The people who make the jump to grass fed meat usually do so for two reasons: 1) ethical reasons; 2) health/flavor reasons. The most obvious argument for switching to grass-fed meat is, in fact, the most logical one as far as sustainability and responsible practice goes: grazing animals are meant to eat grass, not grain.
Grass-fed or Grain-fed: Ethical, Sustainable Meat
"Grass-fed" or "pasture-raised" meat proponents are vehement about their choice to support this type of meat and the farming practices that provide it. Noted food author and blogger, John Robbins states one of the major arguments for meat ethics: "Feeding grain to cattle has got to be one of the dumbest ideas in the history of western civilization."
Author, professor, and small-scale cattleman, Michael Pollan explains further what happens to cows when they are taken off of pastures and put into feedlots:
“Perhaps the most serious thing that can go wrong with a ruminant on corn is feedlot bloat. The rumen is always producing copious amounts of gas, which is normally expelled by belching during rumination. But when the diet contains too much starch and too little roughage, rumination all but stops, and a layer of foamy slime that can trap gas forms in the rumen. The rumen inflates like a balloon, pressing against the animal’s lungs. Unless action is promptly taken to relieve the pressure (usually by forcing a hose down the animal’s esophagus), the cow suffocates... "
Grass-fed or Grain-fed: Meat for Nutrition and Health
But an ethical and humane approach to raising and consuming meat aren't the only reason "grass-fed" proponents love their meat. A study by researchers at California State University in Chico examined three decades of research and found that beef from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows helped lower saturated fat and raise "good fat" levels, as well as provided other beneficial nutrient, if eaten as part of a regular diet.
Indeed, all one needs to do is pick up a "grass-fed" meat pamphlet or search the web to be peppered by information and healthful claims. Some popular propaganda includes the following:
- Grass-fed meat contains half the fat
- Grass-fed meat has 4 times the vitamin A and E
- Grass-fed meat has 5 times more conjugated linolleic acid (CLA, a cancer fighting agent
- Grass-fed meat has 4 times the Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
- Grass-fed meat has more B-vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, calcium, and selenuim
While these claims may be true as far as the chemical make-up of the grass-fed animal goes, the only real and measurable impact on human health, according to Shalene McNeill, who has a Ph.D in human nutrition, is that "a 6-ounce grass-fed tenderloin will have 92 fewer calories than the same cut of grain-fed cow."
McNeill also points out that the increased amount of Omega fatty acids (although admittedly increased) in grass-fed beef is marginal as far as human diet is concerned. Still, there are real and measurable benefits as Robinson states in his book, Pasture Perfect (Robinson, 2004): "if you eat a typical amount of beef per year... which is about 67 pounds, switching to grass-fed beef will save you 16, 642 calories a year."
Grass-fed or Grain-fed: Price, Value, and Flavor
Yet for all the posturing and promotion from "grass-fed" meat proponents, what it all comes down to for many is flavor and cost. And, according to a CNN report, the average price for for beef in 2011 was about 4 dollars per pound, while the average price pound is estimated to be between 5-8 dollars per pound (the price here varies greatly, depending on farmer and cut of meat).
Despite growing consumer demand, grass-fed beef makes up only about 3 percent of the beef market and faces hurdles like higher operating costs, a shortage of processors, and the stigmas of inconsistent quality and taste.
However, according to The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook (Hayes, 2005), in a study conbducted by the author and Cornell Food Science professor, Dr. Dennis Miller local grass-fed beef was more tender than supermarket "Certified Angus" in almost every test. The study used the Warner-Bratzler shear tests for tenderness and cuts from each meat type were cooked and compared across the table.
The key to cooking grassfed meat, Hayes says, it to realize the meat has variable sizes and consistencies. She goes on to say, "We have grown accustomed to an industrialized food system that offers us flavorless, ecologically devastating, potentially toxic, inhumane, nutritionally deficient meat. But it is consistent..."
Hayes encourages us to take more time to enjoy our food and points out that grass-fed meats take longer to raise up on the farm; therefore, we should, as consumers, take more time to enjoy them at our tables.
What it all comes down to for a growing number of consumers and farmers is what kind of relationship we have with our food. Many are sitting longer, tasting more, and really enjoying flavorful, sustainable, nutritious, and humanely raised food. And, maybe, they are on to something.
Jeremy Perkins - The author has a B.A in Journalism and Writing, an M.A. in Information Technology, and enjoys watercolor painting, sports, coding, hiking, ...
