Cows were designed to graze pastures and eat grass. Although most Americans know this, they do not make the correlation between this natural state and the fact that the beef they eat is not grass fed but grain fed! The food that cows eats, mostly a corn and/or grain potluck, result in the overall health of the cow.
Grain fed beef is the beef MOST Americans eat today. The cows of today are typically raised in a giant feed lot where the animals are packed so tightly they can not move let alone turn around. The typical feed contains many different things like corn, barley, hay, process grain by-products, rendered animal products like other dead animal parts, animal waste, restaurant waste and a ton of antibiotics to keep down disease and infestation – simply put they are standing in their OWN feces, of course they need some kind of drugs! Since they are not being fed a normal diet, their body compositions changes. This results in sickly cows that require antibiotics just to stay alive long enough to be slaughtered so they can make it to your dining table. Grain fed cows are eating a food product that does not have sufficient nutrients normally present in grass fed cows and have an unbalanced ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats normally balanced in grass fed cows.
Grass fed beef is raised humanely and naturally. They roam pastures, graze on grass that has not been sprayed with pesticides and are healthy animals. They are lower in fat and calories, being leaner than grain fed beef results in overall lower calories. By the way, they actually MOVE around through out the day so they get exercise which helps to raised their Omega 3 levels – the Omega 3 levels are up to 4 times higher than the grain fed cow. Omega 3’s are your “good” fats and are essential for every cell and system in the body. They have proven benefits to help the heart, lower blood pressure, promotes brain function aids in weight loss and helps prevent auto-immune diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s etc. Grass fed beef vs grain fed beef has up to 5 times more Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which has shown a dramatic impact on cancer prevention. Grass fed beef is also rich in Vitamin E which is a powerful antioxidant; many Americans are deficient in Vitamin E.
Buy and eat grass fed beef – its good for your health, supports local farms, much more humane and better for the environment. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
Info obtained from www.eatwild.com