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Benefits of Organic Beef
Many consumers are
beginning to return to organic and grass-fed beef for taste, health and
ecological reasons. The grass gives
it a sweeter-tasting fat with a more intense, truer beef flavor. Apart
from taste, grass-fed beef has four other advantages.
The primary benefit is the health aspect. The amount of fat in
grass-fed beef is about half that of grain-fed beef. Grass-fed animals also
provide heart-healthful Omega 3 fatty acids (grain-fed animals don't) and
significant amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a potent anti-cancer
agent. Omega 3 has been
linked to reducing the incidence of mental disorders including depression,
aggressive behavior, attention-deficit disorder (ADD), schizophrenia and
dementia. The cardiovascular system is equally dependant on Omega 3s. People
with diets rich in Omega 3s are less likely to have high blood pressure or
irregular heart rhythms. They are half as likely to die from a heart attack or
stroke. CLA lowers bad cholesterol
and may help reduce body fat and regulate sugar levels. Recent
studies have also suggested grass-fed animals produce less of the potentially
harmful bacteria E-coli. According to a
study done by microbiologists at Cornell University, feeding grain in the weeks
before slaughter creates a higher acid level in the colon, fostering the
development of acid resistant strains of E. coli. Although E. coli occurs
naturally in our digestive tract, it is these acid resistant strains that our
stomach acids cannot always overcome. The
research also showed that if the cattle were switched from grain to fresh grass
or hay for as little as five days, the deadly, acid resistant strains all but
disappeared. Secondly,
cattle benefit because as ruminants they are biologically designed to eat only
forage; feedlot cattle are usually given antibiotics because they cannot
tolerate eating only grain. Not
only are antibiotics not used in organically raised beef, but no chemical
herbicides or insecticides are used when producing crops for animal feed. Third,
the environment also benefits because manure from grazing animals naturally
fertilizes grass and feed crops; on the other hand, grain produced for cattle
feed requires chemical fertilizers that deplete petroleum fuel reserves. Fourth and finally, small regional farms, where the vast majority of grass-fed cattle are raised, foster employment more so than do the large, mechanized producers. Grass-fed animals take longer to fatten and organically grown feed crops do not yield as highly as non-organically grown crops. Therefore, the price to produce organic beef can be slightly higher than the non-organic alternative. This small price difference is well worth the cost when considering the better tasting, healthier meat that is created with organic beef.
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