What one eats has a tremendous affect on one's body and health, and Missouri Grass Fed Beef is dedicated to provide the highest quality grass-fed meat. There are a number of significant nutritional and food safety differences between the meat of grass-fed cattle compared to feedlot-raised animals. Below is a summary of the research presented at EatWild.com.
Meat from grass-fed cattle, sheep, and bison is lower in total fat, and it can have 1/3 less fat than a similar cut from a grain-fed animal. Less fat means less calories and lower cholesterol.
EFA or essential fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-3 are both needed but in the proper ratio. Feeding grain to cattle nearly eliminates omega-3 while increasing omega-6s, which increases inflammation in the body. However, grass-fed beef is 2 to 4 times higher in omega-3s and lower in omega-6s, lessening inflammation in your body. Also, higher omega-3s lessen your risk of high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart attacks, depression, ADD, Alzheimer's, cancer, etc. while helping your brain to function optimally.
Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants (cows, deer, bison, sheep, and goats) are the richest known sources of another type of healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Their products contain from 3 to 5 times more CLA than products from animals fed conventional, grain-fed diets. Animal and human studies show that CLA is a potent defense against cancer.
Besides cancer-fighting properties, CLA, as many studies show, helps people lose weight, as well as control diabetes and high blood pressure.
The meat from the grass-fed cattle is 4 times higher in vitamin E than the meat from the feedlot cattle and almost 2 times as high as the meat from the feedlot cattle given vitamin E supplements. In humans, vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent antioxidant may also have anti-aging properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.
There are other healthy benefits that research is uncovering. A study published in Nutrition Journal in 2010, conducted by California State University, looked at the fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content of grass-fed and grain-fed meat. Grass-fed beef had elevated levels of carotenoid (a precursor to Vitamin A) and other healthy benefits.