Why 100% grass-fed beef is great for your heart
If you’ve had a look through our website, you might be wondering why we keep banging on about our beef being 100% grass-fed? Aren’t all cows grass-fed? Isn’t that what cows eat, after all, grass?
Well, it is, and it isn’t.
In the UK there is no legal definition for the term ‘grass-fed’. It can be used to describe meat from cattle that are ‘predominantly’ reared on grass. That’s to say, a cow needs only to have access to grass 6 months + 1 day each year to be described as grass-fed. Check the small print on those big green signs the supermarkets put up, or ask your butcher how the beef they sell is finished (fattened).
At Balsar Glen, we have made the choice to graze our cows solely on grass - and meadow flowers, weeds, hedgerow and the occasional tree browse - for so many great reasons but today I’ll just talk a little bit about just one: the ideal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.
Our Kirsty doing what we can’t, transforming diverse meadows into essential fatty acids and protein.
100% grass-fed beef is a great source of essential fatty acids. These are long chain polyunsaturated fats that, like vitamins, are vital to our health and wellbeing. We cannot make these within our bodies, so we must eat plants and animals that are able to manufacture them, such as wild salmon, some nuts and ruminants.
Two types of essential fatty acids are called omega-3 and omega-6. Dr Andrew Jenkins, in his brilliant book ‘Why we Eat (Too Much)’ paints a vivid picture of the differences between these two:
Firstly, omega-3 has a much curlier and more flexible carbon tail and moves faster then omega-6, changing shape many times per second. It therefore makes any tissue that contains it more flexible, faster and more adaptable. This is a very important trait of omega-3 within our bodies. Secondly, omega-3 gets oxidized much more quickly than omega-6. This means that when exposed to oxygen it will break down, or decompose, more easily. Think of what happens to food when it is left out and unattended: it goes brown and decomposes - this is oxidation. Fresh foods that go rancid quickly, if left out, tend to have high levels of omega-3 (e.g. fish).
These two fats both fight for space in our cell walls. They are both required but it is the ratio of the two that is critical. Ideally, we want no more than 4 omega-6 to every omega-3, i.e., a ratio of 4:1, in our diet as a whole. Diets that contain a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of between 1:1 and 4:1 are associated with reduced inflammation and a lowered risk of heart disease [1]. This range would have been pretty standard for humans before agriculture was invented, however, our modern diet includes these fats in a far less healthy ratio, closer to 15 or 20:1.
There is also some evidence that the increased levels of omega-6 in our diet has contributed to the rise in obesity. Omega-6 is prevalent in seeds. The consumption of these could be a signal to our bodies of lean times (winter) ahead and so a cue to lay down fat. In our case, for a perpetual ‘winter’.
The benefit of higher omega-3 levels to human health have been known for a while, but the extended shelf life of omega-6 heavy foods means it is unlikely that our food system will change in the near future. So, it is up to each of us to learn about more about what constitutes healthy food, for our bodies - every body is different - and to make choices that support ourselves, our families and our community.
The good news is that meat and dairy from 100% grass-fed and finished ruminants (cows, sheep, deer and goats), wild salmon and some nuts, including walnuts, are a great source of essential fatty acids in a beneficial ratio.
And why the emphasis on 100% grass fed? Well, all beef is good for you as it’s a great source of protein, iron, zinc and many B vitamins. However, to create the optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 the cows needs to be reared solely on grass (and other tasty green plants). Even a couple of months of grain, as might be typical for fattening on most farms, will have a negative impact on the omega-6:omega-3 ratio [2].
Striving towards flexible and adaptable cell walls seems like a good thing, doesn’t it? And incorporating 100% grass-fed beef, such as grazed here at Balsar Glen or other Pasture for Life farms, can help balance out the prevalence of the more rigid omega-6 in the modern diet.
I have out of necessity greatly simplified the research in this short(ish) article. If you want to find out more then I would recommend both, ‘Grassfed Nation’ by Graham Harvey and ‘Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson. ‘The Big Fat Surprise’ by Nina Teicholz is more involved but brilliant. You could also plunge straight into a couple of the academic articles I have referenced.
Other nutritional superstars are CLA, phytonutrients and vitamin A. I’ve written a bit about phytonutrients HERE.