Presentation to Low Carb Houston 2018, Low Carb Houston – 2018, October 25 - 27, Houston, Texas

1. Ruminant Reality:
Diet, Human Health and the Environment
Peter Ballerstedt, PhD
Low Carb Houston – 2018
October 25 - 27, 2018

2. Disclosure
• None
• I’m an advocate for LCHF and ruminant animal agriculture
• I’ve worked in forage agriculture
• I work for a forage seed company

3. Show me a man without
a point of view, and I’ll
show you a corpse.

5. To those restoring their mental and physical health
on a largely or exclusively animal-sourced diet…
Don’t listen to the
voices that advocate for
the diet that made you
sick in the first place!

6. June 23, 2014a
“Scientists labeled fat the enemy. Why they were wrong”
“We helped some Sscientists labeled fat the enemy. Why we they were wrong”
Here, let me fix that for you…
You’re welcome!
a https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/fat-cover.jpg?quality=85&w=840

7. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-
reduce-your-impact-on-earth

8. When each strand of the narrative is tested,
it is shown to be weak, based upon flawed beliefs.

9. “The amount of energy
necessary to refute
[MBFM] is an order of
magnitude bigger than to
produce it.”
- Alberto Brandolini
The [male bovine fecal matter] Asymmetry Principle
aka Brandolini’s Law

10. What are ruminants?
What role did they play in
humanity's past?
Why are they essential
today?
How will they enable a
truly sustainable future?

11. Ruminants (134 species in total, 21 domestic species)
• Are NOT competitive with humans
• Convert plant “protein” and low nutrient density
organic materials into food for humans
• Provide services and assist in recycling soil nutrients

13. After graphic by Ariya Shookh - Rumen Microbiology and its role in ruminant nutrition by James B. Russell, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26606317
HCL
Pepsin
Intestinal Enzymes
Sugars, Amino Acids, Fatty Acids
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
HCL
Pepsin
Microbes
Feed
Intestinal Enzymes
Amino Acids
(mostly from microbial protein)
Very little sugars
Carbohydrates
Proteins
CH4 VFAs NH3
Ruminants
(cows, sheep, goats, deer, etc)
Simple stomached
(pigs, chickens, rats, man, etc)

14. Humans Macronutrient Ruminants
Yes Amino acids No
Yes Fatty acids No*
No Carbohydrates Yes (2 kinds)
“ …essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency has never been noted in ruminant animals, suggesting that the ruminant utilizes and
conserves its EFA more efficiently than non-ruminants.”
Gooden, J.M., 1977. “The role of fat in ruminant nutrition.” http://livestocklibrary.com.au/handle/1234/19333
Ecological fit: humans and ruminants

15. True health food comes from ruminants!
Beef (cattle)
Lamb (sheep)
Chevon or cabrito (goats)
Venison (deer)
Different kinds of fermented plant products

16. Essential Ecological Functions of Ruminants
Via anaerobic microbial fermentation of resources
inedible by humans (e.g. plants and crop residues) -
• Convert structural and non-structural carbohydrates into
fat.
• Convert plant “protein” and non-protein nitrogen into high-
quality animal protein.
• Reduce unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids to
monounsaturated and stable saturated fatty acids.
• Produce B12 & other vitamins.
• Increase bio-availability of essential minerals.
• Degrade anti-quality plant components (e.g. phytates)
• Maintain health of grassland ecosystems.
• Recycle nutrients and build soil health.
• Provide services (e.g. draft) and byproducts (e.g. leather).
• Generate new wealth.
Peter J. Van Soest, 1982, The Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant

17. We eat plants
so you don’t HAVE to!

18. Image from Lascaux Cave, a section of the "Hall of the Bulls“ http://goo.gl/dfbD7
“We didn’t evolve to eat meat.
We evolved because we ate meat.”

