Grass Fed Beef

Why grass-fed beef? 

If you go to a grocery store in 2023, you're almost guaranteed to see grass-fed beef lining the shelves. Grass-fed is the latest trend in the meat world, with farmers, nutritionists and foodies raving about its amazing taste and surprising benefits. But with so many food-related buzzwords being constantly thrown around, such as "organic," and "natural," many people understandably have questions about the world of grass-fed beef.

"Why would farms choose to feed cows grass?"

"Is grass-fed beef really healthier?"

"Is it better for the environment?"

"Is it worth getting it delivered straight to my door?" 

By the end of this article, all these questions will be answered. You'll see that grass-fed is better for cows, better for humans, and over the long term, even better for your wallet!

Cows just wanna' have grass!

To start off, grass-fed beef is exactly what it sounds like; cattle that have been raised on a diet of grass, hay and alfalfa, as opposed to grains. Of the ten million cows raised for beef in Canada every year, most are fed grass for the first year of their lives before being sent to feedlots. From then on, they are fed high-energy grains like corn, and soy barely, rapidly fattening them up to be slaughtered. The problem is that while feeding cows high-energy grains is great for fattening them up, it's not great for their health and general welfare. You see, cows' stomachs are made for digesting grass. So when they are fed nothing but grains, they often develop painful stomach aches that can lead to more severe health problems. And because cows have evolved to chew soft grass, they will often eat their bedding or chew on fences to make up for it. This is not a sign of a happy cow. For these reasons, many farmers view industrial feedlots as unacceptable. They have switched to feeding their cows grass to keep them happy and healthy.

Healthy heifers make hardy humans

Not only is a life spent grazing in meadows better for the health and wellbeing of the cow, but it's also healthier for the humans that eat it. For one thing, cattle that live on pastures and eat grass have meat with higher concentrations of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Why does this matter? Because consuming too many Omega-6s and not enough Omega-3s can lead to whole-body inflammation, arthritis, diabetes, and even heart failure. Grass-fed beef also has three times the amount of Conjugated linoleic acid – a fat that acts as an antioxidant and is good for cardiovascular health – as grain-fed beef. It also has far more vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and antioxidants than traditional beef. But there's one more health benefit of grass-fed beef that is seldom discussed. And that has to do with the genetically modified corn, soy and barley fed to traditional cows. You see, the crops fed to cows have been genetically modified to resist the herbicide glyphosate. The problem is, this weed killer is terrible for human health. Glyphosate has been found to increase the risk of cancer, cause respiratory problems, irritate the skin, damage the gut microbiome, cause kidney disease, and cause birth defects.  And when it comes to animal feed, 20x more glyphosate is allowed to be used compared to typical crops eaten by humans. So when you eat grain-fed beef, the glyphosate that the cow consumes is passed on to you. Not ideal!

Are cows actually climate heroes?

Cows often get a bad rap when it comes to the environment. Those concerned about climate change love to talk about the greenhouse gasses cows emit (mostly from their farts.) But when it comes to grass-fed cows, they can actually improve the environment! This is because cows that are allowed to roam and graze freely can increase depleted soils' carbon-carrying capacity by restoring critical nutrients. In this way, grass-fed cows can actually reduce the carbon in the atmosphere. Then we have the environmental issues surrounding cow food. Crops like corn and soybeans, which are fed to traditional cows, can destroy the earth's topsoil and increase greenhouse gasses. Soy cultivation, over 75% of which is used to feed livestock, is particularly damaging to the earth's soil, water, and overall biodiversity. So by choosing grass-fed beef, you are making a conscious decision to reduce your impact on the environment – without sacrificing delicious steaks.

Costlier? Not over the long-term

Regarding cost, we must admit that traditional beef has us beat. Grass-fed is slightly more expensive than traditional beef, and this is at a time when the cost of everything in Canada is slowly rising. That being said, one needs to think about the long-term costs associated with eating poor-quality food. It's no secret that organic, whole foods that are free of toxic chemicals will make you feel (and look) much healthier. As the old saying goes, Health is Wealth. If somebody suffers from chronic illness, then co-pays, medication costs, and time spent away from work will equal a big chunk of change taken out of their bank account. Obviously, eating grass-fed beef alone isn't enough to be in perfect health and avoid chronic disease. But high-quality meat is certainly an important piece of the puzzle. You should also consider the benefits of having this high-quality meat delivered right to your door, virtually anywhere in southern Ontario. Think about the time, energy, and money (have you seen the price of gas?!) that A Cut Above Meats can save you.

But is it truly grass-fed?

There's one more super important thing you should know about grass-fed beef. In Canada, the definition of the term "grass-fed" is not regulated by the federal or provincial governments. This means that the term can mean cows that were fed grass at some point in their life, despite primarily consuming grains. However, you don't need to worry about that with A Cut Above Meats. All our beef is 100% grass-finished, meaning the cattle only eat grass during the summer months and alfalfa in the winter. There are no clever marketing tricks here, just sustainably-raised, delicious grass-fed beef. So if you're sold on the benefits of grass-fed beef, order a box today and have it shipped to your door in no time!

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