Grass-Fed Beef is Superior to Grain-Fed Beef

Grass-Fed is Loaded with CLA - Free of Antibiotics, Growth Hormones

Apr 30, 2009

Red meat from cattle is a complete-protein food, meaning it provides all 22 amino acids that our bodies need.

It also contains omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) — essential meaning our bodies need them — and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Protein, one of the most important elements for the maintenance of good health and vitality, is the major source of building material for muscles, blood, skin, hair, and internal organs, including the heart and the brain.

During digestion, the large molecules of proteins are decomposed into simpler units called amino acids. They are the units from which proteins are constructed and are the end products of protein digestion.

Grass-Fed Beef, Proteins, and Amino Acids

The body requires 22 amino acids in a specific pattern to make human protein. The body can produce 14 of these 22 amino acids. The other eight are called essential amino acids because they must be supplied in the diet. All the essential amino acids must be present simultaneously and in the proper proportions.

If just one amino acid is low or missing, protein synthesis will diminish or stop altogether. Thus, it is recommended that humans eat protein at every meal.

When a food contains all 22 amino acids, it’s called a complete protein. Most meats and dairy products are compete-protein foods.

Grass-Fed Beef and Essential Fatty Acids

Fats are also necessary nutrients for our bodies. Studies show that Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs found in red meat, fish, fish oils, eggs from properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, oils from certain seeds such as flax, and nuts).

Grass-fed beef is abundant in these omega-3 fatty acids, because the animals spend their lives eating the green forage plants that are naturally rich in omega-3s. The result is beef that has nearly 60% more omega-3s than beef from cows that have been raised on a low-omega-3 grain diet, which is the beef found in most or all U.S. supermarkets.

Grass-fed beef is lower in fat than regular beef and, more importantly, contains higher amounts of CLA, a fatty acid. The benefits of CLA are:

Grass-fed meat is almost always preferable to certified organic meat because most organic beef is fed organic corn, which is what causes the myriad of health problems associated with eating beef. Grass-fed beef also is raised in a more sustainable way for the environment and a more humane way for the animals.

Grass-Fed Cattle Have Healthy Digestive System

When cattle are raised and finished in their natural environment and eating their natural diet of grass, their four-chain stomach operates at a healthy level of pH 7. In contrast, grain-fed cattle have a high stomach acidity of pH 4, brought on by their unnatural, high-starch diets. Read about the relationship between grass-fed beef and E. coli and Mad Cow Disease.

Thanks to their healthy diet, grass-raised cattle have high amounts of healthy fats, such as omega-3s and CLA, and minimal amounts of the unhealthy omega-6 fats that have come to be associated with beef.

As Americans have grown accustomed to grain-fed beef they associate the fattiness of grain-fed animals with tender and tasty meat. However, because fats occur in proper ratio in grass-fed cattle, grass-fed products are higher in omega-3s, lower in omega-6s — a ratio of about 3:1 or better — and higher in the important CLA.

The copyright of the article Grass-Fed Beef is Superior to Grain-Fed Beef in Proteins/Carb/Fats is owned by Brad Dunevitz. Permission to republish Grass-Fed Beef is Superior to Grain-Fed Beef in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.