Carefree Gourmet

Cows on the Pature: courtesy of eatwild.com

With the industrialization of the ranching/meat packing industry… what our grandparents used to know and identify (by taste) as meat, was vastly different than what we are sold, served or fed today. Why? What is wrong with how our meat is manufactured today? It got incorporated! Capitalization. Systematized. Made efficient, faster and cheaper to produce meat. Why is meat so inexpensive (compared with the days of our grandparents)? Corn.

Corn is the largest crop in the US. And corn is fed to our cattle, pigs, chickens etc. But let’s focus on cattle. Cattle aren’t supposed to eat corn.. why do we feed it to them? Corn is cheap! And subsidized by the US government. The USDA wants to move all that surplus of corn and corn is a compact source of caloric energy which means the cows will fatten up quickly! It also causes their flesh to marble well, giving the meat the taste and texture we have all come to like. Is it healthy for the cow? or Us? Not exactly…What happens when corn is fed to cows? Illness. And this leads to the need for antibiotics. Understand then, that we are eating what our animals ate and given, including those antibiotics! The flesh is also now higher in saturated fats and it has less omega 3 fatty acids than grass fed animals.

But meat is still a nutritious food, supplying essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. But where can we find quality meat? And how much should we be consuming? As my Auntie Mar would say, ‘all in moderation”. She eats whatever she wants but in small quantities and is and has been trim her entire life (she is in her 70’s now and going strong!). We want to stay away from industrialized meat as it exposes us to more saturated fats, omega-6 fatty acids, growth hormones and carcinogens. The alternative? Cattle raised solely on grass. Animals raised on grass means they will have more Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and less omega-6 in their meat, eggs and milk. A great website to read more about the nutrition in truly grass fed animals is www.eatwild.com

Remember our discussion on labeling? Well, it is very important here to pay attention to the labels of “free range” and “grass fed”. For chickens, look for the word “pastured” and for beef, look for “grass finished” or “100% grass” fed to ensure that the cattle are grass fed all the way through the process (many times the cattle are grass fed until the hit the feedlot, then they are given corn or other grains).

I realize our focus is on food. But I did want to share that by supporting ranchers who follow the grass fed process from start to finish, otherwise known as “grassfarmers”, you are helping out our environment and farm workers as well. In general, the meat, milk and eggs found at the supermarket are the result of facilities called CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) and although they output inexpensive products for consumption, it comes at a price. (source: Eatwild.com)

• Animal stress and abuse
• Air, land, and water pollution
• The unnecessary use of hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs
• Low-paid, stressful farm work
• The loss of small family farms
• Food with less nutritional value

Now you know what you are looking for in selecting meat. You are going to pay more for the meat because 100% grass fed is not a cheap process. But also remember that you don’t need to eat so much. Think of the meat on your plate as a side dish, not the main course and you can enjoy meat, be healthier and not overspend.