Guest post: Why should we eat grass-fed (instead of grain-fed) meat?

Guest post: Why should we eat grass-fed (instead of grain-fed) meat?

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If you’ve been introduced to the concepts of the paleo diet, then you’ve heard the terms “Grass­Fed” or “Pastured” in relation to Beef and Lamb.

 

To the uninitiated, this may seem a strange term ­ surely all cows and sheep are grass fed? After all, grass is what cows and sheep eat, isn’t it?

 

While it is true that cows and sheep are ruminant­ animals which naturally graze on green pasture, eating a rich mix of varied nutrient-dense green plants, herbs and flowers, farmers discovered that by feeding these animals supplemental grains they could fatten them much more quickly, thus greatly increasing their turnover and therefore profits.

 

Unfortunately, it turns out that there were a lot of unintended consequences that resulted from this shift in farming practice, and that in fact, grass-­fed beef is superior to its grain-produced fast food equivalent.

 

Below we’ll take a look at how Grass­Feeding is superior to Grain­Feeding in many different respects:

 

Nutrition

 

Green pastures are a rich, highly diverse smorgasbord of different plant species. ­ The grass on a pasture is not like a uniform neat lawn, but instead is a multitude of different grasses, herbs, legumes and more.

 

These plants are packed full of nutrients, but are relatively low in calories. As the cows and sheep graze on them, this produces a leaner animal with a higher percentage of protein per calorie, and a much higher concentration of vitamins and minerals.

 

Pasture feeding also results in meat which is lower in pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats, and higher in anti­-inflammatory omega 3s and other “good fats” such as CLA.

 

Animal Welfare

 

Animals which are intensively raised on grains don’t require as much space to roam, as all their feed can be supplied in troughs. This typically results in animals crammed into CAFOs ­ (Controlled Animal Feeding Operations).

 

These are terrible places, with animals confined in squalid conditions, often wading through their own waste. In addition to being very unpleasant for the animals, they are rife for the spread of disease, meaning antibiotic use becomes ubiquitous, in turn leading to the generation of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria; ­ more bad news!

 

Allowing animals to graze on pasture allows the ruminants to live pretty much as they would in the wild. ­They are allowed to roam the hills and graze as their ancestors would have, only with added protection from predators, and the assurance of a quick and painless end -­ a rarity in the animal kingdom!

 

Environment and Sustainability

 

Many advocates of vegetarianism/veganism claim that eating meat is not sustainable, as energy is lost at each step of the food chain. It is more efficient for humans to eat plant foods themselves, rather than feed them to animals and then eat the meat.

 

This is true in the case of feeding grains and legumes to ruminants -­ from an energy perspective it is very wasteful. Large scale production of grains and legumes requires mono-cropping, a practice that reduces biodiversity and necessitates large inputs of energy, petrochemicals and ultimately destroys topsoil.

 

This is not true for grass­fed meat, however, as:

1. People cannot digest grass, so it couldn’t be fed to humans directly anyway

2. In a suitable climate (such as Britain), grass can be grown with little to no human intervention, providing it is grazed in a well managed manner

 

In contrast to industrial crop production, well managed pasture land actually helps develop topsoil, and increase biodiversity.

 

Conclusion

 

Eating meat from animals which are free to graze on pasture, and are not fed with supplemental grains or legumes results in meat which is healthier, more sustainable, and necessitates higher standards of animal welfare.

 

It also produces meat which tastes far superior to it’s cheap grain-­fed imitation! Talk about a win­-win­win­-win situation…

 

Thankfully, there are a growing number of farmers going back to traditional grass feeding methods of farming throughout the UK.

 

If you can’t find one in your area, check out www.greenpasturefarms.co.uk who deliver sustainable and ethically pasture raised meat, including 100% grassfed beef and lamb anywhere throughout the mainland UK.

 

Simon Whyatt is the director of Green Pasture Farms, and also a health and nutrition blogger at

www.livenowthrivelater.co.uk