Yet another reason to buy grass fed

(Derek I. Batting) #41

I’d like to see some hard science on that one. If you do happen to find your source, please post it. Thanks. :slight_smile:

(Marc) #42

My understanding is that Omega-3 is anti-inflammatory and Omega-6 is inflammatory

Here are some sources as to the beef:
(therefore the inflammatory Omega 6 is 16 time out of balance in the grain fed and the real problem)
https://chriskresser.com/why-grass-fed-trumps-grain-fed/

Specifically, it has significantly more anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats and significantly fewer inflammatory Omega-6 fats.

The British 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.

http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm

(Marc) #43

One more:

“The shift from omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids is significant because research has shown that omega-6 fatty acids promote a proinflammatory state in the human body, says Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, author of The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet. Inflammation has been implicated as a contributor to many chronic diseases.7-9 Tribole says eating foods with higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids interferes with the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.”

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/1115p26.shtml

#44

Direct link to one of the studies from the Kresser article:

(Derek I. Batting) #45

Now we’re talking. Thank you. :slight_smile:

(Marc) #46

I think (and this is just my own opinion) once you lower your carbs, you want to lower your omega 6. This to me is the next step in weight reduction. This is why I buy pastured pork, grass-fed beef, eggs from a farm, etc. when I can. This is also why I avoid those factory oils.

(Justin Blow) #47

The whole “grass fed contains so much more better ratios of omega fats” is technically true. However in 3.5oz of beef you are talking an increase from .02g vs .05g for omega 3 and a decrease of .13g vs .06g for omega 6… for me the price difference just doesn’t seem to warrant the difference in price when considering store bought meat, that you really don’t know how it was raised. Not for 3 100ths of a gram.
If the same price personally I’m still going by the marbling, delicious delicious marbling.

(Marc) #48

While it may not matter to you which type of beef you eat, I prefer eating grass-fed beef. As I said, if you don’t know or can’t tell whether your beef is grass-fed, then know your farmer. Notwithstanding the benefit of higher Omega-3 beef, are are some other benefits from the Kresser article:
While I’m not particularly concerned about saturated fat of any kind, it’s worth noting the differences in SFA composition of grain-fed vs. grass-fed meat. There are three main types of saturated fat found in red meat: stearic acid, palmitic acid, and myristic acid. (4) Grass-fed beef consistently contains a higher proportion of stearic acid, which even the mainstream scientific community acknowledges does not raise blood cholesterol levels. (5) This higher proportion of stearic acid means that grass-fed beef also contains lower proportions of palmitic and myristic acid, which are more likely to raise cholesterol.

“Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a type of PUFA that is found naturally in milk and meat products, primarily from ruminants such as cows or sheep. As I’ve explained before, CLA exhibits potent antioxidant activity, and research indicates that CLA might be protective against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Beef is one of the best dietary sources of CLA, and grass-fed beef contains an average of 2 to 3 times more CLA than grain-fed beef. (6)This is because grain-based diets reduce the pH of the digestive system in ruminant animals, which inhibits the growth of the bacterium that produces CLA. It’s interesting to note that as a whole, Americans consume far less CLA than people from countries such as Australia, where grass-fed beef tends to be the rule rather than the exception.
Another reason grass-fed meat surpasses grain-fed is that it contains considerably more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, are precursors to vitamin A that are found as pigments in plants. Grain-fed beef does not contain appreciable levels of carotenoids, for the simple reason that grains don’t contain them. However, cows that eat carotenoid-rich grass and forage incorporate significant amounts of these compounds into their tissues. These carotenoids make the fat from grass-fed beef more yellow than the fat from grain-fed beef, so fat color can be a good indicator of how nutrient-rich your meat is. (7)
Grass-fed beef also contains significantly more of the antioxidants vitamin E, glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase than grain-fed beef. (8) These antioxidants play an important role in protecting our cells from oxidation, especially delicate fats in the cell membrane such as omega-3 and omega-6. (9)
Antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta-carotene also work together synergistically to protect the meat itself from damage during the journey from butcher to plate. (10) These antioxidants are especially important if you choose to fry or grill your meat, because those high-heat cooking methods can be more damaging to meat than wet or low-heat methods such as stewing or braising.
Grass-fed beef also contains higher levels of the beneficial nutrients I discussed in my last red meat post, including zinc, iron, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. (11) It’s safe to say that grass-fed meat gives you more bang for your buck on all fronts, with its significantly higher levels of omega-3s, antioxidants, minerals, and other important nutrients.”

