644. Sacred Sustenance: Better Than Vegan? Wild Meat That Heals the Body and the Land w/ Mansal Denton

Jan 6, 2026

Mansal Denton, founder of Real Provisions and creator of Sacred Hunting, dives into the complex ethics of meat consumption and the ecological significance of wild game. He shares insights on how ethical hunting can reduce animal suffering compared to industrial farming. Mansal's journey into Orthodox Christianity adds a spiritual dimension to understanding food as a sacred act. He discusses the nutritional superiority of wild venison, the ecological balance of managing species like axis deer, and questions the ethics of modern food supply chains.

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INSIGHT

Wild Life Is Free — And Often Brutal

Wild animals often live free but face harsh natural deaths like starvation or injury from which predators would normally intervene.
Mansal argues ethical, precise hunting can produce a quicker, less painful death than many wild or industrial outcomes.

ANECDOTE

A First Shot That Changed Perspective

Luke describes his first hunting shot and the immediate altered, focused state he entered during the moment of firing.
He recounts being emotionally overwhelmed when approaching the boar and bearing witness to its death.

INSIGHT

Food As A Spiritual, Ritual Act

Mansal reframes food choice as a spiritual act rooted in reverence and ritual informed by Orthodox Christianity.
He connects that reverence to rejecting factory farming and seeking nourishment aligned with compassion and stewardship.

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This episode explores one of the most charged and misunderstood topics in modern wellness: meat, ethics, and our relationship to life and death. I’m joined by Mansal Denton, founder of Real Provisions and creator of Sacred Hunting, for a wide-ranging conversation that challenges how we think about nourishment, stewardship, and responsibility in the natural world.

We dig into the realities of animal suffering across different food systems, including wild ecosystems, regenerative farming, and industrial agriculture. Mansal shares why ethical hunting, when done with precision, reverence, and intention, can result in less suffering than many people realize—and why modern food supply chains often hide uncomfortable truths behind marketing labels.

From there, the conversation moves into Mansal’s personal spiritual journey, including how Orthodox Christianity reshaped his understanding of food as a sacred act. We explore how ritual, beauty, and embodied spirituality intersect with ancient wisdom traditions, and why honoring life requires confronting discomfort rather than avoiding it.

We also unpack the nutritional and ecological case for wild game, particularly axis deer from Hawaii, including biodiversity, nutrient density, and population balance. Mansal explains how Real Provisions was born from a desire to feed his family—and future children—with food that aligns with both ethics and physiology.

This episode isn’t about telling you what to eat. It’s about asking better questions: Where does our food come from? What does it cost—physically, spiritually, and ecologically? And how might choosing with more awareness bring us back into right relationship with the world that feeds us.

Visit realprovisions.com/luke and use code LUKE to get a free bag of Venison Chips with your order.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and not intended for diagnosing or treating illnesses. The hosts disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects from using the information presented. Consult your healthcare provider before using referenced products. This podcast may include paid endorsements.

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MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

(00:00:00) Wild Death vs Ethical Harvest: Rethinking Animal Suffering

(00:12:10) From Resistance to Reverence: Rediscovering Christianity Through Lived Experience

(00:40:39) Bad Supply Chains, Not Bad Food: Why Wild Meat Hits Different

(00:50:39) For the Good of All: Axis Deer, Ecological Balance, and Ethical Harvest

(00:56:17) Veganism, Ethics, and the Cost We Don’t See

(01:16:30) Microplastics in “Clean” Meat: Escaping the Invisible Contamination

(01:33:24) Food as Medicine for the Next Generation: Scaling Nutrition Without Compromise

Resources:

• Website: realprovisions.com

• Website: sacredhunting.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/mansaldenton

• Instagram: instagram.com/realprovisions

• Facebook: facebook.com/mansaldenton

• X: x.com/MansalDenton

• TikTok: tiktok.com/@mansaldenton

• YouTube: youtube.com/@mansal-denton

• Shop all our merch designs at lukestoreymerch.com

• Check out Gilded By Luke Storey: gildedbylukestorey.com

• Join me on Telegram: t.me/lukestorey