Real and Raw Food Series #5: Grass Fed Beef

In recent years, a new label has emerged describing some beef on the market. Grassfed beef is an even more recent term to the local foods movement than organic, and carries with it just as much confusion for the consumer. This confusion is caused, typically, by a lack of information from producers and the market – how does feed affect the quality of the meat, and why should it matter to us as humans? Fortunately, there is significant research detailing the differences in the two products.

The Secret Life of the Cow’s Gut
Cows are ruminants. You may be familiar with the term “ruminate,” which usually means to think something over, or ponder. This verb used to describe the actions of a human has its origins in the evolution of animals. Cows, sheep, goats, and camels can all be seen lounging on pastures chewing contentedly, giving the appearance of intense concentration. This rumination is part of their digestion.

Cows’ digestive systems are made up of several chambers, each with a specific function. Each chamber breaks down food, and is reliant on billions of bacteria and other microbes to aid in digestion. These little guys are sensitive to the acidity, or pH of the digestive environment. When the pH is right, they’re happy, and they help cows to turn plant matter into fat and muscle.

The acidity of the environment is affected by the type of food the animal eats. Cows, sheep, and goats eat vegetable matter called forage. Forage can be grass, clover, leaves, small shrubs, or anything else containing cellulose, or fiber. Research indicates that when a ruminant is offered diverse forage species in a pasture or woodlot, it will select a well-balanced diet that yields a healthy animal. Cows will select forages high in minerals, proteins, sugars, and fiber, all of which are digestible by the rumen bugs.

When cows are isolated in feedlots and fed grains, the pH of the rumen changes, and different bugs exist in the cow. These bugs can’t convert the long-chain starches in corn as efficiently as they can forages. Additionally, the fat produced by the starchy feeds is very high in omega 6 fatty acids, as opposed to the high levels of omega 3’s produced by forages. Not to mention the fact that a cow on pasture is outside in the sun and fresh air, while confined animals are under a roof, breathing ammonia and other gases generated by their own excrement.

Nutritional Advantages for Humans
Grass fed beef has about 35% less fat than grain fed beef. Grass fed beef is about as lean as wild deer and elk and contains a balanced ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. An excess of omega 6 fatty acids in diets is repeatedly associated with cancer, degenerative diseases, and low immune function. Grain fed beef has an omega 6:3 ratio in upwards of 18:1. Grassfed beef contains four times the amount of vitamin E found in grain-fed beef, and significantly higher levels of other fat-soluble vitamins.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Briefly, modern research indicates that a diet with a balance of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids:
- Protects against inflammation joint issue, preventing arthritis.
- Promotes healthy brain development and function.
- Encourages better well-being and healthier immune systems, and has positive effects on depression and anxiety.
- Regulate appropriate cholesterol levels, improving cardiovascular function.
- Protect arteries, effectively combatting heart disease.
- Has a decreased instance of cancer.

The Environment
I’ve often heard the comment from conventional farmers that, “all cows eat grass.” This is true. However, only grassfed cows eat grass or other forages for their entire lives. Conventionally-produced beef is confined in a feedlot and fed high starch grains such as corn for the last few months of its life. Often these feeds are laced with antibiotics, which end up in our bodies and our water supply. Grassfed animals do not need antibiotics because their immune systems are not stressed.

Grass-based farmers graze their animals directly on pasture, allowing the cows to harvest their own feed. This is in direct contrast to the millions of acres of corn produced for feedlot beef. Every acre of this government-subsidized crop requires heavy applications of herbicides and fossil-fuel fertilizer to maintain. Not to mention the fossil fuels tied up in the farming, processing, and transportation of that grain to the feedlot. Instead, grass farms can build soils, tying up atmospheric carbon, and improving water supplies.

Ask your farmer if he rotationally grazes his animals. If he does, his soils and animals will be healthier, and the human at the top of the food chain will be healthier. Grass fed beef is the way to go. For further information, visit: Eat Wild.  In the Reading area, both Wholesome Dairy Farm and M and B Farview Farm offer grass fed beef.