No E. Coli or Mad Cow Disease in Grass-Fed Beef
Forage-Fed Beef Abundant in Nutrients and Conjugated Linoleic Acid
May 16, 2009
About 50-plus years ago, we started fattening cattle on grain instead of grass.However, grain-fed cattle develop abnormally high stomach acidity, which allows for the development of acid-resistant E. coli. If E. coli gets into a human digestive system, it can wreak havoc on it.
Conversely, grass-fed cattle have a healthy stomach acidity, which means that even if by rare chance you are exposed to E. coli, their stomach’s natural acidity will kill the bacteria. Furthermore, since grass-fed cattle are kept apart from any grain-fed cattle at harvest time, there is no chance that they will be contaminated once they leave the pasture.
Grass-fed beef also is safe from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as Mad Cow Disease (MCD). For instance, Missouri-based U.S. Wellness Beef, for instance, guarantees it because:
- Their animals never have access to contaminated animal byproduct feed, since they are grass-fed throughout their lives. Also, because the United States banned animal byproducts in feed in 1997, most supermarket meat is unlikely to be contaminated.
- They raise their animals from the day they are born, ensuring that the cattle are never exposed to any animal contaminants during their lifetimes. Plus, their animals are isolated during the entire harvest and fabrication process.
- They make their hamburger meat from whole muscles, which are entirely safe. In addition, their processor does not use machinery that scrapes every last piece of meat from the spinal area, a practice used only in industrial meat processing plants that harvest thousands of animals every day. Additionally, for the last several years, U.S. Wellness Meats has employed a procedure that removes the spinal fluid sack from the backbone immediately after harvest, which removes all risk before the cattle are processed.
Grass-Fed Rich in Nutrients and Conjugated Linoleic Acid
All beef is a great source of iron, B vitamins, and zinc — three nutrients many Americans might be insufficient in.
It’s also a source of Vitamin A, which is essential to proper nutrition, a key to healthy vision and bone growth, and an crucial antioxidant. Our most common source of Vitamin A is the beta-carotene that occurs naturally in orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and is converted into Vitamin A by our bodies. Cattle that are raised on grass consume significantly larger amounts of beta-carotene than do those raised on grain.
Another essential antioxidant that is linked to a reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, Vitamin E also occurs in larger amounts in grass-fed beef than in grain-fed beef.
According to Loren Cordain, a professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University, grass-fed beef resembles the wild game our ancestors ate. It contains less fat, less saturated fat, more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, which is an anti-cancer fat), and more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef.
CLA is fatty acid that is produced naturally in the bodies of grass-fed animals and is found in their meat and milk. Grass-fed cattle — and their edible products — are likely to have two to three times the amount of CLA as grain-fed animals. Research shows that a diet rich in CLA can help reduce a person’s risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.
High in CLA, EFAs, enzymes; Absent of Antibiotics and Hormones
Read more:
Grass-Fed Beef Is Superior to Grain-Fed Beef
Grass-Fed Beef Is Loaded with Health Benefits
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