America Lowline Registry

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Nutritional Value Of Grassfed Versus Organic

For years we have been told that grain fed beef is better. But that picture is losing appeal as the fields of human health and nutrition advance. The 1998 Angus Journal has an article by Troy Smith "For the ruminent animal there is nothing more natural than range grass". This means all other options are "less natural". The least natural are chicken litter, waste products from food and beverage factories and GRAIN. There is not a livestock species on this planet that developed eating grain. This is very important since scientists report that many of Americas leading health problems are due to diets top heavy in Omega-6 fatty acids versus Omega-3 fatty acids. With more study scientists, doctors and nutritionists figured out that the body needs a particular balance of certain fats in its diet, the bodys only source for those fats is food. Two of the more important are the essential Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Scientific experiments determined that if the ratio of Omega-6 fatty acids to Omega-3 fatty acids exceeds 4 to1, people develop health problems. Grain fed beef can have a ratio of 20 to1. Grass fed beef is around 1 to 1. Omega-6 fatty acids come from feeding grain to ruminents, Omega-3 fatty acids come from feeding grass.

When it comes to animal production Organic is not enough. Animals need to be raised on their species appropriate diets. Few consumers realize that many producers of "Organic" or "natural fed" animals raise their animals in confinement and feed them grain. Feeding GRAIN to grazing animals decreases the nutritional value whether the grain is "organic" or not! Grass fed has far more CLA (conjugated Linoleic acid), Omega-3 fatty acids, Beta Carotine, Vitamin E, Vitamin A and is much lower in saturated fat than grain fed. Meat from "organic'' grain fed animals has no more nutritional value than feedlot animals! Therefore Grass fed meat and dairy products are much healthier for you!

For many consumers, food safety is an even bigger concern than nutrition. It has been known for many years that Grain feeding makes a cows digestive tract more acid. Now we know that this acidic environment speeds the growth of dangerous E. Coli bacteria and makes the bugs more acid resistant. These acid resistant bacteria are much more likely to survive the cleansing acidity of our own digestive juices and make us ill. Depriving our livestock of fresh greens and increasing grain consumption jeapordizes our health in ways people never imagine. Feeding organically raised Grain reduces our reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizer but it DOES NOT provide the food nature intended us to eat.

References: Garton,G.A. "Fatty aqcid of the lipids of pasture greens. Diez-Gonzales , T.R. Calloway "Grain feeding and the dissemination ofacid resitant Escherichia coli from cattle."