WHY FREE RANGE MEAT IS SUPERIOR TO FACTORY FARMED MEATS
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| Free range beef meatballs. Image from Cannings Free Range Butchers. |
- Hygiene
Factory farmed animals live in disgusting conditions. To save space they are crammed into tiny spaces and tiny cages living on top of each other. The results are foul: There is animal excrement everywhere, including in the animal’s mouths and faces. To combat this, the animals are pumped full of antibiotics and false growth hormones, to stop infections and make them grow at the same pace they would if they weren't in spaces that restricted their growth. The growth hormones also serve to make the animal grow at an unnaturally fast rate, meaning the quickest turnaround time and the most money for the farmer. This means that you are eating meat that is potentially very unclean, full of infection, false hormones, and worst of all, antibiotics. Arsenic substances (very low, but nonetheless!) are often added to the high-fat feed mixture of the animals, which is eventually condemned by humans. Free range meat, meanwhile, is subject to strict guidelines as to how much space the animal is given to roam in, and free range often means grass fed.
- You are what you eat
Grass fed meats have a dramatically higher instance of omega 3 (good fat, fat that is essential for cell regeneration) compared with omega 6 (bad fat, fat that will clog your arteries are cause you heart disease). Grain fed, force fed, and factory farmed meats are always, always, higher in fat and lower in protein, which means more or less that it has very little good and a lot of bad.
To contact Danielle with questions or concerns, email her at: daniellehmcann@gmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------Kelly's Note: As a dietitian, I agree with the experts who recommended to eat a "mostly plant based diet" in the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines. As far as red meat is concerned, I do recommend limiting the quantity of red meat one consumes since the research is very conflicting about red meat intake and impact on health. Even though grass-fed beef does contain higher levels of omega-3's and is generally lower in fat than grain-fed beef, there is new research suggesting that the L-carnitine found in high levels in red and processed meats may contribute to atherosclerosis. However, processed meats like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs, seem to be much worse for health than natural and unprocessed beef. I posted this blog because beef is a great source of protein, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. I know that many people do consume beef regularly, and therefore, you should be educated about your purchasing decisions.Since humans do not need to consume high quantities of meat each day to be healthy, you should spend the money to buy a smaller portion of grass-fed beef as compared to cheaper and larger quantities of factory-raised beef.
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