Health, Fitness & Personal Growth Tips for Women in Midlife: Asking for a Friend

Ep.187 The Dirty Truth About Meat Labels (and Why Protein Quality Matters)

• Michele Henning Folan • Episode 187

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If you care about protein quality, metabolic health, inflammation, and long-term strength, this episode will change the way you shop for meat.

On this episode of Asking for a Friend, Michele Folan pulls back the curtain on the modern meat industry with Cloe Parker, CEO of Parker Pastures, to expose the truth behind misleading meat labels—and why most consumers are unknowingly getting it wrong.

Cloe explains what labels like grass-fed, grass-finished, organic, and Product of the USA really mean—and why up to 85% of grass-fed beef is imported, yet still legally labeled as American. You’ll learn how conventional feedlot practices affect omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, inflammation, nutrient density, and overall protein quality—especially important for women focused on muscle preservation, bone health, and longevity.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Grass-fed vs grass-finished: what actually matters
  • How grain-fed meat impacts inflammation and metabolic health
  • Glyphosate, pesticides, and contaminants in conventional meat
  • Why protein quality matters more than quantity
  • The truth about chicken, pork, and beef sourcing
  • How to shop smarter without chasing perfection
  • Why food choices today impact strength, mobility, and independence later in life

Cloe also shares her powerful personal story—stepping into leadership of her family ranch after losing her mother—and how that loss shaped her mission to provide food that heals instead of harms.

This conversation isn’t about fear or food rules. It’s about making informed choices that support strength, energy, and health for decades to come.

🎧 Listen now and learn what your meat label isn’t telling you—and how to choose protein that actually supports your body.

https://parkerpastures.com/
Follow Cloe Parker on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/parkerpasturesgrassfed/

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1:1 health and nutrition coaching or Faster Way - Reach me anytime at mailto:mfolanfasterway@gmail.com

If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, it may be time to look deeper. I’ve partnered with EllieMD, a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 peptide therapy—to support metabolic health and longevity.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.

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🎤 In addition to coaching, I speak to women’s groups, moderate health panel discussions, and bring experts together for real, evidence-based conversations about midlife health.

Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Michele Folan:

The new year is coming, so let me ask you something. Are your goals the same ones you made last year and maybe the year before that? If you're a midlife woman navigating menopause, stubborn weight gain, bone loss, and low energy starting over every January isn't the problem. The plan is. One that needs protein to protect muscle, strength training to support bone density, and smart nutrition to keep your metabolism working with you, not against you. Because this isn't about looking good in a dress for one event. It's about staying strong, mobile, and independent for decades to come. I'm not coaching you for your 40s. I'm coaching you so you're not in a nursing home at 80. If this is the year you stop chasing skinny and start building strength for life, welcome to Faster Way. Check the show notes for more details. Health, wellness, fitness, and everything in between. We're removing the taboo from what really matters in midlife. I'm your host, Michelle Folan, and this is Asking for a Friend. Do you really know where your meat is coming from? What do those labels actually mean, and why are we still being misled at the grocery store? Today we're pulling back the curtain on the modern meat industry with Cloe Parker, the young CEO of Parker Pastures, a regenerative ranching operation producing truly grass-fed, grass-finished, nutrient-dense meat. Here's the hard truth. And up to 85% of grass-fed beef is imported. Yes. Yet it still is labeled product of the USA. No wonder consumers are confused. Cloe breaks down what's actually happening behind the scenes in meat production, why feedlot beef can harm the body, what labels really mean, and how to find meat that heals instead of in flames. And her own story of stepping into leadership after losing her mom and taking over the family ranch is one to be heard. If you want to make smarter choices for your health, your hormones, and your longevity, this episode is a must-listen. Cloe Parker, welcome to Asking for a Friend.

Cloe Parker:

Thank you so much for having me on. And that was great intro. Really, yeah, I think we're going to cover all of that and really just dig into kind of the dirty secrets of our food industry.

