Health Benefits

Healthy Meat


NUTRITION FACTS FOR GRASS-FED BEEF

Omega 3 to Omega 6

When it comes to our Home-Grown, All-Natural, Grass-Fed Beef, it’s not a matter of eating less meat because it’s not very good for us. Our Grass-Fed Beef is healthy food, and it is good for us to eat because it is packed with important vitamins and antioxidants.

Current research shows that an increase in the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids in the human diet reduces the incidences of coronary heart diseases and some cancers.

Studies at Hillsborough Research Institute showed that cattle that are Grass-Fed and finished on natural pasture grasses had a ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 series fatty acids four times greater than cattle from commercial feedlots.

Vitamins A and E
The meat from grass finished animals is richer in beta - carotene (vitamin A), a vitamin linked with a lower risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Beta-carotene is naturally yellow and gives the fat of grass-finished animals a creamy yellow color. The fat of grass-finished beef tastes delicious and actually contains many of its healthiest nutrients.

In addition to being richer in beta-carotene, the meat from grass finished animals is also higher in vitamin E. It is up to four times higher in vitamin E than meat from feedlot animals. Also, it is nearly twice as high in vitamin E as the meat from the feedlot animals that are given vitamin E supplements. Most American diets lack sufficient amounts of vitamin E. In humans, vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

Low Carbohydrates
Cattle by design are ruminant animals, which means they have multi-compartmental stomachs intended to convert low quality plant protein into high quality feed. Ruminants have difficulty digesting cereal grain (corn, oats, etc.) because they lack a critical enzyme needed to metabolize starch. The simple act of feeding grain to cattle loads their bodies with fat and calories, robbing the meat of much of its nutritional value.

The meat from animals that have spent 150 days in a feedlot (a normal amount) where they are fed primarily grain has six times more fat than grass-finished meat, with a third of that being saturated fat. A six ounce steak from a grass-finished steer has 100 fewer calories than a six ounce steak from a grain-finished steer. By comparison, a grass-finished steer has nearly the same fat content as skinless chicken breast.

No Added Hormones / Antibiotics
The wholesale use of synthetic hormones in commercially raised cattle has been a common practice in this county for decades. In simple terms, hormone implants are used to increase the size and weight of the animal. In the commercial cattle industry weight equates into dollars, which in turn translates into higher profitability for the producer. There are volumes of studies that cite both the pros and the cons on the practice of implanting livestock with growth hormones. From a common sense standpoint, one should ask himself the following question:  “Would you allow your children or yourself to take synthetic growth hormones at any level?”  Probably not, so why would anyone want to consume meat from livestock that has been implanted or injected with growth hormones.

Antibiotics inhibit bacteria and are commonly fed in low levels to livestock to increase growth and fight infections associated with confinement in feedlots.

Cattle that spend their lives on clean, open range rarely if ever have a need for antibiotics.  And if we need to doctor an animal with antibiotics they will be culled from the herd and never wear the label of Family Friendly Farms. It only makes sense that if given the choice a person would choose a product free of synthetic hormones and antibiotics.  With Grass-Fed Beef from Family Friendly Farms, you are safe from hormone implants and antibiotics.

The Story about CLA
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is found in animal fat. Research is currently being conducted on this little understood nutrient. This research is already indicating that CLA consumption has the potential to reduce the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and a number of other immune disorders. CLA converts body fat to lean muscle without the need for exercise. It blocks an enzyme called “lipoprotein lipase” that moves fat from the blood into storage in the body’s fat cells.

It also enhances the action of another enzyme called “hormone sensitive lipase” that breaks down fat that is already deposited in the cells, liberating the fat to be used as fuel for nearby muscle cells. The net result is less fat, more fuel. Tests on grass-finished beef show that it has three to five times more CLA than commercial grain-finished meat.