Elliott's Natural Foods

What Kind of Beef is Your Family Eating?

Even if you buy organic products, the beef that you buy for your family may not be the healthiest available. As an increasing number of consumers are discovering, the way that a cow is raised makes a major difference to the quality of the beef on your dinner plate.

In the United States, the majority of commercial beef comes from cows that are fed corn grain. Because grain makes a cow fatten up quickly, it is a cost-effective choice for most ranchers. However, it also results in fattier—and hence less healthy—meat. That’s why some ranchers are returning to the old farming tradition of allowing cows to roam freely and graze on grass. 

Grass-fed beef—often known as free-range beef—isn’t just more humane to cows; it’s also significantly better for the consumer. Each serving of grass-fed beef has up to a third less fat than a comparable serving of non-grass-fed beef. It also contains nearly twice as much of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which contribute to the health of your heart and brain.

In addition to these benefits, grass-fed beef is also rich in vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and other important nutrients. Some research has shown that it can reduce your risk of heart disease and several varieties of cancer. Over time, a steady diet of grass-fed beef can even make it easier for you to lose weight.

It’s not hard to understand why grass-fed beef is so much more beneficial than other types of commercial beef. When cows are free to eat a natural diet and live out a more natural life, those benefits trickle down to the consumer. Cows that eat a diet of grass are also more likely to be healthy themselves, which means that the beef is safer for you to eat.

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