How Beef is Fed?

[Mesa_John]

After taking possession of our Beef last week, it has stirred a question in me.  I was amazed at how deep red the color of the beef is, compared to grocery store beef, but even the 1/2 Beef we purchase last year.  This beef is more the color of Elk Meat.  This calf was on mama cow's milk, up to it's 11th month of life and then on a grass, cracked corn and silage diet for about 45 days before going to the processor.  The rancher tells me the meat is so dark red for two reasons.  #1.  The calf if mostly grass fed.  #2.  The calf spent 6 months in the mountains, above 9,000 feet elevation. 

The negative of this calf is that it will not grade Prime and probably not even Choice, but is likely Select.   The Tenderloin we ate last week was spectacular, but the Ribeye we ate last night was about as tough as a Sirloin, but it just didn't have any marbling.  There just isn't much marbling and there is very, very little fat on the Ribeyes.  I suspect all grass fed beef is Standard or Select, not having a long Corn diet where the fat reserves are really built up.

But this got me to thinking.....   I actually wonder how "healthy" prime grade beef is, where the fat reserves are built up on a Corn diet?  In us eating that fat, I wonder how much of it clogs our arteries?  And I wonder if grass fed is much more "healthy" for us to eat?

I suspect what some of you will say, with most of the very recent data and evidence coming out regarding Keto and Carnivore on the health of humans.  But I think the question is a valid one....  There is so much negative about humans eating wheat and corn, so what's the effect of us eating Beef that has been gorged on wheat and corn?

[Bob]

1 hour ago, Mesa_John said:

what's the effect of us eating Beef that has been gorged on wheat and corn?

The consensus in the carnivore community is.... minimal. Grass fed will have a slightly improved nutritional and omega-3 profile, but whether this makes it better than grain fed beef is questionable to some, negligible to others. Carnivore doctors and influencers will say if you can afford it, then buy it, because you are supporting your local farmer or regenerative agriculture and not throwing your money at the inhumane beef industry. BUT, if you can't afford it, don't sweat it. The grain fed stuff is going to still benefit you tremendously.

Now with chicken and pork, this is a somewhat different story. The ruminants have their multi-chambered stomachs, and detox the plants and grains so that the bad stuff doesn't become part of their flesh. Chicken and pork on the other hand are monogastric animals, and so those that are grain fed will have a much higher omega-6 content, which we generally want to avoid (which is why we shun seed oils).  

[Scott F.]

Some of the fat you speak of is as much environment as it is the split between grass fed and corn fed. The cows in smaller pastures who are fed in the same spot most everyday don't travel much. No need to get too far from the food source. (i.e.. most pigs and chickens are caged/penned, and mobility is at a minimum.

On a much smaller scale I can visually see the difference in my chicken eggs between the ones that are free-range (a politically correct term meaning I simply can't catch them as they are wild-ass game hens) and the hens I have caged. The caged hens' yolks are more consistent. Same feed-same mobility. The 'free-range' hens' yokes differ week to week. The free-range hens are thinner and sleeker looking due to mobility.

I think the difference for us is minimal other than we pay a ton more once the terminology changes. I like fat as much as the next guy, probably more, and on occasion I will climb up the ladder and pay for the 'marbling' but not often. I like fat as much as the next guy, but I am cheap as all get out too.

I'm with Bob, we benefit tremendously from the filtration system of the ruminant animal. 

Scott

[Geezy]

5 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

The rancher tells me the meat is so dark red for two reasons.  #1.  The calf if mostly grass fed

That is true. The color in the meat will be different between the two. 

 

5 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

The calf spent 6 months in the mountains, above 9,000 feet elevation. 

That one I haven’t heard before but I would discount it. 
 

 

6 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

The negative of this calf is that it will not grade Prime and probably not even Choice, but is likely Select.

No grass raised beef will ever grade out to prime. The best you can hope for is choice. Select is still okay. At least it’s not standard, commercial, utility, cutter or canner. 

 

6 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

There just isn't much marbling and there is very, very little fat on the Ribeyes.  I suspect all grass fed beef is Standard or Select, not having a long Corn diet where the fat reserves are really built up.

The thing is here that all cattle are grass fed for the most part. Some are silage fed most of their lives like what you find in Kansas beef. It’s in the finishing that usually determines the quality of the meat and of course the genetics. Not all beef is created equal. That’s why most dairy cattle go into dog food (canners) and most angus goes on the dinner table. 
Your beef was only grain fed for 45 days when the minimum is usually 90 days and they get a lot more than just corn.  
I don’t know what the genetic of your beef was but what breed it was and not having been on grain very long could both be a deciding factor. 

 

6 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

.   I actually wonder how "healthy" prime grade beef is, where the fat reserves are built up on a Corn diet?  In us eating that fat, I wonder how much of it clogs our arteries?  And I wonder if grass fed is much more "healthy" for us to eat?

To start with, dietary fat does not clog arteries. That lie was debunked long ago. 
The differences between grass finished and grain finished nutritionally are there is a slightly better nutritional profile in grass finished over grain finished and the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratios are better in grass finished beef over grain finish. 
This is usually no big deal unless you have some autoimmune disease that is super sensitive to Omega 6’s. 

 

6 hours ago, Mesa_John said:

so what's the effect of us eating Beef that has been gorged on wheat and corn?

Very little effect because all ruminants are able to break down the grains into fat and very little of it passes on to us. It’s the monogastric animals that it can affect us. 
That is why some people can’t eat pork or chicken. If you aren’t experiencing any side affect then I wouldn’t worry about it. 
Check out this great video of the Bearded Butchers breaking down a side of grass finished and grain finished. They do a great job of explaining it all.