Grass Fed Meats
March 8th, 2010
I’m sure you have all heard that grass fed meat is better for you. I, for one, have not ventured much into this arena yet, specifically because of the availability in our area (imagine that!). However, I have been searching sites and farms to see what is available for delivery. Surprisingly several options do exist.
Why grass fed meats? The main reason is the higher nutritional value of them. Compared with feedlot meat, meat from grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and goats has less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid,” or CLA
A growing number of ranchers have stopped sending their animals to the feedlots to be fattened on grain, soy and other supplements. Instead, they are keeping their animals home on the range where they forage on pasture, their native diet. They do not treat their livestock with hormones or feed them growth-promoting additives. As a result, the animals grow at a natural pace. For these reasons and more, grass-fed animals live low-stress lives and are so healthy there is no reason to treat them with antibiotics or other drugs.
Raising animals on pasture requires more knowledge and skill than sending them to a feedlot. For example, in order for grass-fed beef to be succulent and tender, the cattle need to forage on high-quality grasses and legumes, especially in the months prior to slaughter. Providing this nutritious and natural diet requires healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the plants are maintained at an optimal stage of growth. Because high-quality pasture is the key to high-quality animal products, many pasture-based ranchers refer to themselves as “grassfarmers” rather than “ranchers.” They raise great grass; the animals do all the rest.
Factory Farming – A Bad Practice:
- Animal stress and abuse
- Air, land and water pollution
- The unnecessary use of hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs
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Low-paid, stressful farm work
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The loss of small family farms
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Food with less nutritional value.
If you are convinced that you want to give grass fed meats a try, I have found several websites to visit. Again, I am just trying them myself so I don’t have feedback yet on shipping/delivery, value, price, etc. If you order from any of the sites, please share your comments with your fellow crossfitters and I will do the same. Lis
Posted in Post Your Diet Here
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