What does grass-fed mean and what are the health benefits?

Have you ever heard of the term "grass-fed? In this article, we'll explain exactly what it means - in addition to discussing the health benefits that come with products that come from grass-fed animals.

What is grass-fed?

Grass-fed has many benefits, both for people and the planet. But what does "grass-fed" or "grass-fed" really mean? Generally, these terms refer to an agricultural practice where animals are fed primarily fresh grass and other crops.

This means that these animals have a natural diet - as opposed to grain-fed animals - and that what they eat is close to what they would normally eat in the wild. The result? Meat and dairy products with different nutritional profiles, more vitamins and minerals and a better omega-3/omega-6 ratio for us humans.

Grass-fed animals are outside in pasture most of the year (and often all year). Occasionally, they are fed hay or grain in addition to grass, but usually only in the winter. This greatly affects the quality of the meat and other products that come from these animals.

Grass finished

To get the full benefits of grass-fed meat or dairy, it is important that the animal is not supplemented with grain right before slaughter. Grain feeding is something that is often done to make meat more culinary appealing (this creates an edge of fat).

Grain-fed animals

Grain-fed animals, also called conventionally fed animals, are fed mainly grains and other feed produced by the agricultural industry. These include concentrates such as seeds, soy, corn and wheat. Grain-fed animals are often used to produce meat, dairy and eggs sold in supermarkets and restaurants.

Conventional feeds are designed to make animals grow quickly and feed them in a cost-effective manner. This feed is often low in nutrients and natural diets unlike grass, which is full of vitamins and nutrients.

Drugs and antibiotics on your plate

In addition, grain-fed animals are kept in a controlled environment, such as a barn, where they have limited access to the outdoors and pasture. They are generally kept in stalls for a very large (or even the entire) part of the year, making them more likely to develop health problems.

They are then given antibiotics and other drugs to treat the problems and diseases, which many people see as evil: in fact, these drugs indirectly end up on your plate as well.

The benefits of grass-fed

More and more people are favoring grass-fed products because of perceived health benefits and/or ethical concerns about animal welfare and sustainability. The main benefit of grass-fed meat is that it has better nutritional value.

Healthy fatty acids

Research shows that a grass-fed diet can improve the fatty acid composition and antioxidant content of meat, resulting in an increase in total fatty acids such as CLA, TVA and omega-3 [1].

CLA, short for conjugated Linoleic acid, is a group of fatty acids found in animal products such as meat and dairy products. CLAs have several health benefits, including reducing risks of certain diseases.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of polyunsaturated fatty acids associated with health benefits such as reducing inflammation and improving heart health.

In general, grass-fed animals have more omega-3 fatty acids in their meat and dairy products than conventionally fed animals [2]. This is because omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in grass and grass is the natural diet for many animals.

In contrast, animals fed mainly grains have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids in their meat and dairy products. An excess of omega-6 fatty acids can contribute to inflammation in the body, while omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and thus are important for our health.

In addition, omega-3 fatty acids improve fat burning [3], reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and build more muscle mass. Further, omega-3 fatty acids have been found to have cognitive benefits [4].

Grass-fed provides more vitamins

Grass-fed meat also contains more vitamins, such as vitamin A [5], vitamin B12 [6], vitamin E [7] and minerals such as zinc. These vitamins and minerals are required for thousands of functions in the human body, have antioxidant functions and are necessary for optimal health.

Grass-fed meat and dairy products may contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals compared to meat and dairy products from grain-fed animals. This is because grass-fed animals have a more varied diet and spend more time outdoors, so they absorb more nutrients from the soil and plants.

However, the exact amounts of these nutrients can vary depending on several factors, such as animal health, season, grass quality, breed of animal and soil conditions.

Lower fat

Are you watching your fat intake? Then you have an extra advantage with grass-fed meat. In fact, grass-fed meat has less fat than grain-fed meat [8]. Just keep in mind that grass-fed beef may have a slightly different taste than grain-fed meat.

Organic grass-fed meat

When grass-fed meat is also organic, it has several additional benefits.

In organic livestock production, the pastures are not being sprayed with pesticides. As a result, the animals do not ingest pesticides and neither do you through the meat from those animals. The environment is also less impacted by not using pesticides. Finally, much less preventive antibiotics are used in organic animal husbandry.

The European organic guidelines also have the added benefit. This benefit means that the product has not been irradiated with gamma or X-rays.

The importance of grass-fed in supplements

Grass-fed is an important consideration for quality of supplements such as organ meats supplements, animal protein powder, collagen, bone broth, ghee, colostrum and more.

These products contain better nutrients such as the healthy fats CLA and omega-3 and contain more vitamins and minerals than those derived from conventionally fed animals. In addition, the production is more beneficial to the environment because it reduces CO2 emissions both directly and indirectly.

At LiveHelfi, this is an important criteria in the selection of our range!