No! Grass fed is NOT a keto rule

(Nick) #44

Grassfed beef has marginally more omega 3 to balance the omega 6. But the most exquisitely pasture-reared pork, or organic chicken, has an order of magnitude (or more!) omega 6 in it than the most CAFO nightmare of beef.

In other words, don’t sweat it. Paleo sentimentality has clouded the more important nutritive issues here.

I tend to opt for grassfed meat primarily because of animal compassion concerns - as with people, pumping them full of grains is nasty for their well-being. Also, most British beef is largely grassfed, so it’s not difficult; however, if you had to choose between US “Walmart beef” and “Wholefoods organic chicken”, then, for nutrition profile, you’d probably do better opting for more of the beef. Even the Walmart beef.

#45

Well, this is timely, FYI:

In today’s Aldi ad in my newspaper, they’re advertising $9.99 grassfed ribeye starting July 26. That’s a darn good price for grassfed ribeye. And, we just got a chest freezer this weekend. :grinning:

(Tironi) #46

What I would like to know is, will the keto effect be the same on factory farmed meat? or will it be weaker or not work at all.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #47

There are plenty of people on this forum succeeding with keto who don’t buy grass-fed meat. As noted above, grass-fed arguably has benefits. But a great deal of the benefit of getting into and staying in ketosis can be had just by replacing the carbs in the standard American diet with fat. If you’re eating fatty meats, that’s better than eating donuts, regardless of where/how the meat is raised.

Should not have any significant impact on the ability to get into and/or maintain ketosis. It may, at the margins, make a difference in terms of ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, which may in turn affect inflammation.

(Tironi) #48

Thanks Andrew, helped a lot. I was starting to overthink my foods, guess ill eat what I am eating now and it will be ok.

(Nick) #49

Watch Peter Ballerstedt’s talks on this. The differences in omega 6 Vs omega 3 in grass Vs grain are irrelevant, because there’s so little of either in red meat. You’re worrying about the composition of a single drop in an ocean. If you’re worried about omega6, then make sure you don’t ever eat chicken or pork which, by their nature, even when organic and pastured, have an order of magnitude more omega6 than the most intensively-reared factory farmed beef.

(Kathryn Lambkin) #50

I hope that box or jar is ok for oily fish that I find are typically sold this way, at least where I live, eg. smoked salmon in a vacuum sealed pack, anchovies in oil, mackeral in a can, various fish in a can. Although I’ll admit, some I’m not finding that nice. Nor economical.

Can you explain the benefits of buying fresh? Maybe they have more nutrients? I do worry about farmed fish, or fish caught wild in contaminated waters off Asia, where our cheap frozen fish comes from. I guess this is a good reminder that I need to go to the fisherman’s co-op in the mornings.

(Guardian of the bacon) #51

I think k there is great benefit in buying fresh meat or produce from a local grower. You can talk to him/her, see how they care for there farm. Find out what feed ingredients or fertilizers they use. Just my humble opinion but I think the more we know about how/where our food is grown the better.

#52

I signed up for a ButcherBox last week so I’m awaiting my first shipment. It’s an interesting concept: get grassfed beef shipped to your doorstep every month. Price seems ok too but we’ll see. I feel great without dairy and artificial sweeteners so I’m going to take it a step further and try grassfed beef. Good eggs and good chicken are easy, beef is harder to find and more costly. After I incorporate the grassfed beef the next one will be either organic produce and/or eating far less veggies in general. The concept of veggies not being good for you is still something I resist some but at the same time certain ones seem to be very taxing on my system. But that’s another topic.

(Kathryn Lambkin) #53

I agree. It seems like a bit of stuffing around. Maybe I’m being lazy, but can’t they stick a label on it and put it all together with prices on it where I can see what I’m getting?
My local farmers’ markets are on today, starting now actually (8am). It’s 1km walk from my house. I don’t really like the crowds. Or carrying my heavy haul back. Or having no idea if the item I’m looking at is going to cost me $5 or $40. I guess I’ll get an idea for the market prices if I do it regularly. And I have to remember not to buy so much food, my eyes are much bigger than my tummy whilst adjusting to keto (it’s only been a week, my appetite is quiet suppressed). Wish me luck!

