So, when you compare grass-fed beef to grain-fed beef, it may just seem like beef with a higher price tag. Right? Well there is a lot more to it then that.  There are not only key nutritional differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef, but there are also differences in the safety of the meat and it’s impact on the environment.

Let’s take a closer look as to why you and your family should eat Happy Cows:

1. DIET: “You are what you eat!” The beef you are eating can only be as nutritious as what the cow is fed. Let’s look at the difference.
   • Grass-fed—these happy cows roam green fields, eat grass/lush plants/shrubs. They eat what nature intended them to eat. When they do this here are some benefits passed on to you.
     • higher Vitamin A, D, K2 which remember are all essential to keep your teeth strong from the inside out. These vitamins are also essential to build a strong immunity.
     • Higher in other vitamins that your body needs like Vitamin E, B vitamins, Magnesium and Potassium
     • Higher in conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) which is a fatty aside shown to have anti-carcinogenic effects and promote fat loss.
     • 2-4 times higher Omega 3’s which play a critical role in your overall health.
   • Grain-Fed —these cows are considered “conventionally raised”. They are fed crown, grains, and soy to fatten them up so they can be sold for more money. Why does this matter?
     • Lower vitamins and minerals
     • Higher Omega 6s which causes inflammation in your body and leads to chronic illnesses
     • 4 times more saturated fat per 3 oz serving.

2. Safety of the Meat: Grain-fed cows are confined in small spaces and have been proven to be “stressed out” cows. This increases their cortisol level which impacts their health. They are susceptible to many illnesses due to their diet and living surroundings, thus given antibiotics and other bad stuff like growth hormones. These are NOT Happy Cows, but why does this matter for you?

• • Antibiotics get transferred to our system and kill/disrupt our own gut bacteria. Remember unbalanced bacteria can cause havoc in your mouth and also your entire body.
  • Hormones: sometimes these cows are given testosterone, synthetic estrogen and growth hormones again to make them bigger and thus get more money. Hormonal imbalances in our own systems have been linked to many chronic illnesses including cancer.
  • Anti-bloat medications are given due to the diet these cows are given doesn’t agree with their digestive system. This is now passed on to your which can again cause havoc in your own digestive and immune system.

3. Environment: Want to see climate change happen? We need to eat more Happy Cows. Most of us have seen videos or heard stories about the terrible environment these conventionally raised cows face…..unsanitary, small spaces, lots of disease/illnesses, but there is alot more to the story. White Oak Pastures has done many studies related to this and more information can be found on their website but here are some highlights

• • Feedlot animals produce giant toxic manure lagoons full of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, heavy metals, toxic bacteria.  This all seeps into the ground and pollutes surface water creating dead zones and air pollution.
  • So how can grass-fed help the environment…..the solution is soil not oil.
    • Regenerative grass-fed cows eating what they are supposed to improve our ecosystems by improving the soil but they are also sucking carbon from the atmosphere and increasing water storage in soils. These cows also increase the biodiversity of the soil, which is critical for human survival and can be done on lands unsuitable or other types of agriculture.
    • Even growing beans, grains, veggies are inherently harmful because of how it affects the natural ecosystem.  3 billions animals are killed every year from plant agriculture. As well as soy burgers add 3.5kg of CO2 to the environment in comparison to a grass-fed burger which REMOVES 3.5kg of CO2 from the environment. Crazy right?
    • Grass-fed also uses less of our precious water stores because they are getting alot of it from their natural environment. Infact, even growing beans uses 5.25 times more water per acre than grass-finished beef.

So yes, some grass-fed beef may have an initial higher price-tag, but when you think of all the benefits it will provide for your health and the environment it actually ends up costing you a lot less.  Remember if you want a happy healthy system and mouth, you need to eat happy cows!