Michele Folan:

Yeah. You know, none of this is surprising to me. You know, we all know that there's a lot of mislabeling of products and where we often get misled. But I do want to say, Cloe Parker, you are the youngest guest I have ever had on the podcast. I think maybe 30s, 40s, maybe the youngest. So kudos to you for being on the show. Wow. Thank you. That's such an honor. Yeah. And, you know, speaking of youth, um, you're incredibly young to be running a regenerative ranching operation. Can you share your personal story, like where you grew up, your family legacy, and then about losing your mom and how that influenced your decision to step in and lead your family business?

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, absolutely. When I was like five or six, my parents started Parker Pastures. And when they started, it was simply to provide me and my younger brothers with nutrient-dense high-quality meat raised in a way that was healing to the land. And that they saw that there was such a demand for other families to have that same access. And so in the beginning, we had all the things like chickens and pigs and cows and milk cows and like everything you could kind of think of. And like all growing up, I've always known that I wanted to be in agriculture. And that's like just a huge passion of mine. And it's just so fulfilling and challenging. And so kind of just growing up in um an agriculture family. We also have Parker Bash here's our meat company. And so it was just like it was just kind of all part of growing up. And then when I um after I graduated high school, I had to get out of my very small town and I went and worked on some other ranches and just kind of gaining some other experience. And then my mom was diagnosed with cancer and immediately came back because I was like, I don't know what else to do, and I need to help my family. And so while my mom was going through treatment, I was just kind of handling all of the business aspects. And the more that I kind of just stepped into that role, the more I just felt like this is a huge calling upon my life. This is like one of the reasons God has me on this planet. And so I right before I turned 20, I officially took over. And then a few months later, my mom went to heaven. And so that really just like that was so challenging. And it really just was like, I realized how this was not at all about me. It was about continuing to provide families with good, clean meat. Cause after watching um my mom just go through cancer and learning more about our food system and our medical system and like all of it, I was like, there's so much darkness in this. So A, I want to expose the darkness, and B, I want to provide something that I know I can feel good about eating to other families. And so yeah, now that's what we what we do today. I work with a select few highly vetted farms and ranches, and we provide grass-fed, grass-finished beef, bison, lamb, pasture-raised chicken, and then pasture-raised turkey. And yeah, we ship it boxes of meat all across the country. And I mean, it's truly an honor to provide people with good, good, clean food and to carry on my mom's legacy.

Michele Folan:

Well, I love your story. And first of all, I'm truly, truly sorry about the loss of your mom that had to be incredibly difficult at such a young age and to be thrown into a family business. Now, are you running this solely by yourself? Do you have any help from anyone else in your family? It's mainly me.

Cloe Parker:

And then I have an incredible team around me where I would have not been able to do any of this without them.

Michele Folan:

Okay. Well, good for you. I I'm really curious though, what did those early days look like for you emotionally, practically? And as a woman, let's be frank, you're stepping into a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, I mean, it definitely is, but I also maybe it's just who I've been around, and I think part of it is just the industry. I feel like I've been very blessed with had a lot of encouragement and a lot of people who have just like built me up and just gone out of their way to help me in ways that I truly didn't expect or know was gonna happen. And I mean, building a business no matter what it is, is really hard and it's just challenging. And there's you're just kind of like building a ship while learning how to drive the ship. Yeah. And then also um, like just losing my mom of the grief of all of that. It was, it was so much, and it really, it really refined me into like, okay, why am I doing this? Because if I'm doing this for money, well, that's not gonna last very long. And if I'm doing this for my own fame or gain, like that's not gonna last very long. And it just became so clear that this is not about me. Like, I just want families to have clean meat, like we should have food on our table that heals us, not poisons and harms us. And just it didn't take long for that to just become so clear. And that is like the reason I keep going. So it's such a such an honor to have to be providing that for people.