19. • A significant global asset with a value of at least $1.4 trillion (2009 USD)
• Livestock industries are a significant source of livelihoods globally
• Long market chains employ at least 1.3 billion people globally
• Directly support the livelihoods of 600 million poor smallholder farmers in the developing
world
• Keeping livestock is an important risk reduction strategy for vulnerable communities
• Important providers of nutrients and traction for growing crops in smallholder systems
• Livestock are an essential source of nourishment.
• Livestock products contribute 17% to global kilocalorie consumption and 33% to protein
consumption globally (with large differences between rich and poor countries)
Livestock—A Key Global Commodity
Herrero, M., P.K. Thornton, P. Gerber and R.S. Reid. 2009. Livestock, livelihoods and the environment: understanding the trade-offs. Current
Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 1: 111-120. https://goo.gl/4BBL78

20. Grass & leaves
46%
Fodder crops
8%
Crop residues
19%
Oil seed cakes
5%
By-products
5%
Other non-edible
3%
Grains
13%
Other edible
1%
Mottet, A., et al. (2017). "Livestock: On our plates or eating at our table? A
new analysis of the feed/food debate." Global Food Security 14: 1-8.
6 Billion Tones of Dry Matter

21. The Two Proper Uses of Kale
Garnish Forage

22. 0
25
50
75
100
Developing, 89
Developed, 73
World, 84
% Cal Animal % Cal Plant
0
25
50
75
100
Developing, 74
Developed, 44
World, 64
% Protein Animal % Protein Plant
Percent of food calories and protein from plant products
FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAOSTAT database). 1997. https://goo.gl/mkjnwQ
Cited In: Delgado, C. L., C. C. B. Courbois, and M. L. Rosegrant. 1998. Global food demand and the contribution of livestock as we enter the new millennium.
https://goo.gl/CbjDKQ

23. Data from Riddet https://goo.gl/cKzRAi and FAO https://goo.gl/JVVEWu
Cereals
41%
Cattle & buffalo
4%
Sheep & Goat
1%
Pig
7%
Poultry
6%
Other Animal
1%
Milk (excluding butter)
10%
Fish, seafood
6%
Vegetables
6%
Pulses
5%
Eggs
3%
Oilcrops
3%
Starchy roots
3%
Other Plant
4%
Animal
38%
Global Protein Supply

24. ^
dry, tasteless

25. We can’t feed TODAY’S world without ruminant animal agriculture,
let alone the world of 2050.
We must improve efficiency & productivity of ruminant animal agriculture.

26. The challenge ahead
• UN projects world population will reach 9+ billion by mid-century
• UN has called for a 100 percent increase in world food production by 2050
• FAO predicts a 66% increase in demand for animal protein by 2050
• Must come from virtually the same land area as today.

27. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/once-underfed-brazils-poor-have-a-new-problem-obesity/2016/11/23/74c661fa-
ab8e-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5d53f4fc521f
“… overweight people, who now
account for 57 percent of Brazil’s
population — with 1 in 5 obese.”
“One in 3 children are overweight.”
“In 1975, Brazil had the world’s ninth-
largest population of underweight men.
By 2014, it was ranked third globally for
obese men, after China and the United
States, according to a study in the
Lancet, a British medical journal.
Nearly 1 in 4 women are obese.”

28. Ocean
66%
Urban / Industrial
1%
Cultivation
4%
Non-Productive
5%
Forest
10%
Rangeland
14%
Earth’s Surface
All figures are % of total
From The Ruminant Animal: Digestive Physiology and Nutrition. D.C. Church, ed. 1993.
Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL

29. Land
Grain, Oil
Seed, Fruit
& Vegetable
Crops
Pasture Range
Non-Protein Nitrogen
Wastes, Manure
RUMINANTS
(Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Deer)
Meat, Milk & By-Products
Stalks, Leaves &
Processing
Waste
Seeds, Fruits,
Vegetables &
Products
Humans
The essential role of ruminants in human nutrition
Adapted from CAST. (1975). “Ruminants as Food Producers: Now and for
the Future.”
Items converted by ruminants but are not used directly as food by humans.
Forage Crops
(Hay & Silage)
Dietary sources of essential nutrients

30. “Cattle thus contribute directly to global food security.”
“…because cattle rely on grazing
and forages, they need only 0.6 kg
of protein from human-edible feed
to produce 1 kg of protein in milk
and meat, which is of higher
nutritional quality than the plant
proteins.”
You’re welcome!
https://www.feedipedia.org/content/more-fuel-foodfeed-debate

31. United States Farmland
2012 US Census of Agriculture.
Total cropland
43%
Total woodland
8%
Permanent
pasture &
rangeland
45%
Other farmland
4%

32. “Ploughed Fields” by Vincent van Gogh. 1889.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13526809
Food & Fiber for Humans
77%
Cereal Grains
12%
Forage
9%
Rough Grains
1%
Vegetables
1%
Crops Grown on Arable Land
Adapted from Eschenbach. W. 2010. “Animal, Vegetable, or E. O. Wilson.”
https://goo.gl/K2H6cm
Source: FAOSTAT Online Database