(Justin Blow) #49

What’s exactly is significantly more though? Some hundredth of a gram? Or a value that actually can make a difference? 300% of .01g of anything is still hardly quantifiable in a diet with the exception of cyanide.

(Guardian of the bacon) #50

I think this is a very insignificant cause. When you think about it, cows are big strong animals. How muscle stressing can it really be to walk from pasture to pasture. I believe the primary reason grass fed tends to be tougher than grain fed is 2 fold. #1 it is much harder to get the intra muscle marbling via grass feeding because as we all know…Grain is fattening. The intra muscle marbling melting during the cooking process is what makes meat tender and juicy. #2 is that it takes longer to finish an animal on grass so they are older when harvested.

I have a side of locally grown grass fed beef in my freezer. The first grass fed beef I have ever had. It does have a slightly different flavor than the locally grown grain fed I am accustomed to. Using my new Sous VIde machine makes this meat every bit as juicy and tender as the grain fed I am used to.

(Paul Jaeger ) #51

Grass fed it just typically leaner because it skips the whole feed lot deal. So it becomes quite important in how you prepare it. If you like your meat any more than medium, I suggest you get used to some extra chewing or use ground meat with a healthy amount of fat cut back in like a 70/30. You see the same kind of thing if you were to compare say Grass Fed Beef with Venison. Cows don’t really go hopping over fences and such, and that is evident in the muscle fiber. Developing an appreciation of less cooked meat is a good thing as it also preserves some of the more delicate nutrients, not to mention that you get a much better sense of flavor. If you can’t get over having a bit of pink, you should have a look at long term smoking/slow roasting or even sous vide style preparation that will eventually break down the toughness. I’m one of the guys that came to the conclusion early on that the only way to be sure is to grow it yourself. Been doing it for about 4 years, and can’t even stand what restaurants call meat anymore.

(Guardian of the bacon) #52

Yes, or her

(John) #53

That’s why I rarely eat it, not sure if it is even possible to get a Prime steak from grass fed.

(Guardian of the bacon) #54

I assure you, raised and finished properly, cooked properly it’s very possible.

(Guardian of the bacon) #55

What toxifies the fat?

#56

ive not had problems achieving juicy, tender grass fed beef when cooking. Dry beef is not the fault of the grass fed animal, but the fault of the cook.

A recommendation I give to people who want to learn how to cook properly (right temperature, timing, etc) is get rid of your stick-free coated pans. Cook on metal, stainless steel pans. If the food sticks, you did something wrong in your temperature or timing. I don’t own any Teflon or whatever coated pan, and forced myself how to achieve a stick free steak, egg, fish, etc. The food comes out spectacular.

(Guardian of the bacon) #57

Do you offer lessons? I can fry an over easy egg in my cast iron fry pan. I can’t seem to cook stick free in our stainless pans.

#58

Hmmm…maybe I should photo document egg techniques in the recipes section.

I don’t do cooking lessons…well, not intentionally at least. When I have friends over for dinner, it’s always a fun, hands on interactive party in the kitchen :grinning:

To help you with the stainless steel pan and egg thing…try this next time. Add a few tablespoons of fat to the pan (like lard). Need a nice coating of fat on the bottom. If fat is hot, let it cool down to warm (you should be able to dip your finger in the fat without burning. Add egg. Turn on heat at a low setting. Have patience, the egg starts to cook…and while it does that, jiggle the pan and make sure egg can slide around a bit…if it sticks, dislodge with spatula and jiggle it to make it slide around. If you want egg fully cooked through (put lid on pan), or else for runny yolk wait until egg is cooked to your liking, and slide it out of the pan and on to your plate.

(Julie Anderson) #59

I’m lucky in that I live in a place where I can go out to the farm or ranch and SEE what they are doing. I have an open dialog with the folks that raise my meat, poultry, eggs and whatever veggies we don’t grow ourselves.

Julie

(Arlene) #60

And this comment was made by an animal science professor. This is someone teaching others. :confounded: