The Importance of Eating Pasture Raised Animals

We went on a hunt to get familiarized with grass-fed farms and pasture-raised animals with no hormones, no antibiotics, not grain-fed, no feed with growth promoting additives, no feedlots (which are confined animal feeding operations) and raised on clean soil with no pesticides or chemicals, where the animals are being raised in their natural habitat, where they are happy & healthy (no need for antibiotics), not stressed and growing at their natural pace on land that grows beautiful high-quality grass the animals chow on.

I have to say, I have made several farmer friends over the US, from Texas to Illinois, Nevada, Wyoming, and so on. Those farmers are so nice, warm, family-oriented, and boy did some of them have great stories. I even learned about an English product developed in the late 1800’s called BOVRIL and swapped a few recipes with a farmer who is now going to make my coconut chicken.

Benefits of Eating Grass-Fed, Clean Animals & Clean Pasture-Raised Chickens

• Meat from grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, and goats have less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories.
• Pasture-raised animals have more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid,” or CLA.
• Pasture-raised animals have up to 10 times more Omega-3 fatty acids. In feedlot grain-fed meats, omega-3 fatty acids drop to almost zero.
• Omega-3 fatty acids are so good for your brain, they help lessen or rid symptoms of conditions such as depression, ADHD and Alzheimer’s.
• ALWAYS make your homemade bone broth with bones from CLEAN animals, like our two recipes, beef bone broth and chicken feet bone broth. Using bones from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals makes the broth super nutrient dense. Whereas bones from feedlots actually do the opposite, they leach the bad chemicals into the broth and the broth itself is not as nutritious and the chemicals leached into the broth do your body more harm. When buying simmered bone broth always check the label for verification of using clean animals pasture-raised bones.
• Having more pastured-raised farms is good for the soil, the air, the land, and the food coming from the farm.

Where to Buy Grass-Fed, Pasture-Raised Meats

• Places like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and even Costco carry some. Local farmer’s markets have meat usually and regular grocery stores like Albertsons and Ralphs are carrying some.
• Buy direct from these farms – there are a TON of these awesome farms nationwide, and most of them drop ship directly to you. To find one near you, use Jo Robinson’s Eat Wild.com website farm locator page. Jo Robinson started this movement online in 2001 and is the Guru with educating on choosing meat, eggs, and dairy products from 100% grass-fed animals or other non-ruminant animals fed their natural diets. Her website, Eatwild.com is now the #1 clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming and features a state-by-state directory of local farmers who sell directly to consumers that I mentioned above.

The Downside of Eating Meat from Feedlots

• Loaded with hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs that get absorbed into you.
• Less nutritional value.
• Stressed animals, they say that eating stressed animals transfers that stress to you.
• Creates land and air pollution by confining the animals in feedlots with their manure piling up under them and then moved out and put as a lump on soil nearby creating an overload on soil which can cause air and land pollution.
• Do not use bones from feedlot animals for your bone broth, the chemicals embedded in their bones leach into the broth, making it not good for you.