When you see the words 'grass fed' typed in bold lettering on a package of red meat, you may conjure up images of 'happy cows' lazily lounging in a wide-open pasture, grazing on pesticide-free grass and living their lives like livestock royalty. Grass-fed beef has been marketed to the general population in the time of cancer studies, PETA videos and global warming as not only better for the cows, but better for you, your family and the environment. So, is it really?

 

GRASS-FED FOR YOU.
First things first, grass-fed beef is 100% a healthier option than grain-fed cows in your diet. According to a study at California State University's College of Agriculture, grass-fed beef nutrition includes significantly more omega-3 fatty acids and more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef, one of the best protein foods around, is also higher in precursors for vitamin A and E and cancer-fighting antioxidants compared to grain-fed beef. If you haven't heard of CLA yet, it's a powerful polyunsaturated fatty acid we must obtain from our diets that's been shown to help fight cancer, discourage weight gain and build muscle, and high-quality grass-fed beef and butter from healthy, grass-fed cows or other animals are the top sources of CLA. Grass-fed beef is also antibiotic and hormone free, making it less likely to contain "superbugs"-bacteria that have become resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. This makes beef from grass-fed cows WAY less likely to make us sick and superior from a food safety perspective as well.

 

GRASS-FED FOR THE WORLD.
According to the Environmental Working Group, well-managed grazing and grass-fed operations are also better for the environment. They use fewer energy-intensive inputs and, by regularly moving animals to fresh pasture and keeping them away from streambeds, they spread the manure more evenly and improve the quality and quantity of forage growth. This helps to conserve soil, reduce erosion and water pollution, increase carbon sequestration and preserve biodiversity and wildlife. In turn, organic feed production and grazing practices are also better for the environment. They reduce fertilizer and pesticide runoff into waterways, and the use of compost, cover-cropping and rotational grazing helps build healthy, productive and water-conserving soils. Organic methods also enhance pest and weed resistance without the use of chemicals and ultimately foster greater resiliency in the face of extreme weather and climate change.

GRASS-FED FOR THE ANIMAL.
And if you're worried about that cow, grass-fed cattle lead much more humane lives. The animals themselves are not forced to live in confinement. The cruelties of modern factory farming can be so severe that you don't have to be a vegetarian or an animal rights activist to find the conditions to be intolerable, and a violation of the human-animal bond. Pastured livestock are not forced to endure the miseries of factory farming. They are not cooped up in cages barely larger than their own bodies, or packed together like sardines for months on end. In conclusion, there's many reasons to make the switch to paleo-promoted, grass-fed red meat. As a company that uses only the highest-quality ingredients available for our products, you can understand why we choose to only use grass-fed beef in our protein powders and bone broth collagen.

Have more questions? Feel free to drop them in a comment below!