Michele Folan:

Yeah. And it's you already have a mission statement, whether you realize that or not, your mission statement is, you know, to provide families, you know, the the best possible and healthiest meat. So I I love that. And then where is Parker Pastures located exactly? What does what does home mean to you?

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, we're um headquarters is in the uh mountains of Colorado, and then kind of have a few different ranches and farms, like I said, that I work with. So it's kind of a little all over, but that's where I'm based. Okay, got it.

Michele Folan:

And then walk us through a typical day for you. You know, for those of us that have only seen ranching on Yellowstone, what does running a regenerative ranch actually look like?

Cloe Parker:

In reality, it actually looks like a lot of time on the computer. Um, I've kind of had to step away from ranch-related things to just be on the business side. Um, and so like it kind of looks like a lot of just um meetings and computer stuff and emails and all of that. Um, and then winter things kind of do slow down. And whenever I'm able to, like I love to move cows, I have a milk cow, and so I have to have my hands in some kind of agriculture, but it does look like a lot of just like um kind of business stuff, just as running a business, which is something I did not expect with all of this. Um, but it's kind of it's a sacrifice that I would make again and again.

Michele Folan:

You know, you you said you've built like a co-op of like-minded ranchers. How did that come about? And I'm really wanting to know what criteria you use to decide who joins your network.

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, I realize I can't do everything, I can't do everything well, but there's people who can do, I believe we all have like unique giftings and things, and so it's like working with the best of the best who do it well. And so yeah, honestly, most of these are just kind of like God connections and things that just came came forward, and they're there's just very few ranches and farms that we work with, and um, I think the biggest thing is they it's all based on my mom's standards, and my mom had really high standards, um, and that was the same thing that I uphold today. So it's like, okay, everything is grass-fed and grass finished. No, there's no pesticides being sprayed on anything. No, there's no antibiotics. The animals are living a life that they were designed to live. Like cows are designed to be on pasture eating grass, so are chickens, and also just like meat that I want to eat and I feel comfortable eating, and I feel good eating, because like if I don't want, if I won't eat it, then I don't want to provide that to somebody else. And like grocery store meat, like I don't know any brands that I can stand for because I don't feel comfortable eating any of that. So I'm not gonna recommend that. And so those are just kind of some of our standards and things that we look for. And also just like, okay, does it taste really good? Does it have a lot of flavor? Because that usually means it has a lot of nutrients and yeah, just like looks and smells and tastes like meat is supposed to.

Michele Folan:

Yeah, well, I'm not sure we all know what meat is supposed to smell like and taste like because we most of us, like me, get it at the grocery store. So I'm gonna take a quick break here, Cloe. But when we get back, I do want to talk about regenerative ranching and get into this whole grass-fed, grass finish thing. I want to talk about peptides for a moment. Yes, weight loss peptides are everywhere right now. And when used correctly, they're very effective and backed by years of clinical data. But peptides are not just about weight loss. There are peptides that support metabolic health, energy, muscle, your sleep, skin, hair, and long-term healthy aging, the things midlife women are actually struggling with. That's why I partnered with a trusted telemedicine resource. My clients were asking for more because eating well and lifting heavy sometimes still isn't enough in midlife. LEMD is physician-led, medically supervised, and uses an FDA certified compounding pharmacy. No internet hacks, no self-prescribing, no guessing. This isn't about chasing a smaller body. It's about preserving muscle, protecting your metabolism, and supporting the body you want to live in for the next 20 to 30 years. If you want real options, not trends, you can learn more through the link in the show notes. All right, we're back. So I did want to hit on this because I I know what you do is very different. And you touched a little bit on regenerative ranching, but explain exactly what regenerative ranching is. And then I want to dig into grass-fed versus grass-finished.

