I came across beef in a local market that advertises as “grass fed, then finished with corn to bring up the weight and marbling”. Would this be any good, or am I better off with the straight grass fed beef?
[quote]Paul222 wrote:
I came across beef in a local market that advertises as “grass fed, then finished with corn to bring up the weight and marbling”. Would this be any good, or am I better off with the straight grass fed beef?[/quote]
First, I am not completely sure.
Then, having said that, I think you are better off with grass fed beef.
Here is why:
You want grass fed beef for its Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio, which are both polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The “marbling” the beef has now, i.e the fat in the muscle tissue has been achieved by feeding corn, which is rich in omega6s.
Since this “marbling” will probably be the bulk of the animals fat, you will very likely get meat that is rich in omega6 and poor in omega3 fatty acids which defeats the purpose of grass fed beef.
Sounds like a way to cut corners on feed costs.
[quote]Brant_Drake wrote:
Sounds like a way to cut corners on feed costs.[/quote]
This is very common. There are no truth in labeling laws for grass-fed beef so it may be more common than is indicated.
Ahh, play it safe and buy beef that says “grass fed” only. You can’t be sure but grass will always be better than corn.
That’s like saying a candy bar is all natural cacao, with sugar and milk fat added later for taste.
All ordinary supermarket beef is grass fed and then corn finished to fatten 'em up. What you want for the omega-3’s is “grass-finished” beef, or beef that is never sent to a feed lot.
[quote]yorik wrote:
That’s like saying a candy bar is all natural cacao, with sugar and milk fat added later for taste.
All ordinary supermarket beef is grass fed and then corn finished to fatten 'em up. What you want for the omega-3’s is “grass-finished” beef, or beef that is never sent to a feed lot.[/quote]
how do you know that is what you are getting?
is there a specific label folks should look for?
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
yorik wrote:
That’s like saying a candy bar is all natural cacao, with sugar and milk fat added later for taste.
All ordinary supermarket beef is grass fed and then corn finished to fatten 'em up. What you want for the omega-3’s is “grass-finished” beef, or beef that is never sent to a feed lot.
how do you know that is what you are getting?
is there a specific label folks should look for?
[/quote]
Actually, yes. They will advertise their beef as all grass fed. Also it will not have the marbling typical of supermarket beef.
And to reiterate, commercial beef is sent to feed lots to finish before slaughter and many is fed other grains to supplement their diet even before the finishing.
Where’s RJ? He could shed more light on this, I believe.
Grass-fed beef also has a more yellow marbling, whereas corn-fed is white.
[quote]Paul222 wrote:
I came across beef in a local market that advertises as “grass fed, then finished with corn to bring up the weight and marbling”. Would this be any good, or am I better off with the straight grass fed beef?[/quote]
All beef is raised on grass. Finishing them on grain is what changes the meat. Cattle are ruminants containing two stomachs where they ferment grass into protein. By finishing them on grain they gain greater weight at a cheaper price which translates into greater profits for factory farms. The grain isn’t natural to the cattle so they tend to get sick and stressed as the grain screws up there natural digestive system. This is where a lot of antibiotics are introduced into the food chain.
Every week in the feed lot drops the omega 3 and raises the omega 6 levels of the meat.
Although grain fed can be more tender due to better marbling a lot of that marbling contains toxins from the feed. There is a lot of additives to the grain which would really surprise the public.
[quote]Brant_Drake wrote:
Grass-fed beef also has a more yellow marbling, whereas corn-fed is white.[/quote]
It’s more expensive too. I don’t know ANY stores that sell it. I always order on-line. Try these…