Grass fed beef and dairy is becoming more and more popular as people seem to be learning more about holistic living. But why exactly is it a better option?
If you are new to grass fed beef you are in for a pleasant surprise. The taste is incredibly different between grain fed and grass fed beef!
One of the biggest reasons to go for grass fed over grain fed is that grass fed beef contains far more omega 3 than omega 6.
Why should we care about this?
On our Standard American Diet {S.A.D.} we eat an alarmingly off balance ratio of omega 3/omega 6. This causes severe systemic inflammation which is at the root cause of basically any known chronic disease in our modern culture. Meat is not the only culprit, not by a long shot. We get an overabundance of omega 6 from all the highly processed oils in our processed foods (canola, soy, corn, safflower).
According to Chris Kresser, depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef, and the average ratio of n-6:n-3 in grass fed beef is 1.53:1. In grain fed beef, this ratio jumps all the way up to 7.65:1. (For more on this subject AND why meat and saturated fat are not to blame for heart disease like we’ve been told for so long, go here.)
Minus the hormones, minus all the inflammatory omega 6, minus the antibiotics, what do you get?
You get significant amounts of B vitamins, including B 12, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate, niacin, and vitamin B6. You get vitamin D, iron & zinc. You also get a good amount of other vital minerals such as magnesium, copper, cobalt, phosphorus, chromium, nickel, and selenium. And the best part is that these nutrients from a meat source are far more bioavailable than any other sources (meaning your body will actually absorb and use much more than it will from other sources).
Our culture has gotten further and further away from farm to table living that gave past generations a much better picture of health from the inside out. Our aim is to get back to that: back to the basics.
