Because beef can be high in cholesterol, fat and saturated fat, many people limit their beef consumption if they are worried about their cholesterol levels. Choosing grass-fed beef over conventionally-raised beef can help keep your cholesterol levels down if you want to eat beef more often. Grass-fed beef has other benefits as well.
Cholesterol Content
Conventionally-raised beef cattle are finished on grain feed to fatten them up faster. Because of this, the beef from these cattle has more dietary cholesterol than beef from cattle that are fed grass for their whole lives, according to a March 11, 2010 "New York Times" article.
Fat Content
Because cholesterol levels are determined more by saturated fat intake than dietary cholesterol, the fat content of beef is important. The dietary fat content of grass-fed beef is also lower than that of conventionally-raised beef, and contains a healthier mix of fat types. Both types of beef contain similar amounts of saturated fat, but the saturated fat in grass-fed beef is composed of stearic acid, which doesn't raise cholesterol like other types of saturated fat, according to a March 10, 2010 article published in the "Nutrition Journal." Grass-fed beef also contains more healthy omega-3 fats and conjugated linoleic acids and less omega-6 fats, which make it more heart-healthy than conventional beef.
Other Benefits
Grass-fed beef cattle are usually raised without hormones or antibiotics. Farmers raise them in a more humane and environmentally-friendly manner that reduces soil erosion and flooding, according to a 2009 article in "Mother Earth News." They are less likely to cause e-coli food poisoning, and most people find this type of beef tastes better than conventional beef.
Considerations
Grass-fed beef is usually a lot more expensive than conventional beef, and more difficult to find. Choose beef that is certified by the American Grassfed Association as being 100 percent grass-fed, as some beef labeled grass-fed is still finished on grain. It has a grassier taste, but also increased vitamin A and vitamin E content.
References
- "Mother Earth News"; The Amazing Benefits of Grass-fed Meat; Richard Manning; April/May 2009
- "The New York Times"; Switching to Grass-Fed Beef; Tara Parker-Pope; March 11, 2010
- "Nutrition Journal"; A Review of Fatty Acid Profiles and Antioxidant Content in Grass-fed and Grain-fed Beef; Cynthia A Daley, et al.; March 2010
