From Grassfed to Finish: A Production Guide
to Gourmet Grass-Finished Beef
by Allan Nation
“For more than two and a half million years, our prehistoric ancestors lived on a red-meat-lovers diet rich in lean, wild game. Obesity, heart disease and stroke were virtually unknown. Believe it or not, this stone age diet might be for you if you’re watching cholesterol and don’t indulge in sizzling steaks. The difference is that stone age meats were full of heart-friendly Omega-3 and mono-unsaturated fats. In contrast, most beef today is grain-fed and high in Omega-6 fatty acids and saturated fats. There are ways around this. Look for grass-fed beef.” ~ Dr. Emily Senay, “Healthwatch” CBS Radio Network
Why is grass-fed better?
Besides the Omega-3 properties and monounsaturated fats mentioned by Dr. Senay, grass-fed beef contains a newly discovered essential fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). A group of animal studies have shown that CLA is anti-carcinogenc, anti-diabetic, anti-antherosclerosis (heart disease) and helps prevent obesity.
In comparison to mass-market grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef contains up to:
- 500% more CLA
- 400% more vitamin A
- 300% more vitamin E
- 75% more Omega-3
- 78% more beta-carotene
A French study of 360 women found that the higher the CLA level was in their breast tissue the lower their incidence of breast cancer, and research has shown that CLA not only reduces the incident of cancer in animals but actually suppresses the growth of cancer cells.
Mice fed high CLA diets grew denser bones that were higher in calcium and phosphorous than the research controls. This suggests that a diet high in CLA foods – grass-fed meats and dairy products – could help women with osteoporosis as well as breast cancer.
Dr. Tilak Dhiman of Utah State University is the foremost researcher into CLA in the USA. He said, “I am convinced that grass-fed foods are not only preventative but regenerative as well.” Dr. Dhiman adds that, “One glass of whole milk from a grazed cow plus one serving of grass-fed beef or lamb per day would meet the CLA percentage required to provide effective cancer prevention.”