming bacteria) flourish in healthy soils and diffuse methane emissions from the atmosphere as well as the atmospheric free radical (OH). The biological function of grazing animals is to encourage the growth of these, and trillions of other bacteria that make up healthy soil. As David Wong said to me today, "All life comes from soil." As you can imagine, industrial agriculture has stripped soil of its methane consuming potential through tillage, fertilizers, pesticides, and mono cropping. It has also been demonstrated through research, that methane emitted from cattle can be reduced by half when adding certain proteins, salt licks, and algae to their diet of high quality fresh forage. It is important to note that the decomposition of plant matter would emit methane whether or not the animal digests it. Methane Emissions of Conventional Beef vs Grass-Fed Here is where the reductionist thinking singles out beef regardless of how it is raised. They look at the gross methane emissions and unrightfully blame cattle for being these awful climate change creating beasts that don't deserve a place in our ecosystem. By estimating an output they fail to calculate the ability grazing has to reduce atmospheric methane. They also don't subtract the methane emissions resulting from factory farming. They simple point out that grass-fed cattle often live an extra year longer than feedlot cattle and therefore emit more methane. Feedlot cattle does indeed have net positive methane emissions, which include the methane emissions from hay, corn, and soy feed. Our local beef graze on fresh, lush, green pastures and have the ability to contribute to methane and carbon loss from the atomosphere, cancelling out their emissions. CARBON DIOXIDE I could spend a lot of time on this specific greenhouse gas that cattle is blamed for, but because it is mainly associated with factory farmed beef, I will just touch briefly on it. First off, the number that gets repeatedly cited (even though it has been denounced by the scientific community) is from a 2016 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) report that blamed livestock for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority of it coming from cattle. The report also specifically encouraged moving towards industrial poultry and pork and away from grazing animals, which is widely believed to be the author’s agenda. The methods used to calculate this number have been widely criticized and retracted by the same organization and scientific community. The number currently agreed upon by the UN Environment Program for ALL agriculture is 8-11% (this includes plant crops.) The majority of carbon emissions calculated for cattle comes from deforestation in South America to grow soy, and the carbon emissions associated with growing soy and corn feed. Heres the catch, American Beef consumption is not associated with deforestation and less than 1% of our feed is imported from those areas. Not to mention, 100% Grass-fed beef on fresh pasture doesn't require feed. There is also the powerful ability of livestock to sequester carbon into the soil. This is another one of mother nature's ecological creations. I went over this in a previous newsletter about perennial grasses and livestock grazing. The amount of carbon sequestered into soil by properly managed cattle has been shown by research to offset carbon and methane emissions of the animals. NITROUS OXIDE This gas accounts for 5% of total greenhouse gases in the United States. Three quarters of nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture result from the use of man-made fertilizers, also not associated with 100% grass-fed beef. My Take I personally believe that properly raised beef is one of the best sources of food to eat with regards to climate change. Monocropped plant agriculture is incredibly fossil fuel dependent and is unsustainable in the long run as it survives only off inputs and strips the soil of life. Conventional pigs and chickens live their entire life confined indoors with massive amounts of fossil fuel inputs and unnatural feed, antibiotics, hormones etc. At least feedlot beef spend the majority of their life on pasture and get to see the light of day. That being said, there are poultry and pork sources that minimize their greenhouse gas contribution and are wonderful protein sources that also have external benefits. I'm so excited to share with you more information on David Wong's pig farm, which tackles some of these issues so well. Chicken would get my last stamp of approval for multiple reasons but I include it in my menu often because its delicious and is sourced from a local farm that is making an effort to use better methods of raising, especially compared to conventional. The other thing to consider is that none of us can avoid eating foods that play a role in global warming. Sunny Savage on Maui is the closest thing I know to reducing her footprint. She sources wild invasive plant and animal species primarily in her diet. But what emissions take the place of meat if you eliminate it from your diet? Is it more righteous to eat mono cropped plant species shipped from across the sea? Or pesticide ridden greens? Animals are one of the best way to improve soils without fertilizers and they have incredible potential to offset emissions by sequestering carbon into soil. Unfortunately mainstream media doesn't get much attention when talking about soil, but that is the beginning of the solution. Soil is life and we are losing it at an alarming rate, which has scientists considering loss of topsoil as one of the greatest threats to global warming. Quitting beef or meat has far less impact on climate change than switching to well-raised beef or meat. Reducing food waste should be first in line if you wish to reduce your ecological impact.

