All that you need to know before eating beef
Many love to have their favorite steak when they go to a restaurant. On the other hand, many avoid this red meat under all conditions. Well, this second group may have many reasons behind their decision - be it health, financial reason, digestion problem or animal right. If not eating beef makes and keeps you healthy - there is no reason to turn carnivorous all of a sudden. That being said if you like beef but avoid it just by considering the unhealthy aspects associated - it's time to think again. A modest amount of 4 ounce of beef 2-3 times a week may actually be good for your health. That being said, it has to be lean beef. According to latest researches, lean beef doesn't increase the cardiovascular risks.
Well, you may have heard of all these terms associated with beef many times now, such as - Natural Beef, Organic Beef, No hormone beef or grass fed beef. Well, though the names kind of give you an idea on what types of beefs these are, through this article, you should get a better idea overall.
Natural Beef
These are your conventional beefs. These are usually grown at the feedlots and mostly are on corn diet, instead of the natural grass. As a result, these are high on calorie. These don't come with a label and hence, are not processed in anyway. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that these are healthy options for you. First, as already mentioned these are high on calorie. Secondly, many times, this type of meat is not sterile due to illness caused through food consumed. Finally, this type of beef usually lacks the nutrients which are present in the organic or grass fed variants of the same.
No Hormone Beef
As the name suggests, these were not given any kind of growth hormones for better growth and are supposed to be healthier. These are usually labeled likewise. However, you will find beef which are labeled as no antibiotic beef as well. These were supposedly not given any kind of antibiotics for treatment of illness. That being said, this is often found to be a vague claim as it becomes hard to validate the authenticity of the claim as time progresses.
Meat Cutting
Organic Beef
These animals grow by only eating organic food - it can be grass or grain or corn - however, all of the foods that they ever consumed have to be organically produced. These animals can never be given any growth hormone or antibiotics either. If one gets sick, it still needs to be treated with medicine, but cannot be sold as organic meat thereafter. According to doctors, these are good for health but may lack some of the benefits that a beef which is solely fed on grass usually has.
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Grass Fed Beef
These animals eat grass primarily, but are never given grains or corns. Apart from that, they should have continuous access to pasture and be given other usual food consumed by a cow. These are known to be the healthiest of the four as these don't contain extra fat. Also, these are known to be high on Omega 3 Fatty acids - which are a good nutrient to have for people suffering from high cholesterol problem. There are antioxidants present in this kind of beef as well, such as Vitamin A and E.
Diet is a personal choice. But if you decide to eat beef at a regular basis, it is important to make an informed decision and this article is expected to help you in that direction. You deserve to know what is healthy for you and what is not.