#54

I have been Keto for 4 months. Almost 35 pounds lighter. And all lost on Food Stamps only. That is 6 dollars a day! Not much grass fed in my world. Basically an omelette of some type for breakfast, no lunch and a meat/protein dish with green vegetable(s) for supper. Oh yea…and 5 coffees a day with stevia and light cream, I think avoiding the scale is a good idea(I couldnt afford one). I am now just under 200 pounds - but, my size 36 jeans are getting loose! Before Keto, at about 180…these same jeans did not fit! Loving the redistribution of health!

Keto as a Social Justice Issue
(Ken) #55

Coming from a family where half of it has farmed and raised beef cattle and hogs, I’m not sure people actually understand how these animals are raised. The meat industry is fairly regulated, to insure safe and healthy products reach the market. Hormonal use is there, but it is in fairly low amounts, and is curtailed long before animals are processed for food. The term “Factory Farm” is not only misused, but is now used by so called “Natural” producers as a way to demonize their competition and rationalize their absurdly high prices. Prices completely out of whack as to the degree of actual health benefits. Most if not all beef cattle are grass fed for a significant part of their lives. It is only when they are coming near to marketing that they are placed in the Feed Lot. They are then finished on a grain based diet primarily for them to gain more fat. It used to be normal for it to take two years to bring a steer to market. Now, with all the anti fat nonsense, cattle are usually finished in around 18 months. This is why, along with current meat cutting practices, it is hard to buy fatty cuts anymore.

The grass fed concept, catering to the so called Health and Natural food industry is mostly nonsense. If you’ll notice, it was only after decades of red meat demonization that some gurus grudgingly admitted that meat was healthy, but always with the caveat that it was grass fed and organic.

Claptrap and mumbo-jumbo as always.

(Keto Travels) #56

Yeah, working on convincing lovely
people who try to feed me “good things” of that one - though going so far! KCKO :wink:

#57

I can’t afford to buy the most expensive, grass fed / organic whatever, I think I’ll still have success working within my budget though. If others can do it, so can I. :smile:

(Keto Travels) #58

Killing it on keto, and killing an excuse that I have heard at least daily so far - kudos and I will definitely bring up your example the next time I hear that nonsense! :+1::+1::+1:

#59

So jealous of you who can buy Kerrygold butter (sob) … can’t find it here in Canada. I miss European butters … and British double creams … higher milk fats taste better!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #60

Wow! I’d have expected Kerrygold to be more available in Canada than here.

Enlighten the curious, if you will: what is the difference between double cream and what we in the States call whipping cream, or heavy cream. Is it simply the milk fat content, or something else?

Now the thing I miss most from the year I spent in London in my youth is Devon clotted cream. . . .

#61

Hi, in a Canadian keto-er. If you are looking for grass fed butter and other dairy, Rolling Meadow is Canadian and grass fed. My local Loblaws has it.

If you are in the Toronto area and want a real treat, Arz is a local Lebanese sure and make their own clotted cream called ashta. Very close to Devon clotted cream.

#62

I did see the NZ Kiwi brand (distributed by Rolling Meadow but manufactured in NZ) at Your Independent Grocer, but it was $14 per 250g :open_mouth: I’m going to try to get hold of Stirling Creamery’s (geographically local to me) Churn 84, which is made with higher butterfat cream and see how that is.

(Vicki Stroud) #63

I raise my own beef, they eat grass (good quality hay during the winter as grass is not available during the winter in Maine) and good quality grain. I would and will eat grain fed beef over grass fed any day. In fact I would put one of my home raised chuck steaks over a grass fed rib eye any day. I always ask people who I know that raise grass fed animals why they charge more money for their animals that are raised “grass fed”, because a grain fed animal costs more to raise than 100% grass or hay fed one. Buy what you can afford.

The same nonsense goes to the whole “Angus Beef” angle, pure marketing genius. A pure Angus beef critter is pure red or black depending on if it is Red Angus, or Black Angus. Angus beef animals are now allowed a certain percentage of white on them and are still allowed to be considered a full Angus. The way you get white on an Angus is by cross breeding. Very brilliant marketing by someone who wants to charge more money because they call it an Angus, no different than a Hereford or any other beef breed out there. BUT everyone falls for it. Same goes for “Grass Fed”, it is just a way to charge more money for something that actually costs less to raise.