“We learned about these highly managed systems that incorporate cattle and move them around,” Autumn explains. “They have a potential to heal the environment and create really nutrient dense food and restore ecosystem and biodiversity and the health of the soil biology and the fungi and the microbial fungi and all of that when it’s done really well. That was really exciting to us. That’s why we actually ended up founding our second company solely based on regenerative agriculture. Now, Paleovalley is also solely based on regenerative agriculture.”

Understanding the nuance, the many flavors of grass feeding, and the differences was an integral part for them, too.

In 2018, they launched Wild Pastures, a regenerative meat delivery service, and recently opened Wild Pastures Burger Company, their flagship fast casual burger restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.

This conversation gets into the problems with current methods of animal agriculture and possible solutions. You’ll find out more about the nutritional differences of animal products depending on how they’re raised. Autumn says meat labels can be tricky, too, so she breaks down the jargon and tells you what to look for and what to avoid.

Autumn advocates for meat’s many advantages and works to dispel the myths that continue to persist about meat consumption. One of which is that plant-based proteins can sub in for animal proteins with similar benefits. That’s just not true.

“When you look at quality, like the digestible, indispensable amino acid score, you’ll see animal proteins are far higher, sometimes two times as high on the scale of quality as vegetable-based sources,” she says.

From soil to farming to raising animals humanely, building community and managing economies, Autumn talks about how to make choices that are right for you and everything around you.

“We are only as good as the health of our soil. And so, when we are restoring communities, when it’s a local operation, we’re helping the environment; we’re helping people create more nutrient dense foods; security, job securities there; and food security and food sovereignty happens as well,” she says.

More about Autumn Smith: Autumn holds a master’s in Holistic Nutrition and currently is a doctoral candidate in Holistic Nutrition. She’s a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, an Eating Psychology Coach certified by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, and received Soil Advocacy Training by Kiss The Ground. She hosts the popular Optimize Paleo podcast.

TWO SPECIAL OFFERS FOR LISTENERS OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE! 

• Try beef sticks made from U.S. domestic grass-fed and grass-finished meat from regenerative farms. Go to https://paleovalley.com/humanupgrade and get your first 10-pack for only $4.99 + shipping.
• The second offer is available only while supplies last. Try your first box of grass-fed, pasture-raised meat from U.S. domestic regenerative farms delivered straight to your doorstep. Go to https://wildpastures.com/dave for a special discount.