The beginning of winter and the health benefits of our grass-fed beef
With the beginning of advent, the evenings drawing in and the recent snap of cold weather, winter is very much upon us.
Our cows and calves have been brought into the barn for the next few months and the daily routine of feeding, mucking out and bedding up has begun. The cattle are brought in to avoid the pasture being churned up and permanently damaged.
We are relieved that the weather over the summer was favourable this year and we are blessed with a bountiful supply of hay. This was grown, mown, dried, baled and collected our own farm. This made for a very busy summer.
Only hay is fed to our cattle as we don’t feed grain. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, our farm is not suited to growing cereals as the soil is Wealden clay and better suited to producing grass. Secondly, we think that it is healthier for the animals to mature slowly and have a diet that is best suited to them. Not only is this diet better for the animals but in turn it is better for us too.
Over the last 30 years, several studies have looked into how grass-fed beef is better for the animals, environment, and people’s health in comparison to grain-fed. Research shows that meat from cattle fed a grass-based diet contains less cholesterol-elevating saturated fats and higher levels of heart-healthy good fats like Omega-3 fats than grain fed beef.
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is also higher in grass-fed beef. CLA is a type of fat that is thought to be related to reduced rates of heart disease and also potentially lowering cancer risks. It’s also helpful in maintaining lean body mass.
What other nutrients are found in grass fed beef? It’s rich in precursors of vitamins A and E, nutrients that are integral to the immune system and used in maintaining healthy skin and eyes.
There are plenty of antioxidants to take advantage of too. Grass-fed meat is packed with carotenoids such as beta-carotene which are sourced from the pigments in the greens that the animals eat. Plants are masters of creating antioxidants, and when the cows eat these plants, the nutrients accumulate in their fat.
It is during the winter that we need our health to be as good as possible so it feels like a good time to be writing about the nutritional benefits of our beef.
If you would like to read some of the research into grass-fed vs grain-fed beef, see the following articles:
Photos by Jack Boniface