Cloe Parker:

That's a great question. And honestly, in my experience, depending on who you ask that question into, there's a lot of different answers. But the thing that I keep coming back to is like, okay, what is the original design of like, okay, cows should be on grass, eating grass. And also, like, are we healing or harming the land? And it's like, okay, if we're spraying massive amounts of chemicals and just like stripping the land, then like, no, that's not regenerating it. That's not caring for it well, that's not stewarding it well. Versus if we are like we're doing, it's like we're taking these grazing animals that are designed to graze grass and we're allowing them to graze across the landscape and then allowing that grass to regrow and recover, which it needs to do, and then they'll graze it again, and it's like that natural cycle. And so, yeah, it's just like stewarding the land well, which then creates this byproduct of super flavorful, nutrient-dense meat.

Michele Folan:

Do we have to worry then about glyphosate being sprayed on the food source of the cows that we're eating right now?

Cloe Parker:

Yes, mostly with corn, because most beef is fed corn, which is highly filled with like they just spray it with a lot of things, um, including glyphos, glyphosate. And so, yeah, like corn-fed beef. I've seen different studies, and it's like super high in glyphosphate and heavy metals and different things like that, um, because of what the cattle are eating, mostly because of the corn and how it's grown.

Michele Folan:

Okay. Ugh. All right. Now, when something is labeled grass-fed, what is the standard for grass-fed?

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, this one is kind of crazy. So in 2016, the USDA quit regulating the term grass-fed. And so there's actually no regulations around it. Usually, roughly, it means like an animal ate, like a cow, let's say, ate grass some point of his or her life. But like I said, there's no regulations. So it's really hard to tell the term grass finished. Again, not regulated, but generally means that an animal ate grass at the end of its life, which is good because most of them eat corn or grain at the end of their life. But with both those terms, it's like they're kind of vague and it's hard to tell. And so it's like ideally looking for something that is grass-fed, grass finished, or a hundred percent lifetime grazed, or just like anything where it's like, okay, that animal actually spent his entire life on pasture eating grass.

Michele Folan:

Okay. So your beef is labeled grass-fed and grace grass finished, then, correct?

Cloe Parker:

Correct. Yeah. So that what that means is um, since that the day that a baby is born, for until it is harvested from meat, it is eating grass. It's eating a diversity of different grass plants its entire life, which is how it was designed to be, and then it converts that into meat. Okay.

Michele Folan:

Would you explain to the audience what a conventional feedlot is?

Cloe Parker:

A feedlot is also known as a cafo, which is um usually a very dense area with where they put a lot of cattle in pins, and then they are fed a ration, usually high in corn, maybe a little bit of hay and some other things. And this allows the animals to gain weight really, really fast. It came about, I think, after World War II, when we had all this abundance of grain. I was like, okay, well, what are we gonna do with it? And then somebody had the idea of like, well, let's feed it to cows. Um, and so like a feedlot is usually for cattle or sheep or bison. And then for pork and chicken, it's a little bit worse. They're in a barn and don't see the light of day. There's a lot of animals packed in a in a like not very much space. And so that's kind of what it looks like for pork or chicken.

Michele Folan:

And then just in terms of animal welfare with what you do, your cattle is all outside all the time, or are they ever inside? How does that work? I because I have no clue.

Cloe Parker:

Um, it's a great question. Um, they are outside their entire lives. Animals are really, really hardy, and especially like cattle, like they can stand all of the different weathers and all of that. So they're they're outside um their entire life just on pasture.

Michele Folan:

All right. My husband and I were talking about this last night, and he said that something he read was that there's like four major slaughter companies in the country, and basically they have a monopoly on slaughter, and with that comes probably cost fixing. So, do you know anything about that, like in terms of the pricing of meat and how that's like these conglomerates who I hear aren't even usually owned by Americans, are really responsible for the majority of the meat that we get in our grocery stores.

