The Advantages of Grass Fed Beef and Dairy
Many people are always asking about what is the “big fuss” over “grass fed” when it comes to meat (beef), eggs and dairy. The big fuss is about choosing a better quality of meat that is more in line with what our bodies were designed to use. Little do many really know there is a big difference between a nice bison (grass fed) burger and a Big Mac.
So rather than bore you with a lengthy article about all the advantages, how about just some simple pictures and bullet points to drive it home. If a picture is worth a 1000 words…well here are 10,000 words that may surprise you:
The Pictures
Images and references reproduced below are originally sourced from Eatwild.com
The Bullet Points
So here’s what we have seen about the advantages of grass fed beef and dairy…..and it sounds pretty good:
- More antioxidant Vitamin E
- More antioxidant Beta Carotene
- More CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid – cancer prevention)
- Less Fat/Saturated Fat (this is more natural levels for wild meats)
- Less Omega 6s, More Omega 3s (more natural balance)
- Less chance of that animal getting sick or producing sick meat!
References
1. Rule, D. C., K. S. Brought on, S. M. Shellito, and G. Maiorano. “Comparison of Muscle Fatty Acid Profiles and Cholesterol Concentrations of Bison, Beef Cattle, Elk, and Chicken.” J Anim Sci 80, no. 5 (2002): 1202-11.
2. Davidson, M. H., D. Hunninghake, et al. (1999). “Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living persons with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term, randomized clinical trial.” Arch Intern Med 159(12): 1331-8. The conclusion of this study: “… diets containing primarily lean red meat or lean white meat produced similar reductions in LDL cholesterol and elevations in HDL cholesterol, which were maintained throughout the 36 weeks of treatment.”
3. Siscovick, D. S., T. E. Raghunathan, et al. (1995). “Dietary Intake and Cell Membrane Levels of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest.” JAMA 274(17): 1363-1367.
4. Simopolous, A. P. and Jo Robinson (1999). The Omega Diet. New York, HarperCollins. My previous book, a collaboration with Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos, devotes an entire chapter to the vital role that omega-3s play in brain function.
5. Rose, D. P., J. M. Connolly, et al. (1995). “Influence of Diets Containing Eicosapentaenoic or Docasahexaenoic Acid on Growth and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells in Nude Mice.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87(8): 587-92.
6. Tisdale, M. J. (1999). “Wasting in cancer.” J Nutr 129(1S Suppl): 243S-246S.
7. Tashiro, T., H. Yamamori, et al. (1998). “n-3 versus n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in critical illness.” Nutrition 14(6): 551-3.
8. Duckett, S. K., D. G. Wagner, et al. (1993). “Effects of time on feed on beef nutrient composition.” J Anim Sci 71(8): 2079-88.
9. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). “Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs.” Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.
10. Dolecek, T. A. and G. Grandits (1991). “Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Mortality in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT).” World Rev Nutr Diet 66: 205-16.
11. Dhiman, T. R., G. R. Anand, et al. (1999). “Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets.” J Dairy Sci 82(10): 2146-56. Interestingly, when the pasture was machine-harvested and then fed to the animals as hay, the cows produced far less CLA than when they were grazing on that pasture, even though the hay was made from the very same grass. The fat that the animals use to produce CLA is oxidized during the wilting, drying process. For maximum CLA, animals need to be grazing living pasture.
12. Ip, C, J.A. Scimeca, et al. (1994) “Conjugated linoleic acid. A powerful anti-carcinogen from animal fat sources.” p. 1053. Cancer 74(3 suppl):1050-4.
13. Aro, A., S. Mannisto, I. Salminen, M. L. Ovaskainen, V. Kataja, and M. Uusitupa. “Inverse Association between Dietary and Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women.” Nutr Cancer 38, no. 2 (2000): 151-7.
14. Smith, G.C. “Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets.” Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1171
29 Reader Comments
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Mike, looks like you have the same chart in here 3 x. Correct me if wrong (you can delete this comment if you update ).
Good info though, I try to go grass-fed as often as possible. Though I admit I’m keen on sales.
-Dave
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Mike OD Reply:
You are correct, removing duplicates.
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I read before that bison are not necessarily grass fed. So I ask and last time I asked at Whole Foods the meat counter employee said their bison were finished on corn/grain of some sort (which I can’t remember).
I can never figure out what to believe about that one.
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Mike OD Reply:
It seems that (unlike what I used to believe) bison is no longer safe from assuming it is all grass fed. You will have to check the source of where it comes from (on package or some company’s website) to know whether it is all grass fed or whether they are using grains too. Sad really we have to do this.
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Where can you get dairy from grass fed cattle?
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Mike OD Reply:
Stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes can carry types of grass fed butter and cheese (you will have to read the label or check the manufacturer’s website to verify). As for milk, you may have to look for more local sources. http://www.eatwild.com has a good directory of local farmers to start with.
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Rex Reply:
You can buy Organic Grass fed Butter Oil from this website
http://nutraprointl.com
Why is Grass-fed Butter Oil /Ghee of deep yellow color?
Grass-fed Butter Oil is made from the milk of cows which are fed only grass. The green grasses are rich in Vitamins A and D. The yellow color is due to the high level of Beta-carotene (a precursor of Vitamin A) present in our Grass-Fed Butter Oil
Why does whole butter go rancid and butter oil doesn’t?
Whole butter contains milk solids and 16% water. This composition speeds up the process of fatty acid oxidation, resulting in a rancid flavor. Grass-Fed Butter oil is moisture free and has a longer shelf life.
