Red Meat

          Is a good source of protein but conventional beef is loaded with saturated fat.  Grain-fed cattle is 50% saturated fat.  (Nuts, seeds, and beans are a good source of protein too without the saturated fats.)  Grass-fed and grass-finished beef is good in moderation and is only 10% saturated fat. 

It's important the the beef is grass-finished as well because a week's worth of grain will take away the vital Omega 3 and CLA benefit!  It's important that no chemicals are used on the grass but it's hard to find a certified Organic and Grassland Beef. 

Grassland Beef has explained to us that their cattle is 100% Grass-fed, they are never fed animal by products, only a healthy vegetarian diet, they have room to roam and are treated in the most humane way, all the way up to slaughter, so much so that they were looking into getting kosher certification.  Their pastures are not treated with any chemicals, their cattle is never given growth hormones nor are they given the daily low grade antibiotic like most conventional cattle. 

Delicious Organics feels comfortable offering and recommending Grassland Beef.

          Isn't "Natural" good enough?

Natural is simply a label for ANY food product which means that the product does not contain artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and that it is minimally processed.  Virtually ALL beef is "natural!"

Organic Beef is:

  • fed grass or grain grown without pesticides
  • never fed animal or animal by-products, it's an all vegetarian diet (therefore no threat of mad cow's disease)
  • never given antibiotics, drugs or growth hormones
  • traceable all the way to our plate

Animal products are not natural food for cattle.  Organic beef, since they are never fed animal products, are therefore a safe choice in avoiding Mad Cow disease.  However, grain is not the natural diet of the cow and affects their nutritional value to us.  Cows, Sheep and other grazing animals convert grass into powerful nutrients for our bodies.

In addition, manure is a big problem on conventional farms and pollutes our environment and creates a risk to our health and waters (where it can poison our waters with E Coli and other pathogens).  Organic farmers, by contrast, use it (and can use it because it's chemical-free) as fertilizer.  This is recycling at it's best!

Grass-fed Organic Beef is a the best choice for many reasons.  Nutritionally far superior to it's organic cousins, grass-fed beef actually contains Omega 3s and CLA!  Conjugated Linoleic Acid naturally occurs in beef.  Research now shows that CLA combats cancer, combats clogged arteries, may suppress existing cancer growth, reduces body fat and prevents or delays diabetes.  They also have four times the amount of Vitamin E.

Mad Cow disease is avoided in organic cattle since they graze naturally an total fat grams per 3 ounce servingd are never fed animal products.  They roam free and eat better.  They are therefore leaner with much less fat overall and especially less (more than 1/2 less) artery-clogging saturated fat.  Grass-fed Beef is typically at least 4 months older before meeting their maker because they naturally grow slower. 

Lower in overall fat, and lower in saturated fat, grass-fed beef is good food.  Because they are leaner, the meat cooks a little quicker and you have to be careful not to dry it out.  It is lower in overall fat.  The meat may taste a little different to you; it is delicious!

It is difficult or impossible to find Grass-fed Organic (and Kosher, wow, that would be ideal) beef, but we are still hoping and looking.  If we must choose between grass-fed or organic grain-fed, the best option is Grass-fed over Organic.

Kosher has to do with the way the animal is slaughtered.  It must be slaughtered in the most humane way possible to cause the least amount of stress to the animal.  Animals raised for kosher slaughter have a better life (much like an organic or grass-fed animal) with more room, no animal by-products in the feed, and a healthier environment. 

Kosher also has to do with what foods may be eaten, what foods can be eaten with other food, how these foods are prepared, how the food is processed (not to include non-kosher ingredients) and manufactured (in a facility that complies with kosher dietary standards and doesn't mix meat (or poultry) and milk, for example) and how the animal is slaughtered.  Most slaughterhouses well, wack 'em, and that stress, after all, ends up on our plates.  Kosher slaughtering is quick and there is no risk of mad cow disease since it is done in a halathic (healthful and according to the laws of kashrut) way.  Making chicken or beef kosher for us to purchase takes about three times as long as non-kosher; that's why they are more expensive.  Specially trained rabbinical inspectors check every animal for signs of abnormalities or disease and will reject those otherwise acceptable by government standards. Omega 3s vanish in the feedlot

Grass-Fed and Grain-Finished Beef:  Buyer Beware - a "mostly" grass-fed cow that is "finished" with grain loses it's most of it's nutritional Omega 3 value.  Each day that they are fed grains, their omega 3 diminishes.  They will lose all the Omega 3s stored when they are fed grains to fatten up before slaughter.

Conventional cows are:

  • fed grain because it's cheaper.
  • fed grain and corn to help them fatten up quicker.
  • uncomfortable and may experience bloat because they have so much starch and no roughage in their diet.  This can be quite painful and can lead to suffocation as their stomachs explode and push against their lungs.  If caught on time, a tube must be forced down their throat to allow the gas to escape. 
  • not able roam freely and are cramped as the farmers fit in as many cows as possible.  This is an understatement - they are either packed so close that they can't move or they are in individual stalls about as big as their own bodies.  They stand in their own manure as they can't move away.
  • given antibiotics and other drugs because of the close quarters and high risk of sickness.  Corn can also cause the cow heartburn because it makes their otherwise neutral stomachs quite acidic (made to eat grass and turn that into power).  This heartburn will make them feel terribly sick, cause a weakened immune system, cause them to get sick, and may even cause death.  This leads to antibiotic-resistant bacteria which is dangerous to our world.
  • at a much higher risk of E Coli bacteria because their stomachs are so acidic from all the grain they've been eating (which is good for E Coli growth).
  • given growth hormones to help them fatten up quicker.
  • sometimes fed animals and animal by-products (especially may be of cows that are sicker and don't make it).
  • far less nutritious with only 15 - 50% as much Omega 3s as the Grass-fed beef.
  • taken to slaughter as early as 14 or 16 months after birth! (meaning they grow from 80 pounds to 1200 with corn, protein supplements, antibiotics, growth hormones and other drugs in that short a  time!)
  • The Meatrix (Meat Tricks) - take a look at what's happened with this well done animation.  Great for kids to understand too!

Aside from all this, conventional feedlots cause harm to our environment.

  • The corn is highly pesticides therefore using tremendous petroleum resources and polluting our planet.
  • The cow manure builds up polluting our planet (grass-fed cows poop as they go which naturally fertilizes the ground).

Conventional cows raised in Feed Lots have very little CLA benefit and do have a higher fat content.  E Coli is in the intestines of most feedlot cattle since the feeding of corns and grains has caused the acidity of their stomachs to be much like humans.

   

 

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