Grass-fed Beef 101

I never really gave much thought to red meat. I mean, I heard you were supposed to limit your intake and try to only have it 1-2 times per week.  I heard it was bad for your heart and cholesterol, and was high in fat.  I would see signs in the grocery stores: Corn Fed, Grass-fed, Vegetarian Fed, Grain Fed, etc.  I never really knew the difference between any of them or thought there was any choice to be had.  Then I picked up the book The Real Food Revival: Aisle by Aisle, Morsel by Morsel in the food section of my library.  This book was a life changer for me.  The chapters are broken down into aisles of the supermarket and the meat chapter was especially eye opening.  I now know that red meat, when raised and handled properly, is actually good for you.  You can eat as much as you want, without limitations.  

     What's the matter with corn fed?

                                   

Up until the 1950s cows were traditionally raised on pasture (grass).  Cattle ate grass in the warmer months and hay in the colder months.  Then came a surplus on corn and soybeans and farmers saw their cows gaining weight much quicker eating grains.  A bonus for the farmers was that grain was available year round, unlike grass.  The corn fed meat was tender and had more marbling than grass-fed beef and was soon seen as the better type of beef.  The problem with this new diet was that the cows started getting sick from the grain.  Cows' stomachs are not built to break down corn.  Grain gives cattle an acid stomach and makes them sick.  Antibiotics are given to help with the current sickness and further antibiotics are given to try to prevent other problems, such as liver disease.  Antibiotics and growth hormones are also given to cows so they will grow faster.  A cow who used to take 4-5 years to mature, is now maturing in 14 months.  What happens to all those antibiotics and hormones? They get passed along to us and we eat them.  

There is so much more to cover regarding the overuse of antibiotics and its' effects on animals and humans.  I'll cover that in a future post.  

     

     Benefits of grass-fed beef 

Other than the obvious lack of antibiotics and growth hormones,  more reasons to eat grass-fed beef are:

• Higher in Omega-3 fats, which help prevent against high blood pressure and heart attacks.  Studies have shown Omega-3s to help reduce your risk of cancer, and slow down the spread of a wide array of cancers.
• Has the same amount of fat as a skinless chicken breast, deer, or elk.  Lean meat lowers your LDL cholesterol levels.
• Higher in vitamin E and beta-carotene.  Vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.  It has also shown to have anti-aging properties.  
• Meat and milk from grass-fed animals have higher levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) a type of good fat which greatly reduces tumor growth and cancer risk.

     Why I plan to buy a cow.

Grass-fed beef is pricey.  Very pricey.  Cuts of meat average about $20 per lb in grocery stores such as Whole Foods.  Even visiting a farm that raises grass-fed beef will prove to be a costly trip.  Your best option is to buy in bulk and purchase half a cow.  You buy the cow from the farm, who arranges for it to be butchered under USDA supervision, shrink wrapped, labeled and frozen.  It sounds crazy, but I definitely think it's worth it.  I don't think there's anything better than knowing exactly where your food comes from.  If you can't afford it or don't have the freezer space you can split the purchase with others, AKA cowpooling.  I visited a farm yesterday and was so impressed with the farmer and techniques used.  I purchased some meat to sample and will hopefully be able to purchase more in the future.  I will then follow up and give a full description of the particular farm, farmer, and techniques used.