Grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef

Grass-fed vs. grain-fed meat, chicken and fish

I have a big concern with the meat and dairy in our diets today. It all has to do with processed and refined grains. Grain has become such a huge percentage of the food we eat. Directly or indirectly as an ingredient in so many of the foods we eat. It is causing many people to become overweight and unhealthy. Some people work hard and spend a lot of money trying to eat better and lose weight, but I think the core of the problem is overlooked.

Carbohydrates (grains) are composed of strands of sugar molecules. When we eat carbohydrates our bodies quickly break them down into sugar, convert the sugar to fat and store the fat around our stomachs, thighs, butts and chins. This stored fat (primarily Saturated fat) is what our bodies burn for energy. Since our bodies don't know when they will get to eat next, they're conditioned to store excess fat for future use. It has been this way for millions of years of our development.

Early man didn't have grain to eat. Grinding and processing grain is a relatively modern development. Since learning how to process it, we have added it in large amounts to our diets.

We eat grain for breakfast in the form of toast, pancakes, bagels, French toast, donuts, muffins, biscuits and cereals to name a few. At lunch in the form of bread, crackers, buns, pasta, noodles, croutons, rice and chips. For dinner as pizza crust, rolls, pasta, flour in sauces and gravies, breading, stuffing, corn (corn is a grain, not a vegetable) and macaroni. When it comes to snacks and desserts: pastries, cookies, cakes, pies, pretzels, chips and fried snacks, etc.

The addition of all of this fattening grain in our diet is terribly unhealthy. It is true we need a good supply of fat for good health, especially for our brains to function. But we need only a small portion of the saturated fat that we are getting, and more of the unsaturated fats that we don't get enough of. The saturated kind of fat collects in our arteries in the form of cholesterol and gives us heart disease, strokes and a whole range of cardiovascular problems. These bad fats also contribute greatly toward cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and a wide number of other health issues.

With the right type and right amount of fat, not only would we live longer, but we would also live healthier into our old age.

How does this all tie in with the meat we eat? Cattle in the past grazed naturally on grasses in their pastures. Chickens ate grass, bugs and seeds. But a steer grazing naturally on grasses takes about 3 years to grow to a good size for meat processing. On the other hand, feed-lotting cattle on a diet of corn and soybeans produces an animal ready for slaughter in as little as 7 months. Additionally, ranchers give grain fed cattle hormones to grow quicker as well. Not to mention the antibiotics these animals need to able to fight off disease due to such a poor diet.

What producers they get in return is larger profits due to the shorter timeframe it takes to raise their herd. It also produces more tender meat, marbled with fat.

Almost all of our meat is currently grain fed. It has a ratio of close to 25 to 1, saturated fat to unsaturated fat. By comparison, meat raised naturally on grasses in a pasture has a ratio closer to 1 to 1, saturated fat to unsaturated fat.

There are higher amounts of saturated fats in grain-fed chickens, goats, hogs, even fish (farm raised fish is raised on a high percentage of grain).

When we eat a diet high in grain and grain fed meat, we are also missing the good vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients we need from a diet of more nutritious foods.

Additionally, the grain we consume is made even more unhealthy by its processing. All of the good parts of the grain are stripped away, leaving a simple refined grain behind. The simpler the grain, the more easy it is for the body to break it down and convert it to sugar and saturated fat. By comparison, complex "Whole" grains pass through the body without being broken down. They contain more nutrients and they are higher in fiber, which is essential for keeping our digestive systems regular. Fiber also helps prevent cancer in stomachs and colons, and it helps to prevent digestive problems like diverticulitis, irritable bowl syndrome and hemorrhoids. Water-soluble whole grains will actually absorb bad fats and remove them from your body.

Grass-fed meat is tougher than grain-fed meat. It needs to be cooked slower for tenderness, which also aides in eliminating the cancer risks related to charred meat, and it tastes as good or better than grain fed meat.

We don't we hear much about grass-fed meat because it isn't as profitable as grain-fed meat. Our country is heavily invested in farming corn and soybeans and producing profitable grain-fed beef. Government programs favor farming grain. We make many other products from corn, like corn meal, corn flour, corn syrup, cornstarch, corn oil (not particularly healthy foods) and now even fuel for our cars. There is more concern for higher profits and cheaper food than there is for good health.

We talk about better health (especially for our children), we talk about lowering the cost of healthcare (obesity is one of the leading factors in the cost of healthcare), but the truth is that most people care more about what kind of oil they put in their cars than they do about what's in the food they eat.

I have been buying wild fish when I can get it locally, and buying grass fed frozen meat from Slankers Grass-Fed Meats

http://www.texasgrassfedbeef.com/. I would love to find good sources for grass-fed beef, pork and lamb, pastured chicken and eggs, and grass-fed milk locally. Hopefully more farmers and ranchers will make the switch in future.