The Honest Truth About Meat and My Plate

What are your feelings about eating meat?

Some topics feel light until you start answering them. “How do you feel about eating meat?” seems simple, but the moment I started writing, I realized it taps into culture, memory, stewardship, and the strange modern world we’re living in. I grew up eating meat without a second thought, but adulthood has made me more aware of what I put in my body and what I support with my dollars. I still love meat, but I’ve changed how I think about it. I’ve changed how I buy it. And honestly, I’ve changed how I pray over it.

As someone who values wholeness and intentional living, even something as ordinary as lunch has started carrying deeper meaning.

Why I Still Love Meat

I love meat. Truly. Beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, bison, chicken, duck, deer… all of it. I grew up savoring dishes that felt like home, and later, meals from around the world that felt like adventure. There is comfort in a slow-cooked stew and joy in a perfectly grilled steak. Genesis reminds us that “every moving thing that lives shall be food for you,” and while that verse doesn’t give permission to be careless, it does speak to the provision God built into creation.

I’m not the type to pretend I don’t enjoy the flavors, textures, and warmth that meat brings to a table. Even Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4 that “everything created by God is good,” and I’ve always read that as both permission and responsibility. It feels like an invitation to enjoy what God made, but to do it with awareness.

And that’s where the tension lives for me.

My Problem Isn’t Meat, It’s Modern Meat

I’m not bothered by meat itself. I’m bothered by what has been done to it.

Some meats in America have lost their natural taste because the animals have lost their natural lives. Farming became manufacturing. Fields became factories. Flavor became an afterthought. It’s hard not to feel uneasy about it, especially when Ezekiel 34 speaks so strongly about shepherds who fail to care for their flock. It’s a metaphor, of course, but it still hits me: God pays attention to how we treat what is entrusted to us.

That’s why I prefer organic meat. Animals raised without shortcuts, hormones, chemicals, or unnatural feed. Not perfect, but closer to the earth. Closer to the way God intended creation to function. Wendell Berry once wrote, “Eating is an agricultural act,” and those words changed me. Every meal is connected to a farm somewhere. A person somewhere. A system somewhere.

And systems are either honoring life… or exploiting it.

Michael Pollan said, “You are what you eat, eats,” and once you’ve seen pictures of industrial farming, that line becomes impossible to forget. I want my body nourished, not filled with the consequences of someone else’s shortcuts.

Even Anthony Bourdain once said that real food begins with respecting the animal, the craft, and the land. That’s how I feel. Not anti-meat. Just pro-integrity. Pro-stewardship. Pro-taste.

Soul Insights

1. Awareness changes appetite.

The more I learn about how food is raised, the more I feel the shift inside me. Things I used to eat casually now make me pause, not out of guilt, but out of alignment. When your spirit grows in discernment, your body follows. And sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is read a food label slowly.

2. Convenience often asks us to compromise.

Fast food, cheap food, mass-produced food, all tempt us with ease. But ease often has a hidden cost. When we return to slower choices, more intentional ones, we rediscover the richness we forgot. Flavor comes back. Peace comes back. Even gratitude comes back.

3. Stewardship isn’t just about money.

It’s about decisions. Influence. Values. Choosing organic meat isn’t about trendiness for me, it’s about integrity. It’s about honoring my body and honoring creation. And stewardship grows in the quiet corners of life, not the dramatic ones.

4. God cares about the vessel as much as the mission.

When I nourish myself well, my energy, clarity, mood, and creativity shift upward. Caring for my body is part of how I honor the calling on my life. It’s not vanity, it’s responsibility. Fuel determines flow.

5. Taste is spiritual when it leads to gratitude.

A good meal can quiet anxiety, spark conversation, and gather people around a shared table. Those moments linger longer than the food itself. When I eat mindfully, I notice God’s goodness with more ease. Gratitude loosens something in the soul that nothing else can reach.

Final Thoughts

My feelings about meat are layered. I love it, but I don’t love what the industry does to it. I enjoy it, but I want to enjoy it consciously. I’m not trying to convert anyone to my preferences, but I am trying to honor what God gave us and honor the body He entrusted to me. And in a world of shortcuts, choosing integrity feels like its own form of worship.

Your Turn

Before your next grocery trip, pause and ask:

• How does my food make me feel physically and spiritually?

• Are my choices aligned with my values or just my habits?

• What is one small upgrade I can make for my health this week?

By the way…

While you’re here, I’d love for you to explore my book 17 Syllables of Me and visit my website, SoulPath Insights.

Thank you for taking the time to read! 🤗

Soul Path Insights