Health Benefits of Grass-fed Red Meat

Red meat is an excellent source of both macro and trace minerals, particularly zinc and magnesium.  In meat, these minerals exist in a form that is much easier for the body to break down and utilize than the minerals in grains and pulses.  Red meats are rich in Vitamin B12, so important for a healthy nervous system and blood; and in carnitine, which is essential for healthy functioning of the heart.  Beef and Lamb fat contain fat-soluble vitamins and small amounts of essential fatty acids, especially if these animals have been allowed to graze on green grass.  These fat-soluble vitamins are what your body needs to utilize the minerals in all foods.  In animal studies, beef fat has a cholesterol-lowering effect.  Lamb and beef fat contain palmitoleic acid, which protects us from viruses and other pathogens.  (Nourishing Traditions 330)

Compared to grain-fed cattle, grass-fed beef is:

• Two to four times richer in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
• Higher in "good" unsaturated fats and lower in "bad" saturated fats.
• Three to five times higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) content.
• Loaded with over 400% more of vitamin A (as beta carotene) and E.
• Virtually devoid of risk of Mad Cow Disease.

Feeding dead cats and dogs to cattle was legal in the US until 1997 when the government banned the practice because of fears over mad cow disease. Dead horses and pigs, however, are still occasionally ground into cattle feed.

One quarter of America's minced beef, writes Schlosser, is made from worn-out dairy cattle, likely to be riddled with disease and the meat containing antibiotic residues.

Grain feeding promotes the growth of dangerous E. coli that is more likely to pass through your stomach and infect your colon. When cattle are fed grass, the amount of dangerous E. coli decreases dramatically. (Microbes Infect 2000 Jan;2(1):45-53).

Where is your beef coming from?  Is it grass-fed, soy fed, or even worse GMO fed?  Know your farmer and know where your food comes.  

If you want grass-fed beef delivered to your home click here.