Benefits of Grass Fed Beef

There are many benefits to grass fed beef. It does have its own drawbacks: it can be difficult to find in many supermarkets and when it is available, it's usually more expensive than regular beef. Even so, for a growing number of people the advantages of eating beef raised in a more natural manner far outweigh the disadvantages. It's better for the animals themselves. After all, roaming about and eating grass is what cows are supposed to do in the natural order of things. It wasn't until after World War II that cattle raising shifted to the feedlot model, where huge numbers of animals are kept together and fattened on high starch grains like corn and soy. Because they don't live in such close quarters grass fed cattle usually don't receive as many antibiotic or hormone treatments, making grass fed beef an attractive option for fans of organic food options. It's also better for the consumer's health. When the USDA started grading beef in the 1920s the main criteria for a good grade was fat content but today's food scientists know far more about nutrition and different types of fats than ever before. "?It's no longer strictly about quantity. When a doctor advises an overweight patient to cut back on red meat he's not warning against the meat itself, merely the fact that today's grain-fed red meat usually has more of the dreaded "bad fat" than white meats like poultry or fish. Grass fed beef has lower levels of saturated fat, total fat and calories yet it provides larger amounts of vitamins and healthy fats. Compared to standard beef it has high levels of vitamins C and E as well as two to four times as much Omega 3 fatty acid and CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid. It just plain tastes better, at least to most people. BBQ chefs and steak fans often shop with the "fat = flavor" motto in mind but it's just not true. Wild game meat like venison has far less marbled fat than beef but is still very flavorful. Too flavorful for some tastes, in fact. Fat by itself doesn't have much innate flavor; it just absorbs seasonings well and gives a richer mouthfeel. Now retire the tangy steak sauce and all of those high sodium marinades, because you don't need them anymore. Grass fed beef always has a rich natural flavor due to the variety of the animal's natural diet.