Grain Fed vs Grass Fed Beef

Jul 20

Always do the best you can with what you have. If you have it in your budget to opt for grass fed beef — this is why you should send your financial energy in that direction and exchange with smaller scale farms.

Gratitude for the farmers that work to facilitate an environment to have their animals graze the pasture in order to offer grass fed beef (plus pasture raised chicken and eggs). In Ontario, during the winter months and the lack of grass, cows usually eat dried grass aka hay.

During the 1900s many changes were made in the agricultural industry including mass introduction of grains for cattle feed to quickly grow protein for mass consumption which has become standard in our modern age.

More corn is grown in the U.S to feed cattle than humans as corn represents 95% of cattle feed. According to the FDA in 2018 92% of the corn that was grown was gmo. The purpose of genetically modifying a crop is so it can withstand being hit and sprayed with pesticides. The corn is saturated with pesticides, fed to the cows and then people eat the cow meat.

Luckily in Ontario we have a number of farms that make this possible as well as businesses that make this accessible by sourcing and collaborating smaller scale farms to facilitate convenience and delivery food products to people's homes all over the province.

Nutritional differences in beef from a grass and grain diet

Grass diets can significantly improve fatty acid composition and improve overall antioxidant content of beef

Grass fed beef tends towards less cholesterol elevating saturated fats. Overall lower fat content of grass fed beef product

During the 1950s research was done to improve the efficiency of beef production giving rise to the feedlot industry where high energy grains in order to decrease days on the feed and improve intramuscular fat

Red meat regardless of feeding regimen is nutrient dense as it provides: essential amino acids, vit a, b6, b12, d, e and minerals like iron, zin, selenium + fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K

Those saturated fat considered to be more detrimental to serum cholesterol like myristic and palmitic were higher in grain fed beef compared to grass fed

Cattle fed primarily grass significantly increased the omega 3 content of the meat and also produced more favourable omega 6 to 3 ratios than grain fed beef