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foragehawaii-blog · 6 years

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Meat: Good, Better, Best

Conscientious meat eating can often be a difficult task. There is so much mixed messages, disinformation, and misleading labeling out there. Along with a general lack of information, it makes for a confusing understanding about the livestock industry. I have worked for years trying to uncover the story of my food through farming, fishing, aquaculture, hunting, gathering, nutrition science, cooking, industry research, and connecting with the people responsible for our food supply. I still feel the need to investigate more details, ask more questions, and hold people accountable for their claims.

I am always enlightened when I come across genuine, honest people with integrity that are growing, raising, or harvesting our food. We are lucky to have a number of those people in Hawaii running businesses that provide quality products that we can trust. We do our best at Forage Hawaii to source local meats from the best farmers and hunters that we can possible get. That being said, I still have a hierarchy of meats that I use to make my food choices and I would like to share some of the ideas I use to judge what the Good, Better, and Best choices are.

BEST:

Local, Wild, Invasive

Hands down you can’t get any better than sourcing wild, healthy, invasive animals. In Hawaii the two main invasive land animals that are being processed under USDA inspection are Axis Deer and Wild Boar. Both of these animals have nutritionally dense meat that contains many health supporting compounds and are killed under strict humane slaughter standards. They are free from any kind of additives, antibiotics, steroids etc. It is hard to argue against eating animals that are abundant, delicious, nutritious, and ecologically damaging to land and endangered plant and animal species. If our state consumed more of these readily available animals we would increase our food security substantially and improve the health of the land. Maui alone is home to an estimated 60,000 axis deer that reproduce at alarming rates.

Properly Managed Ruminants

Ecology is all about balance. One thing we have heard a lot about in the media is the negative impact of cattle. This is entirely true when these poor animals are crammed into feedlots and fed unnatural diets. However, there is a biological purpose of all ruminants including beef cattle. This has to do with nourishing and building soil (one of the most important and underrated components of our ecosystem) and global health and sustainability. The grazing power of ruminants and their ability to utilize perennial grasslands, aid in storing carbon into the soil, and substantially increasing methane consuming bacteria in the soil, makes beef cattle a very real, positive, and important solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through regenerative agriculture.

Properly managed grazing animals, including cattle, are one of the best choices of meat an omnivore can consume. The argument can easily be made that these meats are even better for our ecology than any kind of tillage agriculture plant crop. For that reason, 100% fresh grass-fed, pasture raised, and properly managed ruminants like local cattle and sheep, make the cut for Best choices.

Notice that I haven’t mentioned the word organic? That is because the organic standard will almost always mean that the animal was fed soy or corn and does not ensure that the animals have adequate space to move about. Ruminants were designed by evolution to consume grasses and forage, not mono-cropped grains that are grown in fossil fuel intensive agricultural systems. The great thing about wild and grazing animals, is that they enjoy a life outdoors in large plots of land. They are free to move around acres upon acres of land and are killed under strict USDA humane standards that require them to be rendered unconscious immediately. Organic meats in box stores, Whole Foods included, are almost always raised in factory farms that are no where near the standards that you would expect them to be at. This is why it is more important to know your farmer.

BETTER:

Pork

Pigs can be a difficult animal to manage. First off, they are omnivores and require more than just grass in order to thrive. Secondly, they have an instinctual need to root and dig. This can be a big nuisance to pastured pork farmers who must carefully manage their herd on large plots of land in order to not end up with acres of mud pits and barren soil. That being said, pigs can easily make the Best list in my book, but on Oahu we have very little availability from producers like Malama Farms. Fortunately, we do have a pig farmer on Oahu that is doing an amazing job raising one of the best pork product available in the state. Through his process of Korean Natural Farming and a deep litter system, David Wong of Mountain View Farm, eliminates food and animal waste and raises healthy and nutritious animals. His animals are penned in a stress-free environment that allows them to root and dig. I am pleased with this style of farming that allows for a healthy pork product that can be raised at scale due to the minimal use of land. I also will mention that pigs have gotten a horrible wrap when it comes to the nutrition of their meat. Pork is not an unhealthy meat and when raised properly and given the right diet, can be a nutrient dense protein source with many important minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, and more.

No Hormones/Antibiotics/Steroids/Vaccines

I have noticed a lot of this kind of labeling on store bought meats nowadays. Sadly I recently learned that the poultry industry’s requirement for no antibiotics label actually allows for certain levels of antibiotics to test positive in the animal before slaughter. Another wonderful way the industry lobbies for weak standards and greater profit. That being said, as most of us know, the massive amount of antibiotics in the livestock industry has catastrophic results in the health of our population. Using any of these components in livestock farming is usually an indicator of unhealthy conditions or unnatural rearing methods. I think it is important to make sure any meat you consume is free from these added chemicals.

