Many consumers do not realize this, but an animal’s diet has a significant impact on the quality of its meat. A cow’s natural diet consists mostly of grass, but three-quarters of cattle are instead fed entirely on grains, and this affects the beef they produce. Cattle that are allowed to roam in a pasture are healthier and happier, as they are free to follow a more natural way of life. These cows produce higher quality meat than those fed entirely on grains; as well as a superior taste and texture, grass-fed, grain-finished all natural beef offers several health benefits.
Fat Content
Beef from grass-fed, grain-finished animals is much leaner, with lower fat content and thus fewer calories. Steak from an animal fed on both grass and grain can have up to two thirds less fat than the same cut from an animal fed on grain alone, resulting in beef that is almost as low in fat as chicken breast. The reduction in fat means that eating grass-fed, grain-finished beef results in the consumption of far fewer calories, without any change in diet.
Omega 3
There is not just one type of fat. Beef usually contains a high amount of unhealthy saturated fat. Not only is grass-fed, grain-finished all natural beef lower in fat overall, but the fat that is present is omega 3, an essential nutrient that is especially beneficial to brain health and can even reduce the risk of cancer.
Vitamins
Grass is full of vitamin A – a nutrient that boosts the immune system – and this is transferred to the meat of the cattle that feed on it. Vitamin E is another essential nutrient that has the potential to lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, and meat from grass-fed, grain-finished cattle has been shown to contain up to four times the amount of vitamin E than the meat of those fed on grain alone. It’s a small change in the lifestyle of the animal that leads to a far superior finished product.
*USDA defines All Natural as containing no artificial ingredients and being minimally processed. We hold Hope All Natural* Beef to a higher standard.