33. Bailey, R. W. 1964. Mountain Water. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest. Available from: https://goo.gl/KK9H9v
Image source - https://goo.gl/DqGhfn
"When our soils are gone, we
too, must go unless we find
some way to feed on raw rock.“
Thomas C. Chamberlain, 1908
Thomas C. Chamberlain, ca 1870s

34. Poultry
45%
Pig
26%
Ruminant
20%
Aqua
4%
Other
5%
https://goo.gl/8UskTt
Global Feed Market

35. The total production system (life-cycle) feed required for
an “average” (some regional variation) grain-finished
feedlot steer is -
80.8% forage
9.9% non-forage, non-grain (minerals/vitamins & byproducts)
9.3% grain (in USA, mostly corn)

36. 2009 U.S. Commercial Meat Production*
Species
Total Pounds
Produced
Pounds of Meat
From Grain
Pounds of Meat
From
Grazingland
Pounds Grain
Fed
Pounds Grain Fed
Per Total Pounds
of Meat Produced
Beef 26 Billion 11 Billion 15 Billion 66 Billion 2.5
Pork 23 Billion 23 Billion 0 80.5 Billion 3.5
Chicken 35.6 Billion 35.6 Billion 0 89 Billion 2.5
* Adapted from Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC)

37. “Consumers and producers alike care about animal welfare,
environmental stewardship, food safety, nutrition and taste.”
- Amanda Radke

38. US Beef Industry
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census of Agriculture, 2012
CME Group Daily Livestock Report 2016
Beef Industry Statistics http://www.beefusa.org/beefindustrystatistics.aspx
727,906 beef farms and ranches
91% are family-owned or individually-operated
11% are operated by women
Average beef cow herd size is 40 head
26,586 engaged in cattle feedlot production
80% are family owned or individually operated
5% are operated by women
93% of US feedlots have capacity less than 1,000 head

39. Cow-calf
Time in Phase 6-10 months
Stocker /
Backgrounder
Time in Phase 2-6 months
Grain finishing
Time in Phase 4-6 months
Harvest
(14-22 months of age
1,200-1,400 lb)
Cattle can enter the feedlot directly
from the cow-calf phase or after
spending more time grazing and/or
eating a high forage (whole plant) diet
in the stocker/backgrounder phase.
All cattle have a diet consisting of
plants that are inedible by humans,
and potentially some supplemental
feed containing grain for grain-
finished cattle.
Grass finishing
Time in Phase 6-10 months (highly dependent on grass supply)
Harvest
(20-26 months of age
1,000-1,200 lb)

40. “What’s good for you is good for our planet”
– Dean Ornish, MD

41. • Societal
• What is the burden of chronic disease?
• Economic
• What is the cost of chronic disease?
• Ecological
• “Mother nature never farms without livestock.”
Sir Albert Howard
Ruminants: Essential for Sustainability!
Photo Credit: Dawn Gerrish

42. 1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/7509978/UN-admits-flaw-in-report-on-meat-and-climate-change.html
2. https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources.html
3. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
In 2010 the UN admitted they made a mistake in their method
of estimating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for
transportation.1
UN now estimates percent of global GHG from livestock at
14.5% (down from 18%)
The US EPA estimates that -
• ALL of agriculture produces 9% of total US GHG emissions.2
• Livestock agriculture responsible for 4% of US GHG
emissions3
• Beef Industry produces 2% of US GHG emissions3
• Transportation produces 28% of US GHG emissions.2
Citing retracted “facts.”
Don’t be THAT guy.

43. CO2e from Beef Equivalent to CO2e from
Ib of boneless
trimmed beef Annual Driving miles Commercial
(raw)/day kg CO2e @24.7 mpg flight miles
0.25 1,352 2,096 4,130
0.50 2,704 4,192 8,260
0.75 4,057 6,288 12,390
1.00 5,409 8,384 16,520
1.25 6,761 10,480 20,650
1.50 8,113 12,576 24,780
1.75 9,446 14,672 28,910
2.00 10,818 16,768 33,040
14.82 kg CO2e/lb of boneless, trimmed beef (raw)
24.7 mpg = 9.5 liters per 100 km
0.65 kg CO2e/mile driven
203 kg CO2e/1,000 km, two-leg flight
0.327 kg CO2e/mile flown

