Research compiled by auther and writer Jo Robinson explains the benefits of eating grass-fed meats.

Extra Omega3s

Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain- fed animals. Omega-3s are called "good fats" because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack.[3] Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer's disease.[4]

Another benefit of omega-3s is that they may reduce your risk of cancer. In animal studies, these essential fats have slowed the growth of a wide array of cancers and also kept them from spreading.[5] Although the human research is in its infancy, researchers have shown that omega-3s can slow or even reverse the extreme weight loss that accompanies advanced cancer and also hasten recovery from surgery.[6,7]

(Data for both graphs comes from G.J. Miller, "Lipids in Wild Ruminant Animals and Steers." J. of Food Quality, 9:331-343, 1986.)

More CLA's

The CLA Bonus. Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called "conjugated linoleic acid" or CLA. When ruminants are raised on fresh pasture alone, their products contain from three to five times more CLA than products from animals fed conventional diets.[11] (A steak from the most marbled grass-fed animals will have the most CLA ,as much of the CLA is stored in fat cells.)

CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer. In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA—a mere 0.1 percent of total calories—greatly reduced tumor growth. [12] There is new evidence that CLA may also reduce cancer risk in humans. In a Finnish study, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Switching from grain-fed to grassfed meat and dairy products places women in this lowest risk category.[13] Researcher Tilak Dhiman from Utah State University estimates that you may be able to lower your risk of cancer simply by eating the following grassfed products each day: one glass of whole milk, one ounce of cheese, and one serving of meat. You would have to eat five times that amount of grain-fed meat and dairy products to get the same level of protection.

More Vitamin E

In addition to being higher in omega-3s and CLA, meat from grassfed animals is also higher in vitamin E. The graph below shows vitamin E levels in meat from: 1) feedlot cattle, 2) feedlot cattle given high doses of synthetic vitamin E (1,000 IU per day), and 3) cattle raised on fresh pasture with no added supplements. The meat from the pastured cattle is four times higher in vitamin E than the meat from the feedlot cattle and, interestingly, almost twice as high as the meat from the feedlot cattle given vitamin E supplements. [14#] In humans, vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent antioxidant may also have anti-aging properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.

Data from: Smith, G.C. "Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets." Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1171

Reduced Risk of E. Coli

The deadliest form of E. Coli is more common than originally thought. Fortunately, grassfed animals are much less likely to transmit the disease.

A study in the March 28th, 2000 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports that as many as one out of every three cattle may play host to the deadliest strain of E. coli bacteria ( 0157:H) This is ten times higher than earlier estimates.

As explained in more detail in Why Grassfed Is Best!, feeding cattle their natural diet of grass instead of grain greatly reduces the risk of disease transmission. Why? First, it keeps the overall bacteria count low. Second, it prevents the bacteria from becoming acid resistant. Acid-resistant bacteria are far more likely to survive the acidity of our normal digestive juices and cause disease. The first graph below illustrates the absolute numbers of E. coli bacteria found in grassfed versus grainfed animals. The second graph shows how many of the bacteria are likely to withstand our gastric juices. (Note: Grassfed animals have so few acid-resistant bacteria that the number fails to register on the scale of the graph.)

One of the lead researchers on the project, USDA microbiologist James Russell, told a reporter for Science Magazine, "We were absolutely shocked by the difference. WE never found an animal that didn't agree with the trend."

You should still take the normal precautions when handling and cooking grassfed meat, however. As few as ten E. coli bacteria can cause disease in people with weakened immune systems.

(Diez-Gonzalez, F., et al. (1998). "Grain-feeding and the dissemination of acid-resistant Escherichia coli from Cattle." Science 281, 1666-8.)

This information was excerpted from Jo Robinson's Website: www.eatwild.com

Read Jo Robinson's Book to learn even more!

Pasture Perfect by Jo Robinson.

In this breakthrough book, Robinson explores the new grass-fed phenomenon. She explains why tens of thousands of people are saying "no" to factory farming, and buying their meats, eggs and dairy products from pasture-based ranchers. You'll learn why grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, bison and dairy products are safer, healthier, and more beneficial for you, the farmers, the animals, and the environment.

Pasture Perfect takes you on a "pasture walk" of a grass-based farm where dedicated farmers raise their cattle on grass alone. The animals never leave the farm and live natural, stress-free lives eating their native diet. Next, you'll be given a tour of a factory farm and see the night and day differences. It will be very clear why Old MacDonald doesn't live there anymore.

Pasture Perfect gives you practical advice to help you make the transition to grass-fed products, including:

Help with finding quality grass-fed products
Wrapping, freezing, and cooking instructions, and
Sixty farm-tested, delicious recipes.

Buy multiple copies of Pasture Perfect and receive substantial reductions from the individual copy price. See Related Items below for details.

Praise for Robinson's Work
"Jo Robinson is the undisputed maven of fact-based health information about grass-fed meat and dairy products. You can always count on her hard-nosed "show me the research" skepticism toward any and all health claims. If she writes about it, you know that what she tells you is based on science and not hyperbole."—Allan Nation, Editor, The Stockman Grass Farmer

"Through Jo's dedicated gathering of relevant research we are coming to know that pasture-raised animal products are healthier for us. Read this book and buy your animal products from stewards who raise their animals on high-quality pasture."—George Boody, Executive Director, Land Stewardship Project

Jo Robinson is the "high priestess for the pasture-feeding movement ...Unlike other evangelists for organicity, Robinson backs up her passionate beliefs with thorough research."—The Seattle Weekly