Cloe Parker:

Unfortunately, it is very true. Over 80% of beef um is, and I think it's even worse with chicken and pork, and it is controlled by one of these four companies. I think two are American-owned and two are out of this country. Um, and yeah, they are there's um those are that's one of the things that I like probably need to learn more about, but it's also so awful that I don't want to know. But yeah, there's been different like allegations that they are price fixing. Um, and but I think more so it's like if 85% of our beef is controlled by four companies, then like what does that mean? It's like our food system is very instable if something was to happen to those. And it's also like easily to control a food system if four companies are in control of it. And so beef is one of the kind of last standing um meat industries that is not fully controlled by like one of these companies. Um, there's still a small percentage, and that's why I think it's so important that we continue just supporting the people and anyone on the ground who is small family farms and ranches because I saw uh something recently where it's like there's only 600 far ranches still around, and I think it's less than 2% of our population grows food or is in agriculture. And so yeah, like who grows our food and how it's being grown is a really big deal. And it's like I personally don't want any, I don't want to have food that is grown by big corporations. Like I want to know who's growing it. I want to be able to know that it's grown in a way that I feel good about and there's not some like mystery stuff in it.

Michele Folan:

Okay. So in my research that I did, it said that 85% of grass-fed, and I'm saying grass-fed in air quotes, beef is imported, yet it's labeled product of the USA. How in God's name is that even allowed?

Cloe Parker:

Yeah. So if um meat is packaged in the US, it can be labeled as product of the US, even if it wasn't raised in the US. I do believe this is being, they're gonna start like, I don't know, they're gonna start managing this a little bit more in 2026, where it's like people won't be allowed to get away with this. But as of right now, that is what happens.

Michele Folan:

So there seems to be a lot of loopholes and deceptive labeling practices that mislead consumers all the time. And I I think this is why you and I are talking about this right now, because I really don't think people understand that that is what they're what they're getting. And I I am you know heartened to hear that there may be some changes out there, but will any of that be like, you know, what they're doing at these feedlots, you know, environmentally, ethically, and nutritionally? Are there any changes that you know of on the horizon where we might expect something better, a better product?

Cloe Parker:

I think it's really in the consumer's hand. It's like however we vote, we all vote with our dollar of what food we want and how we want it grown. And so at the end of the day, it's such a grassroots thing where it's like if there is the demand, which there's starting to be a big demand for like tallow or like tallow fries, or just like all of this uh of like using tallow instead of seed products, um, or there is starting to be even more and more interest for like grass-fed, grass-finished beef, um, and all those things. And that's all consumer driven. And so I I think it's just it's such a grassroots thing. So the more that the consumer wants that, the more that um things are able to change and like the the people that I'm around, and it's like it's very positive. It's like a lot of um just like exciting stuff of just like food raised in a way that's just good food and it's just healthy, and that is really due to the demand for it. And so I think just I hope that and I think that just as demand increases, so will the people who will be providing and meeting that demand.

Michele Folan:

Yeah. And then when you and I first spoke, we talked a little bit about omegas and the omega ratios and how grain-fed beef flips them upside down. Will you address that a little bit?

Cloe Parker:

Absolutely. Yeah. So omega-3 and omega-6 ratio is super, super important. And what happens when cattle are fed corn at the end of their life, or honestly, at any point of their life, but it's usually at the end of their life before they're harvested, what it does is it completely elevates the omega-6 ratio, which is the quote unquote like bad fat. Um, this is the one that's been linked to inflammation and like all kinds of different things. And what's crazy is it can be like 15 to 20 to I think even like 50 per like 50 to 1. So 50 omega-6s to one omega-3. And we want that as balanced as possible. And like our beef, we're very close to that balanced of like one to one or one point two to one, and it's like very close kind of. Um, I believe like wild caught salmon is like a very similar, and it's like we want that as balanced as possible. But with cattle eating a diet that they're not designed to, it actually kind of makes them obese and inflamed. And then we eat that, and that definitely affects our health.

Michele Folan:

You know, this is kind of a wake-up call for all of us, because if the cows or cattle are, you know, have this out of balance ratio, we're gonna have that too. If not just eating the cattle, but what we eat, you know, if we're eating all that stuff for the word, that's not gonna help us at all, right?

