WHY GRASS FED BEEF

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Beef finished on a diet of grain should not be compared to, or confused with, grass-fed beef. Here’s why...

Since cows first walked the earth, it has been only natural for them to feed on seasonal grasses, seed-bearing plants, and roughage. It is historically unnatural for beef cattle to eat a diet of grains only. Grass-fed beef is leaner and healthier than grain-fed beef and it is generally understood that grass-fed beef is easier for the human body to digest. Beef from grass-fed animals contains relatively high levels of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA, one of the three types of Omega-3 fatty acids) giving grass-fed beef anti-inflammatory properties. Beef from grain-fed animals will actually cause inflammation when consumed due to an imbalance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Additionally, grass-fed beef contains significantly higher levels of antioxidants than grain-fed beef. 

Where farms and feed lots grow and finish cattle on grains, the animals tend to suffer from bloat and acidosis as they are carefully transitioned from a natural diet of pasture grass to an unnatural diet consisting entirely of grains.  Both bloat and acidosis happen incredibly fast and are often fatal to cattle. Antibiotics are fed to the cattle, along with the grain feed to prevent these grain-caused ill effects. Most often the food additives are antibiotics along and a growth accelerator. This antibiotics regimen also treats sicknesses that are very common among feed lot herds, as new, sick animals are frequently purchased and introduced to the herd throughout the year to feed out and butcher.

Antibiotic residuals in grain-fed beef can lead to health risks in humans as well as generally interrupting your body’s immune processes. 

The American Grass Fed Association’s feeding standards for beef is 100% grass fed AND grass-finished and all livestock are also completely hormone-free and antibiotic-free. Grass-fed beef comprises only about 4% of U.S beef retail and food service sales.