Have you noticed during your grocery trip the recent boom in grass-fed items? Grass-fed butter, grass-fed meat, or maybe the pasture-raised chicken has caught your eye. What's with all these items? Because research has shown that grass-fed meat and using grass-fed ingredients are better. You should eat grass-fed meat for these three important reasons.
Factory Meat Life Vs. Grass-Fed Meat Life
The way cows are treated in a factory setting is heartbreaking. I know the ultimate end is we get to eat the cow or they don't have to live that long. But seriously?? How inhumane can it get...
I want to feel good about what I'm eating and I want to eat something that was well treated. So, it seems like such a disservice to mistreat something that is benefiting me. These beautiful animals help us survive. In other words, they provide us with so many things to keep us upright. And that's the kind of treatment they get?
Have you ever went past a factory farm? Have you been close enough to smell one? It's disgusting and it's cruel.
They are clumped together with no room to do their natural thing, aka graze. Not to mention, poop. They literally have to stand in their own s*** and most of the time their neighbors, too... ALL DAY.
Babies are stripped away from their mothers. In addition, some are in cages for their ENTIRE LIFE without seeing the light of day before they take them away.
And so often these cows get sick and die. What a waste. This farming practice is absolutely disgusting. It's no way to treat an animal who benefits the survival of humans.
Think of a mentor... someone who has helped us, benefited us in many ways, but doesn't stay around forever. Maybe this mentor only stays to get you on your feet and moving forward. Then, they go to their next client. Do you treat your mentor this way? Do you treat them with disrespect? I can guarantee you don't.
We need to start treating these animals with respect. That's where grass-fed farming comes into play.
Grass-Fed Meat Life
Just think of the complete opposite of factory farm cow life.
Cows get to do what they naturally do. Eat grass. Roam around. In other words, these cows live a good life.
The respect that they should get for helping us humans feed the world!
Let's Talk About Poop
Yea, I said it. I'm going to discuss poop in this section.
During a grass-fed cows daily life, they roam, they eat grass, they poop. Right? Well, guess what? That poop is super great for the soil.
When I lived with my parents, there was a field on the other side of the road. And every year, the farmer would come and spray manure on it. Because it was good for the soil. But man did it stink!
Anyways, if you are unaware of how a grass-fed farm works here's how it goes. I'll make it short and sweet.
They are rotated in pastures or in segments of land. They never stay in the same pasture for very long. This is because cows eat a lot of grass and it's not beneficial to the soil to keep the cows eating from it for long.
So, the farmers rotate them. The cows eat the grass, poop in the soil, then they move on.
This allows for the grass to regrow and the nutrients from the poop to create nutrient-rich soil. So, when the cows do come back they will have plenty to eat. Likewise, plenty of nutrient-dense grass to keep them thriving.
To sum it up, these rotations and how grass-fed farming occurs is what keeps a balanced ecosystem. The soil is fertile, the plants and grass are healthy which keeps the land from eroding. All because of POOP.
Better For You
Factory raised cows are pumped full of antibiotics and fed grain. However, the grain is not really a natural part of a cow's diet. They are giving this to eat because on a factory farm there literally is no grass. It's mud and poop.
You eat what the cow eats. The cow is fed grain, you are fed grain. Which often time involves gluten.
Let's talk about gluten real quick. If you want to have a healthier brain, you have to eliminate gluten. Gluten contributes to brain fog, leaky gut, inflammation, and all other kinds of health issues. It's just not good.
I do slip up sometimes. Like the other day, I forget to order a gluten-free pizza crust at BrewDog. It does happen. That's why I use activated charcoal.
On a factory farm, cows are pumped full of antibiotics to keep them alive longer so they reach a good size. Why are antibiotics given? Because the conditions they live in are so terrible, filled with bad bacteria, that they get sick and will die. Well, the factory farm doesn't want them to die because they are losing money if the cow dies. So, the solution is to use antibiotics.
What does this mean for humans? When cows are given the same antibiotic over and over they become resistant to it. Then, what happens is that the cow poops out most of the antibiotic unchanged because of the resistance and it gets in the soil and the water streams. This is why we have antibiotic-resistant diseases in humans and in cows. Because if we are not careful we are getting the antibiotics from the soil and water that we didn't even know about. Yikes!
Grass-fed cows are given no antibiotics, no hormones for growth, and either no grain or only 10% of grain during winter months.
They are healthier because they can roam, grown naturally without the hormones, and live a great life being well taken care of.
Bonus Reason- Nutrition
Grass-fed meat is also more nutritious. Because the cow's diet is much better. The cows are getting the appropriate nutrients from the grass and the soil.
This translates to eating a piece of meat that is higher in omega-3's and rich in antioxidants.
Grain-fed cows do not have nearly the amount of nutrition as grass-fed. It's got better flavor, too.
Takeaway
Make the switch now if you haven't already. Grass-fed is better for you, better for the environment, and better for the beautiful animals that feed us.
My inflammation has gone down, my acne breakouts went down (I can always tell when I've had grain-fed meat aka breakout central), and my gluten-sensitive partner has no trouble eating meat now.
Make the switch. Check out ButcherBox for high-quality grass-fed meat, pasture-raised chicken, heritage breed pork, and wild-caught seafood. It's nutritious, delicious, customizable for your needs, and the most affordable way to get high-quality meat. And trust me, I've tried a lot of different ways to get the best meat but ButcherBox is the most affordable out there.
Ashley
Brain Health Coach
Owner of SustainaBRAIN