Cloe Parker:

No, not at all. And it's like that saying of like, you are what you eat, but you're also what you eat eats.

Michele Folan:

And then there was the other thing that I found that about contaminants like um mycotoxins from moldy grain, glyphosate residues, or even heavy metal accumulation. How do these make their way into conventional beef?

Cloe Parker:

Um, it's mostly in feedlots and in that corn. Um, how most corn is grown, um, it's about the size of California, the state of California each year is how much corn America grows. And it's um a highly sprayed um crop. Um, I think there's over a billion pounds of pesticides sprayed in America for like crops or lawns or different things. And so, and then the animal is eating that, and that completely just it affects the animal. And like we were just talking about, that eventually affects us because then we're eating it.

Michele Folan:

If I were to buy meat that said organic, would that protect me at all against glyphosate?

Cloe Parker:

Based on the like what they require for organic and if someone is actually following the laws, possibly, but they can also use other chemicals, even if they're and they're more like quote unquote organic. And so I don't know, the more that I've just learned about labels, the less and less confident I am in them. And so that's why I'm like, I would just encourage to ask a lot of questions and also like what does it taste like? What does it like look like, smell like? So let's take beef for example. Like most beef at the store, it's gonna be a bright red color, and that is because of how it's packaged, um, usually something called modified atmos atmospheric packaging, and that takes carbon my di carbon dioxide um and other gases, and it is able to package it so that because when meat is exposed to air, it oxidizes and usually turns brown. And so this kind of reverses it so it turns this bright red. And beef is actually more of like good beef, it's like a ruby red color, and then the fat should be a yellow color, not a white color. Most beef you'll notice in stores is a white color, and that's because again, when they're fed corn, it actually changes the color of the fat um and it makes it super white. And so we want beef that is a ruby red color and is like a yellow fat because that's due to the beta carotene in the grass that the animals are eating. It kind of just changes this fat into a yellow-ish color. And so, like, those are some things that I would look for. Um, and then also like just asking questions. That's why I personally recommend like going to like if there's a local farm or rancher in your area or ordering online to park your pastures where it's like you can ask all the questions too, because that just helps a lot versus like a label. You can't really ask questions when you're at the store.

Michele Folan:

All right. There are cost implications to buying beef from a rancher or a regenerative, you know, farm like yours. And I I think there's some trade-offs there. So, but we have to we have to be honest, we got to call it out for what it is. It's gonna be more expensive to buy better quality meat. So if I am trying to be a very discriminating buyer, would you opt to buy your meat from like your beef from a regenerative farm and then the rest maybe just try to source it the best you can from you know, grocery store in your local places? I mean, because it would be hard to buy everything from a regenerative ranch.

Cloe Parker:

I would honestly recommend leaving beef on the last. I know mostly we've been talking about beef, um, but pork and chicken are actually ones that are way worse than beef, mostly because of how they're raised. And um they it's there's been like I think Sustainable Dish has done some different studies and like beef, even if it's feedlot beef, it's gonna be better than processed foods. And it's usually like okay, not ideal, but okay. But chicken and pork, definitely not. Um, for one, it's dunked in a chlorine bath um at processing. Um, and that chicken can absorb up to 20% of that water, or it can be injected with water. Um, and so like on packaging, look for anything that says usually a number and then percent retained water ins. Do not buy that because that is what is happening to that. Um, also, chicken, like they, if they're in confinement, it is just like there's just no health benefits to that chicken at all. Um, versus beef, most cattle actually do spend the most of their life on grass, and then the end of their life, um, they go into a feed yacht lot. And like that does affect the meat, but it's also gonna be a cleaner meat because those animals, cattle do have four stomachs, and it's just gonna be a little bit of a cleaner meat. So I would recommend um, well, first it's like, okay, what really matters? And good food affects our health so much. And so it's like I view it as an investment of like, okay, what am I gonna invest in? And I want to invest in my health. Like, I want to feel well. I want to not have a bunch of medical bills down the line, but I want to feel that well. And so it's like, I'm gonna invest in good food. And then there is ways to do it cost effective. Um, usually, like buying in bulk is a great option. Maybe that's buying a half or whole cow. Yeah, it's a lot of meat, but you can split it with friends or however that looks. Um, but that's gonna be the most um economical way because you get everything for the same price per pound, and it's gonna be the lowest price per pound. Um and yeah, I would um I'd recommend poultry and pork. Okay. Getting those from sources that you can trust and vouch for, and then beef, like again, buying in bulk is a great option. Um and yeah, and just like it is a it is a worthwhile investment.

