There is nothing more natural for a cow or sheep to eat than grass. Even grain is not a natural diet. Cattle in feed lots are fed many things, including waste products from candy manufacturing (chopped up old candy bars and wrappers), material left over from alcohol production, chicken manure, and dead animal parts (part of the mad cow problem). Feed lot cattle are also fed daily antibiotics to prevent problems caused by the high population density. Typically they have also been implanted with hormones to increase weight gain.
Ruminant animals are developed for eating green plants, mostly grass. Grain was very limited, it's only in the fields for a couple weeks a year, and then only if the plants hadn't been grazed. Scientists are reporting that the high Omega-6 fatty acids found in grain fed meat can cause many health problems. Grass fed meat has a healthy ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. The Omega-3 fatty acids come from green plants.
Fatty acids are very important for human health. Scientists found that when the ratio of Omega-6 fatty acids to Omega-3 fatty acids exceeds 4:1, people develop health problems. Grain fed beef have ratios that exceed 20:1, grass fed beef have ratios between 1:1 and 2:1.
Grass fed meat is a natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also high in beta carotene, vitamins A and E, and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).
Grain fed beef carries a much higher risk of E. coli than grass fed beef. The grain causes changes in the pH within the cow that allows the harmful strain of E. coli to survive.
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