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GRASS-FED BEEF CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH  

Hi everyone!

Are you ready for Spring yet? We are!

Getting back onto the pasture and enjoying some fresh growth...

Ah- what a dream... well, we are about 10-weeks away from the dream..

But, let's focus on what is on our control... and that is healthy eating and losing weight as a result!

For so many years, beef has gotten a bad wrap and as I always say, it should. Because of the big producers in the midwest and even some local farms who give their cows grain to grow them big...

A cows digestive system is not meant for grains... only grasses.

At our farm, we adhere to that an only feed grass.

Grass from pasture, hay, and also fermented hay that looks like big white marshmallows wrapped in white plastic called haylage and baleage. (the cows love it).

This time of year we go through 5-6 rolls of hay a day that weigh about 750lbs. each- and cost between $45-75 per roll. SO, you can see it is a huge cost to get the cows through the winter.

Why are we so focused on grass-fed only outside of the fact it is good for the cows?

Well, the health benefits of grass-fed vs. grain -fed beef are much better. Ready for a few:
 

1.) Lower in Fat and Calories

Grass-fed beef is up to 2/3 lower in fat and calories than feedlot-raised beef. For example, a 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished cow will have 100 fewer calories than the same steak from an animal that has been grain-fed.

If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to grass-fed beef will save you over 17,000 calories over the course of a full year.

Even if everything else in your diet remains the same you will still, on average, lose about six pounds a year from switching to grass-fed beef.

2.) Antibiotic and Hormone Free

To keep illness at a minimum, feedlot cows have to take massive doses of antibiotics.

When you eat grain fed beef you are consuming these antibiotics.

In addition to antibiotics, conventional meat is also laced with hormones. Hormones, such as RBST, make CAFO cows grow faster. This leads to more profit for factory farmers.

Cows raised in this manner reach full-size up to a year faster than grass-fed cows. Studies show that humans can experience early puberty after consuming animals fed growth hormone for a long period of time.

Of course, our grass-fed animals are always hormone and antibiotic-free!

3.) Tastes Better

Another undeniable benefit of grass-fed meat is that it tastes better. Grass-fed meat has a subtle, earthy flavor, attributable to the varied diet of the cows. The cow's clean diet allows spices to come through clearer. The addition of a little butter makes a grass-fed steak taste amazing!

4.) Higher in Healthy Fats

One of the most notable benefits of grass-fed beef is that it has an ideal ratio of omegas. Meat from grass-fed animals has 2 to 4 times more omega-3 fatty acid then meat from grain fed animals.

Grass-fed beef has an omega 6:3 ratio of 0.16 to 1, while grain-fed beef can often have an omega 6:3 ratio higher than 20:1.

5.) Decreased Risk of Heart Disease

Omega-3's are good fat because they play a vital role in every cell in every system in your body. Of all the fats, omega-3's are the most heart-friendly.

People who have enough omega-3's in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or heart problems. They're also 50% less likely to suffer a heart attack.

Omega-3's are essential for your brain to operate at optimal levels as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3's are less likely to suffer from depression schizophrenia, ADD and Alzheimer's disease.

6.) Helps Fight Cancer

Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA. Beef products raised on grass and forage alone, contain from 3 to 5 times more CLA than those raised conventionally.

CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer. In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA reduced tumor growth.

7.) Less Contamination By Staph and Other Bacteria

It's said that almost half of the US is meat and poultry contains the staph bacteria.

The constant feeding of antibiotics to feedlot cattle plays a large role in the spreading of staph, e-Coli and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

8.) More Vitamins and Minerals

Grass fed beef is one of the most nutrient dense proteins on earth. It has a high micronutrient profile, much higher than grain fed beef.

It is higher in B vitamins, vitamin D, and iron because of the varied diets of grass-fed cows.

If you have ever eaten grass-fed beef, you may have noticed the yellowish tint of the fat from grass-fed meat after it cooks. This indicates the presence of Carotenoids which are abundant in grass, especially quick growing green grass.

9.) Better for the Environment

In addition to the health benefits of grass-fed meat, it is also easier on the environment.

Cows raised in pastures use fewer fossil fuels than cows packed into feedlots. When they are grass fed, cows maintain and fertilize the land they graze on themselves. This leads to the increased biodiversity of pasture ecosystems and improved quality of run-off water.

10.) Peace of Mind

Knowing that the food you are putting in yours and your children's bodies is free from antibiotics, hormones and other harmful substances is priceless.

 So if you are ready to order some grass-fed beef, the benefits speak for themselves! Order here.

We have several customers, like Ryan who eat 1lb. of Freedom Farms beef per day! Not only does he love the beef, but, he is ripped! Not an ounce of fat on that man!