Michele Folan:

All right, I went back up to chicken because God knows we eat a lot of chicken. And sometimes I can get air-chilled chicken. Is that going to be better than the stuff that does not say air-chilled?

Cloe Parker:

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. So kind of the different ways that chicken is processed is it's either air-chilled, which is ideal, or it's run through um a usually it's bleach, but they like put it in a chemical bath because it's high in E. coli salmonilla, and so they're trying to kill the contaminants. And that's usually why it's like pasteurease or something like that. You'll see air-chilled, or sometimes it can be run through a bath that does not contain chemicals. And so usually if you're looking at grocery store and labels, air chilled is gonna be most ideal because it's also it's also gonna be more affordable because they're charged chicken by the pound. And so if it's containing all this water weight, you're paying for the water weight.

Michele Folan:

Ah, okay. That's good to know. And I've been told by other people that the pork industry in itself is very dirty. Like the the for processing and everything is just kind of gross. So I appreciate what you said about pork. Be very discriminating about where you're getting your pork. So that's very interesting.

Cloe Parker:

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, making sure it's like pasture-raised and yeah, just kind of pasture-raised or well, actually that, and then sometimes you can have it without corn or soy. That's a little harder to find, a little more pricey. But ideally, yeah, it's bare minimum is like pasteurised, and then kind of from there, there's different things. But yeah, pork is definitely one of those ones that can be very gross.

Michele Folan:

I'm like, I have no, no pork in my house right now. So actually, we've got a pound of bacon, but I've been eating very, very little pork. Actually, in anticipation for this conversation, I'm like, I just can't, I just can't pull the trigger on buying pork right now. So see, you've already, you've already tainted my my whole shopping experience and what I'm buying at the grocery store. This is so funny. I do have a huge freezer in the basement that is typically empty. My husband bought this huge freezer chest, oh gosh, four years ago. And every once in a while there might be a couple steaks in there that, you know, he's vacuum-packed or whatever, but we definitely have an opportunity to probably fill it, fill it up with some better meat than what we've been buying. I do want to know, Cloe, what is your biggest hope for the future of the meat packing industry? And and what role do consumers play in creating that shift?

Cloe Parker:

Hmm, it's a great question. I mean, I really hope we just go back to like the way food is designed to be. And it's like, that is whole real foods, that is beef from a cow that ate grass, and just like really back to just like good foods. Um, because 60% of the average American diet's from processed foods, and there's just so many harmful things to that. And I think at the end of the day, um, it's all what we each choose to do. And I think also it's like food is such a it's such a gathering thing. It like brings us together. Um, and so it's like, well, what if what if we fed people how we want to be fed? And it's like, I want to feed, like, I want to be fed really good food. So the people I have around me, I'm gonna feed them really good food. Like my Christmas gifts this year, um, well, it does help I have a meat company, but I'm literally giving everybody meat um because A, it's like something that we all usually eat is meat, and it's such a good, useful gift, and it will be enjoyed, but I also know it'll like bring health to their life. And so, yeah, it's just like, how do we get back to just like beef from a cow that ate grass or food grown in a garden or um carrots with still a little bit of dirt on them from a farmer's market or just whatever that looks like? Um, and I think that's a choice that we all get to vote on when we go and buy food.

