10 Reasons Why You Should Eat Grass-fed Beef

At Circle C Farm we pride ourselves on what we do and how our animals are fed, cared for, and harvested. What we produce and sell is top-notch and the best meats you will ever find in the entire state of Florida and dare I say across the country. For those reasons alone we think you should eat our grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture raised meats.

We are asked quite often though, “why should I eat grass-fed meats, what makes your pasture raised meats different from the meats I can buy down the street at a supermarket”? Well, I am glad you asked. Of course I can give you all of the typical “farm” responses, well the way we care for our animals is healthier, the fact they are not factory raised, they are free range and have acres and acres to roam, range and graze on,,,,etc. This time I wanted to do my homework and give you the actual data so I looked up some awesome reports by the USDA, top ten universities, U.S. journals and British journals.

Grass-fed Is Better!

Grass-fed beef is healthier for human consumption than grain-fed according to the USDA and here are the top ten reasons.

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease

Grass-fed Beef and Breast Cancer.

Cattle that is raised naturally on real pasture grazing diets as opposed to feedlot/factory raised are higher in omega-3’s. One of the strongest omega-3 in grass-fed meats is called “alpha-linolenic-acid” or ALA. The British Journal of Cancer, 1994. Volume 70 pages 330-4 reported that a study done of breast cancer survivors revealed that the women with the most ALA in their tissues-and therefore the most ALA in their diets were-on fourth as likely to have their cancers return as women with the least amount.

Improving Fat Levels.

Eating moderate amounts of grass-fed meats for only 4 weeks in a row will give you healthier levels of essential fats. According to a 2011 study in the British Journal of Nutrition, research showed that healthy volunteers who ate grass-fed meat increased their blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and decreased their level of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. These changes are linked with a lower risk of a host of disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, and inflammatory disease. Volunteers who consumed conventional, grain-fed meat ended up with lower levels of omega-3s and higher levels of omega-6s than they had at the beginning of the study, suggesting that eating conventional meat had been detrimental to their health.

According to some reports that I have read only about 35-40% of Americans consume enough of a supply of omega-3’s. About 20% or less have blood levels so low that they cannot even be detected.

The Bonus.

CLA or “conjugated linoleic acid” is one of the most potent defenses against cancer. Guess what, Grass-fed meats are known to be the richest in CLA. In a study completed by Utah State University, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60% lower risk of breast cancer. Switching from grain-fed to grass-fed meat places women in the lowest risk category. This same study shows that eating one serving of grass-fed meat per day lowers the risk of cancer. You would have to eat 5 times the amount of grain-fed meat to get the same level of protection.

Vitamin E.

In addition to being higher in Omega-3’s and CLA, grass-fed meats are also higher in Vitamin E. Cattle that are pasture raised and have a natural, plentiful, and healthy grass to graze on will produce a meat that has 4 times the amount of vitamin E than those of a factory grown, feed-lot, and grain-fed cattle. This has also been proven with feed-lotted animals that are given vitamin E supplements. For us humans the benefit of Vitamin E is that if lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer. Vitamin E is also an potent antioxidant and may have anti-aging properties.

So, there you have it. Grass-fed meats are not just the latest fad, this is not the new “organic vs non-organic” argument. There are studies and science to back up why we believe so much in Grass-fed / Grass-finished & Pasture Raised Farming, this is why we do what we do at www.circlecfarmfl.com . This is why we are committed to providing our customers with the cleanest, best, and humanely harvested meats.