What does "grass-fed beef" really mean?

(KetoQ) #1

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-hlth-grass-fed-beef-20181219-story.html

(Bob M) #2

Grass fed beef, if done properly, is better for the environment. There was an effort to standardize what was meant by the terms “grass fed”, “grass finished”, etc., but the industry resisted it, so these are not standardized. Supposedly, all cows are initially grass-fed, but it depends on how they are “finished”, using grains or grass.

(Janelle) #3

This is like saying cage free chickens are fine and dandy too. I’ve heard horror stories. And here I am, eating keto…

(Brennan) #4

The idea I had of why grass fed is better has nothing to do with pasture raised, not really. The way I understand it is that the phytotoxins from the grains are fat soluble so stay in the fat of traditional grain fed animals. So if you’re doing fatty cuts of meat you want grass fed. If you’re doing lean cuts or trimming the fat (:astonished:) there’s no point to paying the extra money for grass fed. I had not really considered the animals quality of life or environmental impact sides of the equation.
Thanks for posting the article.

(Steve) #5

Hmm. I was under the impression that grass fed is higher in Omega 3’s vs grain fed being higher in Omega 6’s (so more inflammatory).

Also “Free Run” vs “Free Range” eggs is a scam (the former that is) - all they have to do to meet the “Free Run” standard is tack a coop on the side of the chicken barn. They don’t even have to allow the chickens out…just say that the chickens had the option of being able to get outside. (at least in Canada…have a family member in the poultry business) :slight_smile:

Of course, I don’t bring up the grain fed beef thing around my Mom’s side of the family…that’s their livelihood. It’s going to be a lot harder for Canadian farmers (with our winters) raising their cattle entirely grass fed.

Whether it’s fresh grass or hay really shouldn’t make any difference…but you don’t want your cattle or pigs consuming corn.

(Brian) #6

“Grass fed” can potentially mean that a cow lives in a small, crowded, concrete and steel feed lot and eat the grass that gets shipped in to it from the cheapest supplier. “Grass fed” doesn’t say whether the grass was fresh and green when the cow ate it or whether it was a cake off a hay bale.

I’ve seen some atrocious feed lots full of cattle that I can’t imagine could possibly be healthy. I’ve seen some cattle live on lush pastures for much of the year that would make some pretty pictures. Interestingly, I know some farmers around here that have some really nice pastures for their cows that never bother with the “grass fed” label even though I’m sure they’d absolutely be entitled to use it.

(Steve) #7

I have a great solution. Everyone else stop raising beef. We should just get the Aussies to ship all of us Wagyu from now on. :smiley:
They’re lucky though - with no real winters, their farmers never had any incentive to go down the corn-fed path.

Hopefully we start getting some real standards out of our government agriculture regulators here in North America so we can start trusting what we’re consuming.

(Brian) #8

I kinda think that if enough of us will vote with our wallet and buy the kinds of products we say we want, the market will come to us. It’s hard for some to know for sure with the “nice” words on a package. But there really are other options out there for many of us if we’ll seek them out.

#9

The 2 dudes did a entire Podcast about this go research 2ketodudes in a podcast app download.

(Robert C) #10

“grass fed beef” doesn’t really mean anything.

A cow that ever ate grass has been grass fed. You can take that cow, spend the last year of it’s life fattening it on grains in horrible conditions (routinely pumping it with growth hormones and antibiotics for larger growth and a lower death-rate) and give it to a butcher or supermarket - they can put a generic “grass fed” sign on it.

It all comes down to reputation. When you buy (not here of course) a $30 per pound box of candy, you would expect real milk, high end cocoa, great taste etc.

Same goes for beef reputation - “grass fed” is just one of the contributing factors, as is “grass finished”, no antibiotics used (sick cows are separated), no growth hormone used etc.

You can taste good chocolate from bad - for cows, you need to test the fatty acid profile, test for antibiotics and growth hormone.

(Terence Dean) #11

Grass fed beef comes from New Zealand and Tasmania usually. :wink:

The cows eat real grass there, its that green stuff that grows on the side of hills. :rofl: :new_zealand:

cowslide
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image source: https://dearbornmarket.com/silver-fern-grass-fed-beef/

(Mary McNeight) #12

Or you go drive around your local countryside and see who has their cattle out to pasture and ask if you can buy a side of beef from one of their cattle when they go to slaughter.