Sander van Stee

I would love the opportunity to talk to you on your podcast about regenerative agriculture, animal welfare, my hormonal health journey, or raw dairy. I have struggled with idiopathic hypogonadism in the past and I also own a commercial dairy farm in Ontario that I’m trying to transition into a regenerative farm.

I have always loved animals. I considered becoming a veterinarian and went to the university of guelph to do my undergrad. I checked all the boxes. I got the grades, I got my application ready and even wrote my MCATs, but then I changed my mind. In 2010, I came home to the family dairy farm instead. I realized I could work more with animals as a farmer than I could as a veterinarian. In 2014 we built a new dairy barn centred around cow comfort. But as the cow’s health improved, my own health began to slip. Years of neglecting sleep and recovery finally caught up to me. I saw several specialists, but no one was able to figure out why my body stopped producing testosterone. I started to question everything: the medical system, my health choices, and even the way we farmed. I was searching for ways to improve animal welfare when I came across regenerative agriculture. I took me 6 years to regain my health. Now I have 4 boys and we also raise pastured turkeys which follow behind our grass fed beef much like how birds used to follow the ancient herds of bison that used to roam North America. I hope to grow the regenerative side of our farm to where we can transition our commercial dairy farm to regenerative practices as well.

The animals are literally metabolically healthier on a grass fed diet. They have less glycation end products, less oxidative stress, and less proteolysis. Not surprisingly, that translates into healthier meat. The meat is higher in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin E, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Regeneratively raised grass fed meats have measurable levels of plant nutrients, but also nutrients from fungi and bacteria that originate from a healthy soil. Don’t get me wrong, grain finished meat is still a super food, but if you’re trying to maximize your health, getting the healthiest meat is extra important.

I’ve never been diagnosed with an autoimmune or bowel disease, but I know what it means to be unwell and what it feels like to desperately want to get better. We are what we eat, but we are also what we eat, ate. So, what we eat can have a massive impact on our health.

I would love to talk to you about how ethically sourced and regeneratively raised meats are the healthiest thing you can eat. We can also talk about how my testosterone dropped below 90 year old levels at the age of 25 and how I became obsessed with health and longevity. I’ve tried a vegan diet for years and continued to get more food sensitivities as time went on. I’ve tried fasting, cold exposure, improving my sleep, but I’ve never felt better than I do now at 34.

I love to understand the science behind subjects. I went to the University of Guelph with plans of becoming a veterinarian. However, when I realized I would be ably to work more with animals as a farmer, I changed my mind and came home to the family dairy farm instead. However, I still have the same urge to understand how things work, which has now led to my deep understanding about regenerative agriculture.

You can check out our farm’s website at www.moraleats.com. Our mission is to improve the lives of farm animals. I hope to hear from you.