Cows grazing on the rolling hill pasture is one of the most picturesque and relaxing sceneries. But for more traditionally raised cows they do not spend all their life on pasture.  The last year of their life they spend in a feedlot getting fat on grain and corn.

Farmers know that grain makes animals fat and makes them grow fast. It is not rocket science (if the farmers can figure this out I have no idea why the health canada and the creators of the food pyramid can’t figure it out??). In today’s traditional farming culture it is about finishing the animals faster, better and cheaper. Raising grass-fed beef is a much slower and natural process. A cows natural food is grass and not grain.

There is great health benefits in seeking out grass-fed beef. Grain raised beef is high in omega 6:3 ratio (20:1). Our ideal ratio is 1:1. Grass fed beef has 0.16:1. The benefits of eating grass fed beef are the same as eating salmon that is high in omega 3 EFA. It is good for the brain and it is excellent for heart health. For good health,  we want to reduce our omega 6 EFA and increase our omega 3 EFA. (Source)

Grass fed beef is also high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The benefits of CLA are that it can aid in fat loss, gives protection against cancer, insulin resistance and diabetes.

Grass fed beef has also shown to contain vitamin E and beta carotene which are powerful antioxidants that prevents illness and protects us from degenerative disease. (Source)

Raising Cattle

Were I live grass fed beef is certified as such. The cattle have to be treated humanely. The calves are able to nurse from their mother which protects them from illness.

Grass-fed cows are raised organically without antibiotics and growth hormones. The diet is 100% grass from the pastures and in the winter they eat stored hay. They are fed no grain or no animal by products which conventional beef are fed.  The farms are inspected and certified and the animals are supposed to be in good health condition at finishing time.

They also go to an organic certified kill plant.

Buying Grass-fed beef has many benefits.

• Supports sustainable local family farms and not big agri-biz.
• Quality meats for exceptional health with more vitamins and more good fats.  Grass fed beef is a super food just like salmon without possible contamination with mercury.
• There is an environmental benefit: There is no need to over use antibiotics and veterinary medicines because of poor farming conditions.
• The animals are much happier and healthier.

I get my grass-fed beef locally ( My father in law raises grass-fed cattle!). We are lucky indeed. But there are three other farmers in the area that also grow grass-fed beef. This past week I also discovered and tasted grass-fed local bison! It was so delicious.

To find local beef growers you can use google! A lot of farmers have simple websites with their contact information. Google your local area and just add “grass-fed beef” into the search box. In this post I also discuss how to find local farmers and get good quality food.

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There are many products on the market that promote weight and fat loss. From diet books, diet pills, diet food, diet products and gizmos… We are buying them up and have turned this into a multi-billion dollar market. This industry never existed 70-80 years ago.  And there was no obesity health crisis like there is today.

We look back at what has changed:

• We are more stressed
• We sleep less
• There are more fast food restaurants
• More packaged and processed foods
• Cars
• Computers and Televisions
• More chemicals and pollution
• We drink less water and more sugary drinks
• We see less sun (and vitamin D)
• Pasteurization of milk and egg products
• Pushing of a low fat, high carb diets
• Factory Farming (and animals being sick and fed an unnatural diet)
• We eat much more sugar
• Our grains are refined and then refortified with vitamins!
• Toxic drugs that wreak havoc on our bodies.

In the news this week President Obama made it illegal to put downer cows into the food system. How horrible that such a thing even exists.

So is it any wonder why we are so much sicker and fatter?

Did you know that corn fed beef can make you fatter but grass fed beef contains CLA which has been shown in studies to make you thinner? You can buy CLA in a pill form but that really does not solve the problem that corn is not the healthy food for a cow (or for you). Not only that but grass fed beef contains omega 3 EFA’s and that is the same kind of omega 3 EFA’s found in fish and considered a brain food. We don’t need to be raping our oceans to get the health benefits of these essential fatty acids. We need to raise our animals they way were meant to be raised.

We are living longer but definitely not healthier. Our quality of life has certainly plunged.

If we reverse the above list our health would get better and our weight will drop. The focus should not be fat loss but health gains! Environmental health, animal health and our health are all related.

The first step is gaining knowledge. With the right knowledge good decisions can be made.

To your health and wellness,

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