As we have learned by studying the research of Dr. Price, humans need animal products for their protein, fat and fat-soluble vitamins that  only animals provide. In order to thrive and survive, omnivores need a diverse diet that includes plant and animal foods. We require a mixed diet to ensure our own long-term reproduction and sustainability as a species. Animal products need to be part of any healthy fats list.

In our quest to "do the right thing" for our bodies, for our conscience as well as for our environment,  we are often asked: Can we live sustainably and ethically if we eat animal products?

The horror stories of animal slaughter and ecological destruction we hear about refer to giant agribusiness operations that view both animals and land as machines. These companies grow, process, kill and sell animals and crops with profits being valued over ethics and ecology. We need to avoid all animals and crops raised by factory farms.

It is a mistake to assume that all animals need to be raised and treated this way. The dominance of giant agribusiness has corrupted our food supply with empty, refined and toxic-filled foods. In the process, it has devastated our economic and ecological landscapes. Our survival as a species depends upon a return to small-scale, community-based agriculture.

Animals are a critically important part of diversified organic agriculture in both biodynamic and permaculture farming systems. At this scale, they are a tremendous benefit to the farm's eco-systems, and can be treated humanely with respect. The solution to the tragic destructiveness of modern agribusiness is not to eliminate all animal products from our diets, but rather to create a new landscape of ecological communities, local economies and truly sustainable human scale food systems that provide for the welfare of all concerned.