Michele Folan:

Yeah. And you know, I try not to get too crazy, you know, about my food in in terms of, you know, I can only worry about so much during my day, but there are some things that I always, always, always buy organic berries, apples. You know, you can go to the dirty dozen and the clean 13 or whatever, whatever, clean 16, whatever. But they but you know, that they have the the list that you can pull from, and that's helpful, right? So that that that you can start there. You can start by maybe buying air chilled chicken, right? Knowing where your pork comes from. And then certainly, I think there is a huge benefit to checking out Parker Pastures or a local rancher in your area, go go talk to them, you know, get online, do a search, find those people. Because I I think there's, you know, an opportunity here, not just about eating healthy, but also supporting family businesses. Well, we we all talk about shopping local, but you know, we've got these family businesses that are out there do trying to do things right. And I I love what you're doing. I really do. And on that note, if I were to order products from you, how do you like how do you ship it? Because it's coming from Colorado to Cincinnati, Ohio. Tell me a little bit about that process.

Cloe Parker:

It's a great question. Um, yeah, so everything is gonna come in an insulated box and all the meat will be frozen, and then we use dry ice to keep it frozen. Usually it's evaporated by the time it gets to you. Um, and we just use UPS. So usually um we ship earlier in the week so it gets there and doesn't get there and sit overnight on the weekend. Um, and usually we'll arrive within two to three days um after we ship, and so super easy. And then plus, you don't even have to go to the store, you just get a box of meat just delivered to your door, yeah, and it's frozen, and so it's just super, super easy, is also kind of what we try to do as well, um, and just eliminate a lot of the a lot of the variables um to just make it really easy.

Michele Folan:

All right, and then I have a question for you, Cloe. This is more of a personal question. You're busy, you're busy, young woman. How do you find balance? And what is one of your self-care non-negotiables? What's something that you do for yourself every day?

Cloe Parker:

The first one that comes to mind is I eat a lot of meat. I don't know why. I think I mean everyone's we're all of our bodies are different, but I know I'm someone who needs a lot of protein. And so it's like, okay, if I get just some red meat in the day, and like that's kind of my foundation, um, I know that I'm gonna have better energy and just gonna feel better. And the other, like the biggest thing for me um is just um my faith and just that this is this life is really short um and eternity is long, and I I believe in Jesus. And so I know that because of that, I've been there's a lot of things I'm called to steward and do. One of that is Parker Pastures, and there's been a lot of times that it almost could have crumbled, but supernaturally it didn't. And so I think my faith is really what what keeps me um solid, because also it can it can be a lot. Um, and so that's something that helps me not go nuts. And I also know like if I eat a bunch of sugar or something like that, it's just it's just not gonna really help anything. So I think those are those are some of them.

Michele Folan:

Well, as a as a health coach of midlife women, I you know, I encourage them all to get at least a hundred to 110 grams of protein a day. And you know, for some it it can be really hard, but you're lucky you've got you've got it right there, always available, and you've got the best, the best in the world. I I can only assume. All right, Cloe Parker, where can the listeners find Parker Pastures and order your products and learn more about your ranch and your mission?

Cloe Parker:

Parkerpastures.com. Um, we have grass fed beef, grass fed bison, grass fed lamb, pasture-raised chicken. And you can order all of that online. Um, we have pretty much every option you could think of, and we will deliver it straight to your door. And then um if you kind of want To hear more dirty secrets. And um I've been recently like going to grocery stores and kind of debunking labels. So Parker Pastures Grass Fed on Instagram is kind of more education.

Michele Folan:

Okay. Oh, that's great. I'll check that out. I didn't I didn't know that. Ah, you you know I'm gonna be on that as soon as we uh get off this call. Oh, Cloe Parker, this was really informative, super interesting, and I certainly wish you the best in your business. Thank you so much, and thank you for having me on. Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast where you listen. And if you'd like to join the Asking for a Friend community, click on the link in the show notes to sign up for my weekly newsletter where I share midlife wellness and fitness tips, insights, my favorite finds, and recipes.