Guest Blog Post: Why Free Range Beef is Better than Factory Farmed

Below is a guest blog post from Danielle Mcann. Danielle is a copywriter working with Cannings Free Range Butchers. When Danielle's not writing content she enjoys swimming, shopping and taking her Golden Retriever dogs for a walk.

WHY FREE RANGE MEAT IS SUPERIOR TO FACTORY FARMED MEATS

 

Free range beef meatballs. Image from Cannings Free Range Butchers.

1. Hygiene

Factory farmed animals live in disgusting conditions. To save space they are crammed into tiny spaces and tiny cages living on top of each other. The results are foul: There is animal excrement everywhere, including in the animal’s mouths and faces. To combat this, the animals are pumped full of antibiotics and false growth hormones, to stop infections and make them grow at the same pace they would if they weren't in spaces that restricted their growth. The growth hormones also serve to make the animal grow at an unnaturally fast rate, meaning the quickest turnaround time and the most money for the farmer. This means that you are eating meat that is potentially very unclean, full of infection, false hormones, and worst of all, antibiotics. Arsenic substances (very low, but nonetheless!) are often added to the high-fat feed mixture of the animals, which is eventually condemned by humans. Free range meat, meanwhile, is subject to strict guidelines as to how much space the animal is given to roam in, and free range often means grass fed. 

1. You are what you eat

Grass fed meats have a dramatically higher instance of omega 3 (good fat, fat that is essential for cell regeneration) compared with omega 6 (bad fat, fat that will clog your arteries are cause you heart disease). Grain fed, force fed, and factory farmed meats are always, always, higher in fat and lower in protein, which means more or less that it has very little good and a lot of bad.

To contact Danielle with questions or concerns, email her at: daniellehmcann@gmail.com 

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Kelly's Note: As a dietitian, I agree with the experts who recommended to eat a "mostly plant based diet" in the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines. As far as red meat is concerned, I do recommend limiting the quantity of red meat one consumes since the research is very conflicting about red meat intake and impact on health. Even though grass-fed beef does contain higher levels of omega-3's and is generally lower in fat than grain-fed beef, there is new research suggesting that the L-carnitine found in high levels in red and processed meats may contribute to atherosclerosis. However, processed meats like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs, seem to be much worse for health than natural and unprocessed beef. I posted this blog because beef is a great source of protein, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. I know that many people do consume beef regularly, and therefore, you should be educated about your purchasing decisions.Since humans do not need to consume high quantities of meat each day to be healthy, you should spend the money to buy a smaller portion of grass-fed beef as compared to cheaper and larger quantities of factory-raised beef.

I Don't Recommend You Go PALEO

If you pay any attention to diet fads, then you know that the Paleo Diet is totally hot right now.  The Paleo Diet, or “Caveman Diet”, is based upon eating whole foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have eaten during the Paleolithic era. The diet encourages eating meats (preferably grass fed), fish, seafood, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and “healthy” oils. The diet does not include any dairy, grains, legumes, and refined sugars.

          The Paleo Diet definitely has some great qualities, especially since it encourages the consumption of real, natural, whole foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. However, my biggest problem with it is the part that discounts the importance of dairy, grains, and legumes in the diet. Through this diet, it would be incredibly difficult for any person to get in enough calcium, and they would be missing out on the fibers, phytonutrients, and antioxidants found in grains and legumes that have shown to be incredibly important for disease prevention and weight management. Beans and whole grains are especially important for regulating blood sugar and lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Another aspect of the Paleo diet I am not so keen on is the encouraged meat consumption. The most recent dietary guidelines emphasize the importance of a mostly plant based diet (and plant based proteins like beans), for optimal nutrition. The USDA recommends three cups of beans each week since they are a great way to get in plant based protein, various types of fibers, and nutrients like iron and potassium. The USDA also encourages incorporating other plant-based proteins like nuts and seeds as well as fish and shellfish. There are countless studies showing that people who eat the most red meat are at an increased risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stomach ulcers, and a whole array of other conditions. All the major health organizations (WHO, AHA, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), still encourage everyone to limit their intake of saturated fat, whether that comes from lard, grass fed beef, or coconut oil. The Paleo Diet says these saturated fats are fine, which is not consistent with what the experts recommend.

In a recent article in the Washington Post that I blogged about below (Paleo Diet Article Blog) an evolutionary biologist explains that the Paleo diet is flawed. He explains that we don’t really know what the cavemen actually ate since it was so long ago and the diets varied depending on which part of the world they lived in. Humans are able to adapt to their environment, just like some humans began to digest lactose where cow’s milk was prevalent. By developing the lactase enzyme to break down lactose, certain populations gained access to a high quality protein and tons of vitamins and minerals like calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. The evolutionary biologist also makes the point that what you are buying the supermarket, whether it is fish, fruits, or grass fed beef, is incredibly different than it was 10,000-100,000 years ago. Just as genes in humans change, genes in agricultural products change. So, in today’s world it is impossible to eat just like the cavemen did no matter how hard you try.

MY RECOMMENDATION: Most people find they will lose weight on any diet. You may lose weight on the Paleo diet if you currently over-consume ice cream and snack foods and decide to cut them out. But, as most people know, the vast majority of people gain the weight back (plus some!) after any restrictive diet. If you tell yourself that any food or food group is off limits, you will most likely fail. Stick to the foods you know are healthy, and still don’t eat too much of them. The other reason you will most likely lose weight on the Paleo Diet is because diet encourages consuming more fruits and vegetables than most people are used to. I really like this aspect of the diet. For all of my clients, I have them eat more fruit and a ton of vegetables- the more veggies the better. Vegetables and fruits are low-energy density foods, filling, and contain lots of fiber, so they are fantastic for weight loss. However, you don't need to follow a "diet" to get these results! Choose mostly non-starchy vegetables, fresh fruits, non-fat or low-fat dairy, whole grains, and nuts, seeds, beans, seafood, and lean cuts of meat (in limited amounts). Try to limit the amount of processed foods in your diet- cook the grains yourself, eat fruit instead of juices, and cook a fresh turkey instead of buying lunch meat. I assure you that you won’t get fat from eating the proper serving sizes (appropriate for YOUR body) of barley, low-fat plain yogurt, and lentils. 

References:

www.thepaleodiet.com

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/dietary-guidelines-2010/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meatless-meals/my00752

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition, Washington,                

DC: U.S. Government Printing Ofice, December 2010.