The Body Is a Sacred Vessel. What Are We Feeding It?

Lab grown meat. Cultivated fish. Egg proteins made without hens. Butter made without cows.

I keep seeing these developments presented as the future of food, and I find myself asking: What kind of relationship with nourishment are we creating?

To me, the body is sacred. Our connection to Mother Earth is sacred. Food carries more than convenience or a marketing promise. It connects us to soil, seasons, animals, community, and the people who grow what sustains us.

I want that connection to matter in conversations about progress.

At 40, I make a conscious effort to eat a pretty clean diet, and I still struggle with inflammation. I don’t have every answer about why. But that experience makes me pay attention. It makes me question what goes into my body and how much control I actually have over my daily exposures.

Now we have another layer to understand.

These foods aren’t all made the same way. Cultivated meat and fish involve growing animal cells outside the animal. Some animal-free egg proteins are produced through precision fermentation, using microorganisms to make specific proteins. Savor uses a different process to manufacture fats without conventional animal or plant agriculture. Those distinctions matter if we want to understand what we’re buying. (wildtypefoods.com, every.com, gatesnotes.com)

And these products have already moved beyond research.

Wildtype lists restaurants serving its cultivated salmon, including Robin in San Francisco, The Walrus and the Carpenter in Seattle, and barmini in Washington, D.C. EVERY announced in November 2025 that products containing its fermentation-derived egg proteins were launching nationwide at Walmart. Savor announced its commercial butter launch in March 2025, describing collaborations with restaurants and bakeries. Availability changes, but the conversation is already relevant to consumers. (wildtypefoods.com, every.com, prnewswire.com)

How clearly does the average person understand those differences?

If I order salmon, will the menu explain how it was produced? If a bakery changes its butter or egg ingredients, how easily can I find that information? Will someone unfamiliar with “precision fermentation” understand what the wording means?

I want clear explanations in language people can understand before they make a purchase.

I also want to be honest about the science. The body can use nutrients from manufactured sources. That alone doesn’t answer every question about a finished product’s nutritional quality, its place in our diet, or the food system we want to support. (ods.od.nih.gov, niddk.nih.gov)

I want accessible safety evidence, meaningful nutritional comparisons, and continued scrutiny as these technologies develop. I want questions welcomed without consumers being treated as obstacles to innovation.

And yes, I want transparency about the money.

Bill Gates has publicly acknowledged investing in Savor. That is a documented connection. It gives consumers a concrete reason to examine the company’s promises, financial interests, and influence. Claims about anyone’s intentions should meet the same standard of evidence we expect from the companies themselves. (gatesnotes.com)

My preference is to stay close to the earth when I can. To choose foods whose origins I understand. To support farmers and producers whose practices I can ask about. To remain curious while honoring my own boundaries.

Other people may choose differently. Meaningful choice requires clear information and access to alternatives.

We deserve to understand what is on our plates, how it got there, and who benefits from its production.

For me, remembering that the body is a sacred vessel means paying attention. Asking questions. Making conscious choices. And protecting our connection to the earth that feeds us.