Sure, some people love their vegetarian diet… but others just can’t imagine living life without steak, burgers and beef Bourguignonne. Maybe there’s no reason they should have to!
It’s definitely unhealthy to eat a lot of red meat… but just how unhealthy? It depends in part on how the beef is prepared and in part on something you may not have thought much about—what the cow ate on its way to becoming your dinner.
If you want to eat steak (or prime rib, beef stew or any other beef dish), it pays to be particular about what kind of beef you eat. Even your run-of-the-mill supermarket has lots of different alternatives you can choose from… not only a variety of cuts of beef with varying fat content, but also beef that is “antibiotic-free,” “organic,” “grass-fed” and even “free range.” Are any of these truly healthier or just marketing gimmicks? It’s a fair question. Our editors turned for the answer to Jonny Bowden, CNS, a board-certified nutritionist based in Woodland Hills, California, and author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and Why (FairWinds).
Believe it or not, the old saying, “You are what you eat,” applies not only to people but also to cows. And to a cow, eating grass is the equivalent of eating natural, whole foods. Unfortunately, only a very few cows have that luxury. At this point, 100% grass-fed cows (also called “pasture-fed”) constitute only about 1% of the nation’s beef sales, though the number is growing.
Instead, most cows eat grain, which is like junk food to them—and (just like with people) eating unhealthy food takes a toll. “Cows are meant to eat grass, not grain,” said Bowden. Since grain is high in omega-6 fatty acids, cows raised on grain produce meat that is high in inflammatory omega-6 fats. Grass in pastures contains healthier omega-3 fatty acids in abundant amounts and that, too, is reflected in cows’ meat.
Related problem: While all cows start out eating grass, 75% are moved to commercial feedlots where they eat grain and live very short lives in confined quarters. Cows from factory farms (called “CAFOs,” for “confined animal feeding operations”) also are fed antibiotics (to prevent disease) and growth hormones and steroids (to make them very fat very quickly). The beef produced this way is laced with unhealthy drug residue that you don’t want to ingest, Bowden explained.
Grass-fed beef, however, is a whole different animal. Not only is it richer in omega-3s, but it also contains measurable amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a healthful type of fat that is thought to help fight cancer. Several studies have demonstrated that grass-fed beef has more vitamin A and vitamin E than its grain-fed counterpart, not to mention antioxidants, such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD), that help fight cancer.
Grass-fed beef is also better for you because of what it does not have. Most grass-fed beef is antibiotic- and steroid-free. It’s also lower in unhealthy types of fat. For instance, a USDA study of one brand (Mesquite Organic Foods) found that their grass-fed ground beef was 65% lower in saturated fat than grain-fed beef, while their New York strip cut was 35% lower in saturated fat.
Now that you know why grass-fed beef is healthier, you need to know exactly what you are looking for when you head out to buy your meat, since it’s not quite as clear-cut as you might guess. You’ll need to read the labels closely. Here’s how…
You want to buy beef that is labeled “100% Grass-Fed” or has the “American Grassfed” logo on its label— which indicates that the farmer meets standards set by the American Grassfed Association. You can find this kind of beef at high-end grocery stores such as Whole Foods.
Don’t be fooled into thinking buying “organic beef” necessarily solves the problem. It may merely mean that the cow was fed organic grain (meaning, essentially, pesticide-free grain), but cows shouldn’t be raised with any grain in their diets, explained Bowden.
A label that says “grass-fed” isn’t good enough either, believe it or not. Beef only needs to be 80% grass-fed to earn this label, and many so-called “grass-fed ranches” send their cattle to feedlots for the final weeks of life, where they are fattened up on corn (which may or may not be organic) and sometimes given growth hormones as well. So, look for that 100% grass-fed label.
Obviously, raising a 100% grass-fed animal is far more time-consuming and expensive than raising one on a feedlot farm… and, as you would expect, the price reflects that. This kind of beef can be 20% to 100% more expensive. I’m convinced that the health benefits alone are worth the extra cost. With some practice cooking these less-fatty cuts, you’ll appreciate the pure meaty flavor that comes through.