44. CO2e from Beef Equivalent to CO2e from
Ib of boneless
trimmed beef Annual Driving miles Commercial
(raw)/day kg CO2e @24.7 mpg flight miles
0.25 1,352 2,096 4,130
0.50 2,704 4,192 8,260
0.75 4,057 6,288 12,390
1.00 5,409 8,384 16,520
1.25 6,761 10,480 20,650
1.50 8,113 12,576 24,780
1.75 9,446 14,672 28,910
2.00 10,818 16,768 33,040
14.82 kg CO2e/lb of boneless, trimmed beef (raw)
24.7 mpg = 9.5 liters per 100 km
0.65 kg CO2e/mile driven
203 kg CO2e/1,000 km, two-leg flight
0.327 kg CO2e/mile flown

45. CO2e from Beef Equivalent to CO2e from
Ib of boneless
trimmed beef Annual Driving miles Commercial
(raw)/day kg CO2e @24.7 mpg flight miles
0.25 1,352 2,096 4,130
0.50 2,704 4,192 8,260
0.75 4,057 6,288 12,390
1.00 5,409 8,384 16,520
1.25 6,761 10,480 20,650
1.50 8,113 12,576 24,780
1.75 9,446 14,672 28,910
2.00 10,818 16,768 33,040
14.82 kg CO2e/lb of boneless, trimmed beef (raw)
24.7 mpg = 9.5 liters per 100 km
0.65 kg CO2e/mile driven
203 kg CO2e/1,000 km, two-leg flight
0.327 kg CO2e/mile flown

46. White, R. R. and M. B. Hall (2017). "Nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from US agriculture." Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences: 201707322 http://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/early/2017/11/15/1707322114.full.pdf
If animal agriculture were eliminated in
the US, we’d reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in the U.S. by 2.6 percent,
and 0.36 percent globally but at the cost
of unbalancing our food ecosystem and
the creation of essential dietary
nutrients deficiencies.

48. Both professions wear white coats.
Which produces more greenhouse gases?
h/t @douglasritz
1 - https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
US animal agriculture – 4% (beef alone – 2%)1 US health care system – 10%2
2 - Eckelman MJ, Sherman J (2016) Environmental Impacts of the U.S. Health Care System and Effects on Public Health. PLOS ONE 11(6): e0157014. https://goo.gl/5KeUQR

49. Gallons per lb of lean, trimmed beef
440
380
Water Use
Beckett, J. L. and J. W. Oltjen (1993). "Estimation of the water requirement for beef production in the United
States." Journal of Animal Science 71: 818-826.
27,154 gallons per acre inch
An acre is ~209 ft x 209 ft
Houston avg precip = 49.7 inches

50. “In conclusion, our data show that the concept of the “environmental
footprint” associated to the production of animal vs. vegetal protein-
containing food products, needs to be re-evaluated on the basis of the
content of essential amino acids in foods. The production of protein-
containing animal foods would retain a (much) lower environmental
impact than that previously estimated, approximately lying within the
range of that of most foods of vegetal origin, because of the higher
quality of animal proteins. These considerations might be useful in the
political planning of the food production system, aiming at providing
sufficient food for humans in the near future.”
Tessari, P., et al. (2016). "Essential amino acids: master regulators of nutrition and environmental footprint?" Scientific reports 6: 26074.

51. Animal- vs plant-source foods
Energy – Are isocaloric quantities isometabolic?
Protein & minerals – Are isometric quantities isometabolic?
Vitamins – Is “requirement” independent of source?
Are plant-source foods required?
Image sources
Pulses - https://goo.gl/EfGxqn

52. “A steak a day keeps the doctor away!”
Image source - https://www.kingsford.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kfd-hoetosteak-Steak_4_0323-1024x621.jpg

53. “The greatest wealth is health.”
- Virgil
“Cattle grazing pastures when prairie
sandreed and sand bluestem are at
the elongation stage in late June and
July. (Walter Schacht, 2005)”
Image source: https://passel.unl.edu/pages/printinformationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1123600615
Healthy soil & healthy people, thanks to ruminants!

54. Ruminant Revolution
Che Cowvara

55. “If an honest man is wrong, after demonstrating that he is wrong,
he either stops being wrong or he stops being honest.” Anonymous

56. blog & facebook - Grass Based Health
Twitter & Instagram – @GrassBased
peter.ballerstedt@gmail.com
Questions?