What's So Great about Grass-Fed Beef?

Have you heard the term grass-fed beef before? If so, you've probably also heard that it is much healthier for you than organic meat.

grass-fed cow grazing in a meadow

Maybe you've even thought about buying some. Then, GASP! You look at the price and put that package back down fast.

How in the world could grass-fed meat be THAT expensive?

Instead, you should be asking yourself how conventional meat could be that CHEAP.

Especially now that corn is so expensive. Well, the answer is - the cows are being fed junk food.

Lately, it's potato chips and reject M&M's.

I couldn't make this stuff up...

Granted it is better than feeding them ground up carcasses of once sick and diseased animals (mad cow, anyone?). But what is this world coming to?

Hopefully this can put in perspective the troubling issues that come with conventionally-raised meat. Cheap beef comes at an expensive health cost.

Is it any wonder why such farmers need to routinely inject their cattle with antibiotics to keep them healthy?

Grass-fed beef has many health benefits

It's obvious that conventional meat is low quality. But that doesn't mean you're any more likely to pick up the hefty tab that comes with the label "grass-fed."

So how can you justify the added price? Simple. We Americans tend to eat way more meat than our bodies need.

Cut back on your protein portions - eat smaller amounts of high quality meat and you might not even notice a difference in your budget.

But you will notice a difference in your health.

Since these cows are allowed to graze on grass in the fresh air and sunshine, their meat is more healthful. Cows' natural diet, after all, is GRASS.

So here are a list of benefits that might make you realize why it is worth the price.

Grass-fed beef compared to corn or grain-fed beef (whether organic or not):

  • is very lean and much lower in fat and calories
  • is 4 times higher in the antioxidant vitamin E
  • has twice as much of the cancer-fighting fat CLA
  • has twice as much of the immune-boosting omega-3s EPA and DHA
  • is much safer and carries no risk of mad cow disease
  • has no added antibiotics, hormones, herbicides or pesticides
  • is MUCH tastier

Remember, farmers cannot raise as many cattle on grass because they need a lot more land for each cow. The cows are also not being artificially "bulked up," so it takes them much longer before they are ready to be butchered.

These are just two of the factors that contribute to it being more expensive.

Farmers that raise cattle on grass do so because it is the right thing to do. For the environment. For their family's health. For your health. And for the cows themselves.

Staying in business can be hard for these farmers, as you can probably imagine. So help support them while improving your health. Buy and enjoy healthy grass-fed beef.

Save money on grass-fed beef

So maybe you're considering buying beef raised on grass, but just can't get past the sticker shock.

The best thing to do is buy in bulk. You can frequently order from farmers in "quarter-cow increments."

A quarter cow is generally around 100lbs of meat - already cut, wrapped, and labeled.

Yes, that's a lot of meat to fit in your kitchen freezer. So the best thing to do is buy a chest freezer to keep your meat in.

My husband and I did just that and always save a FORTUNE. We found a local farm that raises grass-fed cattle and only charges $2.00 per pound when you order in bulk. Steaks, roasts, ground beef - all for the same price.

To find local farms near you, check out the Local Harvest web site.

And for great recipe ideas, as well as important tips for cooking grassfed meat, check out this book:

- - Grass-fed Beef