Grass-fed Beef vs Conventional Beef: Is there a nutritional difference?

If you’ve been following us, you’ve probably heard us saying “grass-fed”, “grass-finished”, "conventionally raised” when referring to our and our competitor’s beef and wondered what all the fuss is about. Let’s talk about why we’re so passionate about it!

The way that we talk about beef in the food industry typically focuses on the life the cattle had prior to butchering. Saying that beef is grass-fed means that the cattle have been fed grass, forage, and hay rather than grains, which is closer to a cow’s natural diet. However, even if beef is labeled as “grass-fed”, the cattle can be “finished” on grain to increase weight quicker. When beef is labeled as both “grass-fed” and “grass-finished” or “100% grass-fed” ensures that the cattle never ate grain. So why exactly do we care what kind of diet beef cattle have? Let’s break it down. 

Taste and Texture

Since a grass-fed diet is less calorie-dense than grains, grass-fed beef tends to be leaner and slightly lower in calories. This lets the natural flavor shine through, giving it a richer, earthy flavor. Since the meat is leaner, it is important to make sure that it doesn’t dry out too much during the cooking process, so low and slow is the preferred approach.

Fat Content

When we think of Omega-3 fatty acids, we typically think of foods like salmon, avocado, and nuts, but grass-fed beef is actually a great source as well! Omega-3’s are known for benefiting cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, triglycerides, and reducing plaque build-up. They’re also greatly beneficial for cognitive function, mental health, and overall inflammation. Compared to conventionally raised beef, grass-fed beef provides 2-4x higher omega-3 content, leading to a more favorable omega-3/omega-6 ratio which is key to fighting inflammation. 

Vitamins

In addition to containing higher levels of healthy fats, grass-fed beef is more vitamin-rich than conventionally raised beef. This is because fresh grass is a lot more nutrient-dense than dried hays and grains. For example, grass-fed beef contains about 7x more betacarotene and 2x more vitamin E than grain-fed beef.

Healthy Cows = Healthy Beef

Cows are naturally herbivores, meaning they’re built for roaming and grazing. However, conventional farming has required some changes to a cow’s natural environment to increase production. Grain-fed cows tend to grow bigger, faster, leading to more product. However, cows that are fed on grain tend to have digestion issues related to the change in their natural diet. Unbalanced gut bacteria levels make cows more susceptible to infections, including E. Coli. This is why most conventionally raised cattle are on low-dose antibiotics, which leads to small amounts of antibiotic residue in the final product. Grass-fed beef farmers use significantly less antibiotics in their herds simply because they don’t need to use many due to the cows having a healthier immune system.

Environmental Benefits

Conventionally raised, grain-fed beef requires a large amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticides to grow enough grain to feed the cattle. In addition, the fussel fuels required for harvesting, processing, and delivering grain is much higher than the fuel required to raise grass-fed beef. Another way that grass-fed cattle helps the environment is by way of waste management. When confined to small spaces, animal waste can create an environmental hazard and cause health issues for the animals as well. In contrast, grass-fed cattle that is allowed to graze and their waste is spread over a larger area of land, allowing it to decompose naturally and help fertilize the soil.

At the end of the day, at Primal Eats we believe in bringing you the best product possible and our commitment to using grass-fed AND finished beef in our original and jalapeno sticks is part of that effort. See the difference for yourself today!