Debate on Beef
The American
Heart Association encourage the need to limit red meat, due to high saturated
fat, from the diet while other sources claim the intake of red meat does not
cause decrease heart health. However,
another micro-debate is on grass-fed versus conventional raised beef. A recent article in Today’s Dietitian states that grass-fed beef has grown popularity from
25% to 30% over the last decade. The
trend of grass-fed and organically raised beef, however, is not just another
diet craze; the grass-fed nutrient benefits are also something to
consider.
As future
health care professionals, we all need to have the knowledge and awareness of new
diets and utilize science-based information to provide the correct information
to our clients and patients. It is
important to understand the definition of grass-fed versus conventional.
Conventional-
most widely produced beef in the United States; corn-fed; cows live part of
their lives on pasture or range and moved to feediots at 12-18 months; they
spend the last 4-6 months of their lives on the feediots and are closely
monitored; costly
Grass-fed-
Ruminants must be fed only grass, forage and cereal grains in their vegetate
pregrain states; have continuous access to pastures; less expensive to take
care of
Another benefit
grass-fed beef provides is its nutrition profile. Although there is a minimal amount of
literature on human diets and intake of grass-fed versus conventionally raised
cattle, there is a growing amount of research that describes the difference in
fat profiles. Grass-fed raised cattle
tend to have a higher muscle composition than conventionally raised cattle. Grass-fed cattle tend to have more meat, less
fat, less saturated fat, and more polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Not only is grass-fed a trend, it is healthy
for the environment and us. Animals who
graze in the pasture help aid in building the soil and consume much less energy
than conventional farming.
-DH
Yeager, D. (2015). Grass-fed vs conventional beef. Today’s Dietitian, (17)11, 26.
Comments
Post a Comment