Saturday, October 18, 2008

One thing to know about steak before you eat it

Before you eat the next steak or burger, find out what they've fed the animal. You might be stuffing yourself with tumor-causing excess Omega 6.

Here's the story, mostly borrowed from a friendly rancher named Bill Kurtis.

For thousands of years, cattle grazed on grass.

But about 60 years ago, some government people got an idea.
"During World War II, a surplus of cheap corn provided by the government was fed by ranchers to their cattle with startling results. The meat was tasty because of excess fat, and the cattle gained weight quickly, which meant more money faster. The entire industry eventually became an assembly line from pasture to giant feedlots for grain-feeding, then on to slaughter-house, supermarket, and steakhouse.

"It took fifty years before nutritionists realized that the highly marketed 'corn-fed marbling' was the wrong fat, Omega-6.

"It’s no use trying to blame anyone. Who knew? Fatty acids were only discovered by molecular biologists in the ‘70’s. And their presence in beef cattle, even later." More here...

What's with Omega 6?
"Human beings evolved with Omega-6 and Omega-3 in a 1:1 ratio, eating a diet of nuts, plants and wild game. The modern ratio can often be 10:1, even 20:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3.

"That's a bad balance, considering that Omega-6 can cause tumors, chronic inflammation, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and auto-immunity when not held in check by the Omega-3 fatty acid."
Corn-fed meat, full of Omega 6 because of the cheap corn feed, is about all you can get in supermarkets and restaurant. Very risky for your health.

And that's why Bill Kurtis is a "grass-fed" cattle raiser today:
"The out-of-balance ratio—Omega 6 to Omega 3—changes back to normal when the cattle eat grass." More here.
Next time you buy meat, or order it in a restaurant, ask for "100% grass-fed." Then you won't be stuffing yourself with tumor-causing excess Omega 6.

2 comments:

Carol Raynor said...

I just ordered some of his beef. I'll let everyone know how it is after it arrives.

Anonymous said...

Carol,

How's the (grass-fed) beef?

Happy Thanksgiving!
Suzanne