Feed Your Cow Grass!

Take a casual stroll by your local supermarket's meat counter and you can quickly see pounds upon pounds of the bodybuilding staple foods: chicken, turkey, pork, and perhaps most popular of all, BEEF. If you're up to it, ask the butcher what his most popular cut of steak is, and he will most likely point to a "marbled" variety, a cut with lines of fat running throughout like veins. 
Now, I'm not here to tell you that fat is bad - quite the opposite. I'm not anti-fat at all. However, I'm going to go ahead and say that the fattiest cuts of commercially-farmed beef are likely the most unhealthy. In fact, those white lines of fat are a good indication that you are eating a sick animal, one that has been fed an unnatural diet of grains throughout it's lifetime. 
Let me explain.

A cow's natural diet is made up of grass. Cows are meant to roam free in fields, grazing on natural organic grass all day long. Commercial farmers of today have taken their animals off of this natural diet and placed them on a diet made up of grains. 

What's so bad about grains? 

According to grass-fed farmer John Wood, when a cow is fed grains, it's blood pH is shown to drop around pH 4. This is due to the acid balance of the starches ingested. Now, those with any basic knowledge in biology know that the body functions best with a pH of around 7 (in humans, this varies slightly, but that is a different topic for a different time). When a cow grazes on grass, it's pH will generally come back at 7. The bacteria that live at pH 4 cannot function at a pH of 7, so when a cow comes back with a pH of 7, it is much less likely to harbour harful bacteria in it's gut and will be quite healthier overall. Further, when a pH of 4 is found, bacteria grow rapidly, so the cow must be placed on anti-biotics to protect it's liver. All of these factors combine to create a very unhealthy cow. 

By now we all know the benefits of a proper omega 6:3 ratio within our body. Ratios can vary slightly between people, but generally a ratio of between 2:1 and 4:1 allows for optimal health. What is important to note is that cows who have been fed grass often have a ratio of 2:1. Some have even reported profiles better than 1:1. Compare this to a grain fed animal who averages a ratio of 20:1, and it's not too hard to see which cut of meat will be more nutritious. This is also why a cut of grass-fed steak will be naturally very lean when compared to a cut of commercial beef. You won't see nearly as much "marble" in a healthy animal. In a society that is overrun with inflammatory diseases, achieving a proper omega 6:3 ratio through diet is paramount. 

It is important to note that, as Paul Chek says, you can't get health from a sick animal. We are only as healthy as the foods we put in our body. If the animals we eat are weak, tired and sick, we become weak, tired and sick. When a grain fed animal lives off of cheap, highly processed starches as well as a hefty dose of antibiotics and becomes fat, what do you think we are ingesting through this animal? You got it - antibiotics and poor quality omega 6 fats. On top of this, many commercial meat vendors add sugar to their meat. What in the world is sugar doing in a steak? Well, not many people know this, but sugar is a highly addictive class 1 drug. On top of making the meat taste better, it has people coming back for more. This means more sales for the meat industry, and less sales for the local farmers who actually care about the animals they raise properly. It also means less health and more disease for people all over the world. 

Bottom line - stick with grass fed, free ranging meats and win the health race. 

Now, I know what you are thinking because I've been through it before - how in the world do I go about getting grass-fed beef when all my supermarket carries is grain fed? Luckily, getting your grass fed meats is much easier than you might think. A small amount of research on your local farmers and local farmers markets will provide you with many options to choose from. Personally, I live in Ontario Canada, and found my local farmer our in Baden, a fifteen minute drive from my house. I found him through this resource:

http://www.foodlink.ca/?first=3ef30af6d766b&second=447c8c7ff3a68

There are also many internet options that one can look into. For those in the United states, check out US Wellness Meats:

http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok

I definitely suggest plugging your location into google along with the term "grass fed beef" and seeing what it comes up with. You can even find grass fed meats at your local Whole Foods market if you live near one. 
Take a look around. Grass fed beef is easy to find, and is well worth the effort. 

-T