Through legacy news and social media, we hear a great deal about the heart health benefits of eating grass-fed beef. According to Canadian Government statistics, heart disease is the second-leading cause of death in Canada. A CBC Radio/ YouTube broadcast called ‘What women need to know about heart disease,’ states that approximately 24,000 Canadian women die of heart disease every year. (In 2019, 32,271 died from heart disease.) Every 16 minutes, a Canadian woman dies of heart disease, avoidable deaths. Despite our health-care system, women are undiagnosed, untreated and unaware. Warning symptoms are different for women than they are for men. Women’s symptoms are often misdiagnosed. Statistics for men are just as alarming. According to the Canadian Government statistics, men are two times more likely to suffer a heart attack than women. In the U.S., and according to the CDC, a person dies of heart disease every 33 seconds. In 2021, approximately 695,000 people died from heart disease. Given these statistics, I wanted to learn more about grass-fed beef. Beef is high in saturated fat, which can cause cholesterol to build up in our arteries (blood vessels). Saturated fats will also raise our LDL (bad) cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol increases our risk for heart disease and strokes. But I’ve heard that grass-fed beef is healthier. I wanted to know, given my heart disease genetics, if I could enjoy grass-fed beef as an alternative. I decided to do a deep dive into this subject. Is grass-fed beef worth its higher cost? Is grass-fed beef a healthy alternative? In Canada, the term ‘grass-fed’ is supposed to refer to cattle which are fed a grass diet until the end of their lives. But this is not always the case. It can be confusing. The reason for the confusion is that all cattle are grass-fed. After weaning off of milk, all cattle graze in the pasture and/or feed in the barn on grass, forage (grasses, legumes and shrubs), silage (fermented cut-grass crops) and/or hay in winter. But here is the difference. Conventional cattle – at age six months to one year – are then moved from the pasture to the feedlot to be fed a grain diet (grain, soy and/or corn) for the last 150 to 180 days of their lives. This end-of-life grain diet increases the cattle’s fat content and weight and speeds up their growth. Conventional cattle are grainfinished. This increases the cattle’s value and speed to market. When ready for the market, the cattle weigh about 1,350 pounds. Grass-fed cattle graze in the pasture on grass, dried hay, alfalfa and clover until the end of their lives. No grain. The cattle live longer and remain leaner with less fat, weighing about 1,200 pounds at the time of going to market. This is the reason why grass-fed and grassfinished beef is more expensive. Here is the confusion. Some brands may state that their beef is grass-fed…even though it is grain-finished. Technically, the cattle are grass-fed, but are finished on grain. A lie of omission, in my opinion. So, as consumers, we are left to do our own research on companies claiming to sell grass-fed beef. Ask your local grass-fed cattle farmer, butcher or supermarket meat expert whether their grass-fed beef is finished on grass. Is grass-finished beef healthier for our hearts than conventional beef? I was unable to find any studies in Canada touting the health benefits of grass-fed beef. Sadly, Health Canada’s Canadian Nutrient File – the authoritative database on nutrients in food – does not differentiate between meat or butter from grass- or grain-fed cattle. There are several studies in the U.S. addressing the many health benefits of grass-fed and grass-finished beef. “Many studies have found that grass-fed beef has higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which have important roles in heart and brain health. Additionally, research has shown that grass-fed beef contains higher amounts of very-long chain fatty acids, which are associated with decreased risk of heart disease. Grass-fed animals also had lower levels of homocysteine, triglycerides and advanced glycation end products, all of which are associated with improved cardiovascular health, both for the animal and humans.” You will find this statement on the Understanding AG website. (Understanding AG is a regenerative agricultural consulting company made up of farmers and ranchers.) Both grain- and grass-finished cattle may or may not be antibiotic- and hormone-free. Again, be sure to research beef brands, if this matters to you. To find local grass-finished beef, just google the term “grass-finished beef near me.” This search should provide a list of local farmers and butchers who sell produce and/or grassfinished beef in your area. Gourmet grocery stores usually offer grass-finished beef. What I have learned is that in general, beef, due to its saturated fat, should be consumed in moderation. Now I only eat grass-fed beef once per month. I now enjoy one A&W lettuce-wrapped double burger. A&W beef is grass-finished and free of antibiotics and hormones. If not a burger, I’ll eat one grassfinished steak basted in grass-finished butter. Food & Drink by Shari McIntyre (formerly Darling) For more information on wine and food, go to www.sharidarling.com Butter-Basted Beef 46 | www.snowbirds.org
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