The Food for Our Food

Sometime in the life of a cattle rancher I think it was known that the natural diet of cattle is grass, but somewhere along the way it must have been forgotten. What other reason could there be for a cattle rancher to be feeding corn instead of grass to their cattle? Could the fact that the cattle become ready for slaughter faster and cheaper have anything to do with it? I would venture to say yes.

Unfortunately, there are usually consequences when you go against Mother Nature.

Think about how you feel when you eat something that just doesn't agree with you. Does your stomach feel queasy? Do you sometimes get diarrhea? Eating things that we shouldn't can sometimes even kill us.

Does that make you wonder how cows feel when they're fed corn? According to Michael Pollan, author of many books including "Food Rules" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma", "A corn diet wreaks havoc on their digestive system, making it necessary to feed them antibiotics to stave off illness and infection". Acidosis is another side effect, which can also be a painful or life threatening condition. Acidosis can lead to bloat, diarrhea, ulcers, liver disease and a general weakening of the immune system.

I remember going to a farm when I was a little girl. There were cows in the pasture grazing on grass and there were "cow pies" all over the ground. I didn't see anything that even remotely looked like diarrhea. A few months ago I caught the tail end of a news broadcast. During the news coverage they showed an extremely huge concrete pit filled with cattle diarrhea. One of the sides had broken and the diarrhea was pouring out into the near-by water; the same water which irrigated the nearby produce farms.

According to an article I read at www.eatwild.com, "Grass-fed beef is better for human health than grain-fed beef in ten different ways, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date. The 2009 study was a joint effort between the USDA and researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina. Compared with grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef was:

Lower in total fat
Higher in beta-carotene
Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
Higher in the B-vitamins thiamine and riboflavin
Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
Higher in total omega-3s
A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease"

http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm

Since learning about all of this I have made drastic changes in my food choices. I admit I don't always eat like I should, but when I eat out, I do not ever order beef.

The Eat Wild website has a link that shows where you can buy grass-fed beef, as well as restaurants that serve it, anywhere in the country. I am excited to start this part of my journey of living a chemical free life.