Grass-Fed Butter Oil has a high smoke point (~380 °F) and is best suited for baking, sautéing and deep frying.
When applied on the dry skin or wound it penetrates deep into tissues and has healing properties.
Grass-Fed Butter Oil can be used as facial moisturizer. It softens the skin, nourishes tissues, gives glowing texture to the skin and enhances beauty.
Helps to regularize bowel movement and relieve constipation. Take one or two teaspoons of Grass-fed Butter Oil in the morning followed by 8 oz glass of warm water, and it will help with a bowel movement.
Suggested uses for Grass-Fed Butter Oil/Ghee:
use as a substitute for butter
cooking, frying, baking and dipping
for sauces, steaks, soups, and pastries to impart a full rich flavor
when grilling, try finishing off your favorite steak with our 100% Organic Grass-Fed Butter Oil
body message
skin and wound-healing properties
body moisturizer
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Luckily the whole foods near me sells 100% grass fed bison. Mike, would you agree that eventhough grassfed has mroe Omega-3, it’s still not a big source? I mean, 5g of fish oil can do the trick, right?
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Mike OD Reply:
It is more about getting the right balance of Omega 3/6. So in essence, if you eliminate excess Omega 6, you probably also reduce your need for more Omega 3s. I tend to eat more sardines and herring for my Omega 3s nowadays and not take oil, seems to work as long as I am also cutting out all the excess grain fed fatty meats.
Dr Harris over an PaNu blog has a good take on it:
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Hey Mike,
Thanks for the post clearly showing the benefits of grass fed beef. I don’t believe we need to eat meat all that often (though I do enjoy it a few times per week). Eating less often means you can spend a bit more when you do and hopefully afford the good grass fed produce!
Never had a better tasting steak since travelling in Argentina though –
the closest we can get here in the UK is Gaucho restaurants but then the meat has travelled a long way!!
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[...] Advantages of Grass Fed Beef & Dairy [...]
A couple of things:
Grassfed beef tends to be leaner and requires shorter cooking times. If you really want to make a big difference in nutrition spend your money and get grassfed dairy and butter and free-range eggs. I put a priority on this over grassfed meat. I agree with Luke, eat meat less and buy higher quality. Lamb is almost always grassfed so you are safe there. Also, consider eating more organ meat like liver and kidney. Our ancestors didn’t throw out anything. We should be eating more of that stuff. It’s usually cheaper too.
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Grass fed beef is the way to go. I’m originally from Iowa where corn fed beef was advertised with pride, but the cattle were sicker and the difference in meat is now very pronounced.
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skustes Reply:
I’ve noticed that before. Always makes me laugh when a restaurant brags about their Choice USDA Grain-fed Beef. That’s a fact I’d try to hide.
Cheers
Scott
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This was fantastic! It’s all laid out right there!
Now you’ve got me curious about the benefits of my personal favorite – pork. Is the difference between pigs that are allowed to eat their naturally foraged, omnivorous diet compared to corn fed hogs as stark as it is for beef?
Thanks!
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Hey Mike, you should also add that grass fed beef is a lot tastier than grain-fed ones. I love buying it from Whole Foods and then just adding salt and pepper, baked at 200 degrees in oven for about 20 minutes and finished off on a very hot skillet at about 4 minutes per side. This makes the steak really juicy and cooked evenly. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it
Thanks for the great post!
Anna
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Hi Mike,
I am new to the site so firstly i must say congrats are in order cos this site is brilliant. It is very informative.
And also, i must say this post in particular has opened my eyes, I never knew grass fed animals had these advantages. This will definitley be in mind when i next go shopping.
Michael
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Less fat just means less intramuscular fat, as far as I can tell; there should still be significant visceral fat (around the organs), back fat deposits, and of course fatty organs (marrow, eyes, brain). Less fat shouldn’t go in the plus column anyway. It’s more important that the n-6/n-3 ratio is better in grass-fed animal fats.
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Mike OD Reply:
The less fat is “per 100g of meat”, as in what is served to eat via cuts of meat….not just the cow itself.
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I’ve been using the WellnessPro products along with my new organic diet. The company offers an all natural energy drink that’s been really helpful and filled me with energy.
I’m going to join up with their flyaway weightloss challenge this month to see if I can win!
Cheers,
Mark
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Thank you Mike, for the in depth article!
I’m a college student trying hard to lead a healthy lifestyle, and seek out grass fed as often as I can. I’m a real chart and science fellow who needs to see the data, and you delivered! It certainly cemented into my mind that in order for humans to lead healthy lifestyles, we need healthy beef; likewise, in order to live in harmony, we must live in harmony with nature and raise our food according to the way nature is designed.
It’s hard for me to consume grass fed products always, but very soon it will be the only way I will consume animal products, considering that I’m not in a bind. I agree with Luke in that I don’t eat beef or animal products every day, which really helps me save my money toward buying it for the few days of the week that I can consume it.
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Luke M-Davies Reply:
Hey Brandon,
Glad you agree with my thoughts!
In the UK organic/grass fed can be so very expensive but I definitely prefer to eat meat less often but buy high quality when I do.
It’s worth exploring your options e.g. local farms/farmer’s markets because they can beat supermarket prices and quality…
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I think you presented the facts about ongoing to debate between grass fed and grain fed beef in a clear manner. I work with La Cense beef which sell 100% Grass Fed Beef directly to consumers. Many people are truly unaware of where the meat they consume comes from and thus are oftentimes unaware that grass fed beef is a much healthier as it is lower in calories and fat as well as high to beta-carotene as you mentioned.
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