The Disadvantages of Grain Beef Animals

Why Grain-fed Beef is Bad

Raising cattle is a tough business. No one could ever argue that it is easy, period. You also probably won’t get rich raising cattle. Making a profit on cattle is done by selling them in huge quantities, so the goal is to get them to grow up as fast as possible. The best way to do that is with grain and hormones.

Did you know?
• Grain fed beef animals are fed hormones to accelerate growth.
• There can be as many as one-hundred cattle, weighing from 700-1200 pounds, living in one pen the size of a basketball court.
• Grain fed animals are actually fed chicken manure and parts of other livestock that is not for human consumption. There is a risk of Mad Cow's Disease from cattle eating brain matter of other cows that is put into the feed. There is NO RISK of Mad Cow's Disease from eating grass-fed-meats.
• When one cow becomes ill in a pen, the farmers often treat all of the cattle with antibiotics.
• 70% of the antibiotics used in the United States are used in livestock.
• Resistant strains of E. coli is often found in grain fed cattle’s stomach, because their diet forces their stomach to produce more acids and the bacteria become resistant to the acid.

Grain-fed Beef Fat is Bad For You

The fat in a grain-fed cow is not healthy. Grass-fed beef contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. This is not so for grain-fed cattle. One reason Americans are so unhealthy and have a lot of inflammation in their bodies is due to the high amounts of omega 6 fatty acids in our diets and the low amount of the healthier omega 3 fatty acids.

According to the Journal of Animal Science (2000 78:2849-2855) Grain fed beef can have an omega 6:3 ratio higher than 20:1. This creates a health problem in humans because it exceeds the recommended ratio of 4:1 of Omega 6 to Omega 3.

When this ratio is exceeded, health problems begin to reveal themselves due to an unhealthy imbalance. Grain fed beef is also very high in saturated fat which makes it unhealthier than it's grass-fed counterpart which has a saturated fat content of approximately 10%.

You now should have a better understanding of why buying and eating grass-fed beef is the best choice for you and your family. It is very important to continue reading and do your research so you understand the health benefits of eating pasture raised meat. Your family's health is dependent on it.