Organic

If given the choice between conventional factory farmed meat & organic meat, of course I would choose organic meat, which is why I include this in the Better Choice. As previously mentioned, this label is conditional. It does not indicate a healthy happy animal that lived in a natural setting. It does however, ensure that better precautions were taken to produce a product that is not as bad as conventional and has not been fed genetically modified feed. There is a small caveat there because organic feed is allowed to test positive for GMOs at low levels, so inherently the animals do consumer a small amount of GMOs. Price-wise, I think its better to support a small local farmer rather than a large factory organic farm that puts deceiving pictures of animals in grass on their labeling.

GOOD:

Here is where I would like to include reasons to why I would choose conventional meat in the rare occasion that I didn't have a better option. I believe, from a nutrition viewpoint, that it is better to have some meat in the human diet than no meat at all, regardless of how it is raised. Even ancient societies that evolved on mainly plant-based diets still incorporated animal products in their diet in one way or the other. I respect those who choose to abstain from animal products but I question the long term health of plant-based diets that inherently lack adequate nutrition. Although I try to make clean local meat more available to consumers through Forage Hawaii, it is not easy to consistently find good convenient and affordable meat sources.

One thing to keep in mind when eating conventional meat is that the toxins in an animal are usually stored in their fat. Therefore, the leaner the cut the better. This is not the case for properly raised meat that has health promoting components in the fat like conjugated linoleic acids and omega 3 fatty acids.

When I choose to eat conventional meat, the decision is usually between beef, pork, and chicken. If lamb is on the menu that is a great option as they are rarely farmed in feedlot style operations at this time. Wild fish of course is often a good choice but I’m speaking specifically about land animals in this case.

Conventional Beef:

This may surprise some people because beef has been stigmatized for years as unhealthy for humans and the environment. I have seen plenty of evidence supporting the opposite, but the main reason I choose beef over pork or chicken is because of how it is raised and slaughtered along with the greater nutrient density. A beef cattle lives on open pasture for the majority of its life, fulfilling the biological activity of improving the soil and maintaining pasture lands. When it is transferred to a feedlot it lives in unsatisfactory conditions, but it is still outside and allowed sunlight (unlike pork or chicken.) It is humanely slaughtered under strict USDA jurisdiction that requires stress to be minimized and the animal to be rendered unconscious immediately. Beef also delivers much more nutrients per ounce than chicken.

PRETTY DAMN BAD

Conventional Chicken and Pork:

These two don't make the list because they are raised in the worst conditions possible in my opinion. Conventional pork and chicken rarely ever see the light of day. They are raised in massive warehouses where they are crammed into extremely stressful environments living amongst their feces. Their bodies are altered to reduce the chance of them hurting each other. Chickens beaks are often lasered off so they can't peck each other and pig’s tails are removed so they don't bite them off of each other. You may have also seen in the recent press, complaints from entire towns who suffer from the gases emitted from pig farms that must be blown out of the warehouse to reduce toxic conditions. Not to mention the manure lagoons that leech into the local water supply.

They are fed gmo grain loaded with antibiotics to make them gain weight and reduce the disease that accompanies such an unhealthy environment. Pigs are allowed to be fed animal waste and all kinds of trash that doesn't belong in their diet. The breed of chickens used is one that has been developed to grow extremely fast with large breasts that causes suffering for the entire short life of the bird. They are encouraged not to sleep by constant lighting in the warehouses so that they eat more and grow faster.

The worst part of all, with regards to the poultry industry, is that there are no humane slaughter requirements set forth by the USDA. Chickens are the only mass produced livestock in our country that are allowed to suffer during death rather than be rendered unconscious before being bled out. Some of these issues apply to chicken labeled “free-range” or even chickens raised outdoors on pasture. “Free-Range”, as most people have come to understand, is a joke on the factory farm level and doesn't ensure space for the birds or even light of day. “Pasture-Raised” chickens can mean anything. There are no standards on that term. The chicken tractors commonly used for pasture-raised chickens can be packed densly with unnatural breeds, fed gmo, and still have the inhumane slaughter issue. I have seen farmers doing a good job and a bad job but at the end of the day, chicken is in the moderate category of my meat consumption list.

With all that being said, we are all free to choose and support what we like and I thank you for supporting local regenerative agriculture when you can. The increase in consumer awareness is extremely encouraging and I believe that animal conditions and rearing methods will continue to improve into the future.

Aloha!

Jess

#meat beef cattle pork pigs chicken wildgame cleanmeat factoryfarming omnivore deer venison lamb boar nutrition eatinglocal

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