Adams: Grass-fed vs. grain-fed meats? They do differ

The Daily News Journal (Tennessee)
By SARAH ADAMS
DNJ Columnist
October 10, 2007

You will not find me using this column to knock a good steak.

No, Sir. I also think a cheeseburger is one of the blessings of life. Beef stew, roast, ribs, filet — I love them all. Even better, I think I'm doing my body some good when I eat them. But only if they're the healthy kind: grass-fed.

That's a big "but." A big "but" is sometimes necessary and good. No one could dispute the fact that a big "but" can make an impact, as in the hind end of the previous paragraph. This big "but" makes all the difference.

Red meat is either healthy or harmful, depending chiefly on how the cow or sheep was treated and fed.

That's a very black-and-white statement, but is it really so hard to believe? Say you are considering buying meat from two different farmers. You frequently witness Farmer Rick's healthy stock peacefully chewing cud on a sunny hillside, while Farmer Nick's cows are packed into a muddy lot with grass visible only on the other side of the fence. From which farm would you prefer to buy meat for your family's Sunday dinner?

Moo food: grass vs. grain

The cows in the feed lot are fed mostly grain, which is not the food nature prescribed for them. Because of the digestive challenges that a grain diet causes and because of the crowded, stressful conditions in a feed lot, these cows require more antibiotics. The grain that the cows eat, unless it is organic, is going to be treated with pesticides, which have a very good chance of making their way to your table in the meat you eat.

Grass-fed cows have spent most of their lives in pasture. The meat from these cows not only has less fat and fewer toxins, but it may even offer higher levels of goodies like omega-3 fats, CLA (a cancer-fighting fat), and vitamins.

So, if grass makes a healthier cow and healthier meat, why isn't it every farmer's choice for their livestock? Because grain gets those cows fat fast. A little grain is fine and mimics a grazer's fall diet, which includes seeds, but too much grain moves away from the natural way of things.

Where's the grass-fed beef?

Most larger health food stores sell grass-fed meat, but expect to pay a lot. I mean a whole lot. However, you might want to buy a little this way to see if you like the flavor — some say it's a bit different than conventional meat.

The most economical way to buy grass-fed meat is to buy a quarter or half cow directly from the farmer, and then have it prepared by a meat processing company. I recently bought a half cow, which yielded about 75 lbs. of meat at $5 per lb. That's a lot of money at one shot, but it will provide steaks, burgers, roasts, and summer sausage for many months.

Lamb is another option and, quite fortunately, is usually grass-fed, even in your regular, old grocery store (according to the informational cookbook "Nourishing Traditions"). That's good news, but I'd still want to double-check the source.

Another consideration is deer meat, which may be the healthiest of all, since a deer's food and environment is completely wild. If you are not a hunter, you may know one who could get a deer for you — you'd be paying only for the meat processing, which costs about $50-$100 for the whole deer. That's a very good deal for high-quality food.

For the good of all livestock, let them eat grass.

Sarah Adams of Murfreesboro is a CPA and freelance food writer with a love for natural foods. E-mail her at write2sa@yahoo.com.