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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Know Thine Enemy: Grain Fed Beef

I will start by telling you that I am not a scientist or a doctor or a nutritionist. I don't have countless degrees behind my name that make me into something of an authority. But what I will tell you is that I have done my due diligence and I believe what I am about to tell you all the way down to my toes.





My interest in proper eating started when I worked in the hospital , as an RN on the Renal (kidney) floor. I saw countless patients come and go for their dialysis, for their kidney transplants, and finally into hospice where they would spend their last days. The majority of patients on that floor were there because of advanced diabetes. Many if not most of those patient's diagnosis were self-inflicted.





If you only get one thing from this blog please get this: Treat your body right. Many of us would never dream of putting 87 octane in our sports car. We spend so much time picking out the biggest, flattest screen TV that we can fit into our home. Our soaps are perfumy, our nails are polished, our shoes are Prada (well, not mine... but you get my drift) and yet we Drive thru those nasty golden arches and order a load of crap combo with a side of heart disease and a giant cup of tooth decay to boot. Aren't you more important than your television? It's bowl season... don't answer that.





So now that I have ranted for a while let me get to one point that people don't think about. One rather large step you can take to becoming more healthy besides unhanding the breadsticks is to change the type of meat you are eating. Red meat is NOT unhealthy. I know we have been molded and shaped and hypnotised into thinking that it is. Here's the caveat. It must be 100% GRASS FED beef. Do not eat grain fed beef. It's not worth it. Marbling is the enemy, people.





Cows are not designed to live in a stall where they can not turn around. Their diet is not meant to be grain pellets loaded with pesticides. They shouldn't have to be taking antibiotics and hormones and just lay there mindlessly getting as fat as they can in as little time as possible. All of those nasty, unhealthy things go right into their fatty, flabby bodies and thus, into ours as well.





100% grass fed beef is nutritious. It has the ideal Omega 6:3 ratio of 2:1. That is the same as a piece of fish but minus the mercury. 100% grass fed beef has 1/3 less calories than grain fed beef. It also contains four times more CLA. What is CLA you ask? CLA is a proven cancer fighter. It helps to maintain lean body mass, prevent arteriosclerosis and slows or halts the onset of diabetes. Sounds pretty good to me!





Take some time and do a little research yourself. Read up on your meat. Do you even know where it comes from or how it's processed? If you've seen me on FaceBook then you know that my family uses Wellness Meats to get our grass fed beef. I order it once every three months. Sprouts Market also has 100% grass fed beef although there quantities are limited. There are other places to get it as well. Just as a side note: I love Whole Foods Market with all my heart. However, there "grass fed beef" is GRAIN finished... no bueno. Grain fed cow = sick, unhappy, fat cow which in turn = sick, unhappy, fat you. Do not go for the head fake! Ask the butcher to provide proof that the beef is 100% grass fed.





I will get off my soap box now. For more reading go to: http://www.grasslandbeef.com/ http://www.robbwolf.com/ http://www.thepaleodiet.com/





6 comments:

  1. Just curious, where do you get your chicken from? Thanks for all of the great tips and recipes!

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  2. Hey Mary Ann,

    I get my chicken from Sprouts or Whole Foods. My family uses Mary's or Rosie's Organic Air Chilled chicken. The chickens are given a natural diet and get to run around in the sun flapping their chickeny wings in happiness. Additionally, the chicken meat is not soaked in salt water. Hope that helps!

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  3. I just bought a share of a grass-fed steer from South Dakota. 25 pounds of beef delivered to my door for less than 200 bucks!

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  4. Geoff that is awesome. Let us know the link!

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  5. Steph,

    Robb's website is robbwolf.com, no e on the end.

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  6. do you have a suggestion on where i can buy good quality beef online?

    ReplyDelete