Why Local? Why Grass Fed?

Before explaining to you why you should eat local grass fed beef, lets take a look at how cows are designed to digest food.

Did you know cows are ruminants? This means that they have stomachs with four components. They are designed to eat plant matter that will ultimately go through bacterial action, fermentation, and the regurgitation and re-chewing of what is called cud. They have the ability to extract the nutrition from grasses in a way that we cannot. Cows were built to eat grass. Grass fed cows are much happier and healthier, therefore making their meat healthier for us to eat as well.

Grain fed cows are often under extreme stress because of a lot of the time they are suffering from many health problems such as acidosis, liver abscesses, bloat, feedlot polio, and dust pneumonia. This is because their bodies were not designed to eat the food the commercialized/industrialized farms are feeding them, nor are they designed to live in the kind of environment that they are placed in.

So Why is Eating Local Grass Fed Beef Better For Us?

You can see the big difference already in the types of conditions grass fed cows and grain fed cows are placed in. The grass fed cows are in nature grazing on grass the way nature intended, but here are some of the not so obvious reasons to choose grass fed beef over grain fed beef.

Support Your Local Farmers!

• Local businesses are more accountable to their local communities.
• By shopping local, you are aiding in the employment of other locals.
• In addition, this helps build the local economy
• Better customer service.
• More personalized service.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Grass fed beef has higher omega 3 content! Omega 3 fatty acids are formed in green leaves and grass. If a cow is fed corn and soy, even if it was initially fed grass, the omega 3 content declines. Look for grass fed beef to maximize your healthy fats. Omega 3 has many health benefits!

Healthy Happy Animals

Grass fed cattle lead natural, happy lives, free of diseases that grain fed cows face. This extends to you too when you eat grass fed beef because your risk of contracting food borne illnesses such as E.Coli, is significantly lower when consuming grass fed beef over grain fed.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

The level of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) can be 2-3 times higher in grass fed cows than those consuming grains. What is so special about this fat? CLA has been shown to inhibit the development of cancer, prevent atherosclerosis, and diabetes. It also aids in weight management.

Rich in Antioxidants

Grass fed beef contains more precursors to cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase, than grain fed cows.

Beta-carotene

Grass fed beef contains six to seven times the amount of beta-carotene than its grain fed contemporaries. As a precursor to vitamin A, it enhances the immune system, promotes eye, lung and bone heath, reproduction, cell division, and differentiation. Beef is also an excellent source of B12, zinc, selenium, and heme iron (the most bio-available form), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin).

So that’s just a few of the benefits to eating local grass fed beef.