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Grass-Fed Beef is Good

Raising beef cattle in pastures instead of packed into feedlots is obviously better for the animals and the environment. But now research shows it’s also better for those of us who enjoy a nice, juicy steak or a tall glass of milk.

Grass-fed beef is leaner and contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (the good fat) than beef from cattle fed grain in feedlots, according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, which analyzed and synthesized more than two dozen studies on the subject. Dairy products from pasture-fed cows also contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acid (shown to reduce the risk of heart disease) and conjugated linoleic acid (shown to prevent cancer).

Beef from cattle raised in feedlot operations contained twice as much of the bad kind of fat, the report found. Feedlot operations also rely more heavily on antibiotics to keep the cattle healthy, since disease can be rampant when thousands of cattle are packed together and fed a diet that isn’t natural to their breed. The excessive amounts of antibiotics have been blamed for the growth of antibiotic-resistant diseases in humans.

Currently, grass-fed beef makes up only a small fraction of the beef market, but consumer demand has been growing as an increasing number of Americans search for healthier options at the grocery store.

For more information on this report, click here.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org