April 27, 2020

Is Grass Fed & Finished Beef Really Worth the Expense?

I’m going to be honest. Before we started on this real food journey, I always believed that whatever I bought from the grocery store was good for me. I mean like fruits and vegetables and meat and milk…

But not everything is. You know it’s important to eat your veggies and meat, but when they’re SO FULL of chemicals and hormones, how healthy are they, really?

I had no idea there was a difference in grass-fed beef verses grain-fed beef. I just thought beef was beef!

Grass-fed beef is one of the most nutrient-dense proteins you can eat. It has a large amount of brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids, as well as necessary vitamins.

But how do I know I’m getting all grass-fed beef?

The USDA is pretty lenient on grass-fed labeling. Pretty much any beef product could be labeled grass-fed as long as it was on grass at some point in its life. The problem with that is, many cattle farmers raise their cows on grass in the summer and then feed them grains (including corn and soy) in the winter months.

So, this beef can then be (mis)labeled as “grass-fed”.

Pretty misleading, huh?

If you’re looking for beef that’s all grass fed, you need to be looking for a farmer that raises their cows entirely on grass. Or “grass-finished”. Like we do. This is where knowing your farmer and exactly where your food comes from is so important!

Is Grass-Fed Beef really worth the extra expense?

Absolutely. But here are some health benefits to grass-fed and finished beef that may help you decide!

#1: Grass-Fed Beef Has Fewer Calories
Full grass-fed beef is lower in total fat content because their diet is more natural and clean.

#2: Grass-Fed Beef Supports Healthier Blood Sugar Levels
Beef from grass-fed cows contains certain beneficial fatty acids that can help prevent a variety of diseases like obesity and diabetes.

#3: Grass-Fed Beef Contains Electrolytes
If you’ve ever been on a keto diet, you may have experienced what’s called the keto flu. This occurs when electrolytes aren’t replenished after they’re flushed out, including sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Grass-fed meat has ample amounts of all three essential electrolytes.

#4: Grass-Fed Beef Can Help Fight Cancer
Grass-fed beef contains roughly twice the amount of conjugated linoleic acid compared to beef from grain-fed cows. Most naturally occurring nutrients containing anticarcinogenic properties are found in plant foods, but CLA is one of the only anticancer nutrients found in meat. CLA is thought to be one of the strongest nutrients that can fight against cancer.

#5: Grass-Fed Beef Contains More Healthy Fats
Grass-fed beef contains up to six times more omega–3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. Grain-fed beef contains higher levels of omega–6 fatty acids, which are already high in most American diets.

#6: Grass-Fed Beef Contains Less Bacteria
Most conventional beef is more prone to containing bacteria than grass-fed beef. In a Consumer Reports study, 300 packages of ground beef were analyzed and found to have an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, in three of the grain-fed samples, and zero in the grass-fed packages.

#7: Eating Grass-Fed Beef Can Decrease Your Risk of Heart Disease
Medical evidence shows a decreased risk of heart disease with consumption of CLA, found in grass-fed beef.

But What Makes Grass-Fed Beef so Healthy?

Grass-fed beef is a very nutrient-dense protein that can be included into just about any diet.

Grass-fed beef contains:
Two times the amount of lutein and beta-carotene compared to grain-fed.
500–800 mg of CLA, which is up to three times the amount over grain-fed beef.
Up to 3.5 grams of omega–3 fats in grass-fed beef (the maximum amount for grain-fed is 1 gram).

In one grass-fed strip steak you’ll find:

49 g protein
45 mg omega–3 fatty acids
0.3 mg Riboflavin
14.3 mg Niacin
1.4 mg Vitamin B6
28 mcg Folate
2.7 mcg Vitamin B12
1.5 mg Pantothenic Acid
139 mg Choline
16.3 mg Betaine
19 mg Calcium
4 mg Iron
49 mg Magnesium
454 mg Phosphorus
732 mg Potassium
118 mg Sodium
7.7 mg Zinc
45 mcg Selenium

Besides, grass-fed beef just tastes so much better!

What do our Customers have to say?

“Your (beef) cuts are amazing! The taste is night and day from what you get from the store.” W.S.

Here at our farm, we raise Highland Cattle, known for their lean beef, and they are exceptional foragers, so they stay out on pasture all four seasons. No grains, no chemicals, no confined spaces.

Be sure to check out our beef HERE, and come on out to the farm to get all of your grass-fed, grass-finished beef!!!

Your Grass-Fed Farmer,
Tabitha Findley
Rare Breed Farms

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