Health Benefits of Grass Fed Beef
We would like to share with you why we are so excited about grass-fed beef and why this is such a central focus for our operation.
Summary of the benefits of grass-fed Beef as compared to classic American grain-fed beef:
* 78% more Beta-carotene
* 75% more Omega-3
* 300% more Vitamin E
* 400% more Vitamin A
* 500% more CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid - a good fat)
More on the benefits of CLA:
* In animal studies, 11 out of 11 studies surveyed showed CLA decreases cancer.
* Four out of five found a decrease in body fat associated with CLA.
* Two out of two found a decrease in heart disease.
* Two out of two have found increased bone density.
* Three out of three have found a decrease in adult diabetes.
Dr Tilak Dhiman of the Utah State University is one of the foremost researchers into CLA.
Details:
Grass-fed
beef is a very different product from the beef normally sold in
American grocery stores. The meat sold in grocery stores come from
cattle penned up in large feedlots where they are confined, fed grains,
treated with hormones and given antibiotics, all to promote fast weight
gain and prevent disease that is so prevalent in this unnatural
environment.
Grass-fed beef, on the other hand is finished on natural pasture - a diet which provides them what nature intended. Cattle are ruminants; they have multiple stomachs and are very efficient converting the cellulose in grasses to protein (meat).
There are significant health advantages to grass-fed beef. First, grass-fed beef is higher in beneficial fats. Omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. Most prominently, people who have ample amounts of omega-3's in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. In addition, they are 50% less likely to have a serious heart attack.
Second, grass-fed beef is rich in a good fat called "conjugated linoleic acid" or CLA. Over the past two decades numerous health benefits have been attributed to CLA through experimental evidence including actions to reduce carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, onset of diabetes, and fat body mass.
Finally, grass-fed beef has higher levels of beta-carotene and vitamin E. Grass-fed beef has a factor of 10 higher levels of beta-carotene than conventional beef. Vitamin A is a critical fat-soluble vitamin that is important for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, and cell differentiation. Vitamin E levels in grass-fed beef are a factor of four higher than conventional beef. In humans, vitamin E is linked with lower risk of heart diseases and cancer. This potent anti-oxidant may also have significant anti-aging properties.
The following are links to websites that have significantly more
detail on the benefits of grass-fed beef as well as references that
support these benefits.
1. http://www.westwindfarm.biz/grassfedbenefits/grassfedbenefits2.pdf
2. http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grassfedbeef/health-benefits/index.html
3. Google "benefits of grass-fed beef" and you will be able to access many more sites
