A friend recently asked me what the difference was between organic meat and grass-fed meat. After all, the term “organic” is now nearly synonymous with “healthy.” Although that’s mostly true when you’re talking produce, organic meat should be approached with much more caution.
Before getting into organic vs. grass-fed, let me touch on the label “natural” for a moment. When you hear the word “natural” you usually think of blue skies, green grass and animals roaming around in their natural habitat.
Banish that vision when it comes to meat and processed food labels!
The FDA allows factory farmers and food manufacturers to label anything as “natural” if it was once alive. It has nothing to do with whether the product contains organic ingredients, is chemical-free or–in the case of animals–was raised in a humane, natural environment.
All conventional meat found in conventional grocery stores that are labeled “natural” used to be animals that were raised in confined stables, had no access to the outdoors, were shot up with hormones and antibiotics, and likely died of some horrible disease because it was fed pesticide-filled food that the animal was never designed to eat.
Okay, back to the topic on hand…
All that being said, eating organic meat is a much healthier choice than eating conventional meat.
Pros of eating organic meat over meat from factory farms
- Organic meat comes from animals that were given a pesticide-free diet.
- These animals may have had some limited access to pasture.
- They were not loaded with antibiotics, steroids and other poisons.
- Organic meat has not been irradiated.
- Therefore, organic meat is not loaded with toxins–that are subsequently passed on to you when you eat them–like conventional meat is.
Organic meat has one “pro” over grass-fed meat, in that it is often somewhat less expensive. But when it comes to nutrition, grass-fed meat is far superior than organic meat. Why? The main reason is a crucial one:
Organic meat is high in the omega-6 fatty acids; grass-fed meat is high in the omega-3 fatty acids.
Because organic meat comes from animals that are fed mostly grain, it contains mostly omega-6 fatty acids and little omega-3 fatty acids. This may not sound like such a big deal, unless you are aware that one of the causes of cholesterol problems and heart attacks–as well as other degenerative conditions–is the disproportionate amount of omega-6′s to omega-3′s in the American diet. Consuming grain-feed meat exacerbates the problem.
Of course, there are several other reasons to choose grass-fed meat over organic.
Cows Grazing Pasture
Pros that grass-fed meat has over organic meat
- Raised exclusively–or almost exclusively–on grass, their natural diet.
- Comes from small farms, so to buy grass-fed meat is to support small businesses and the American entrepreneurial spirit.
- Cattle is rotated, assuring a high-quality diet, and therefore more nutritious meat.
- Lower in fat than both conventional and organic meat.
- Higher in cancer-fighting CLA’s (conjugated linoleic acids) and beta carotene.
- Low risk of e-coli and other pathogens.
My recommendations?
- Avoid all conventional meat.
- Eat organic meat maybe once or twice a week, IF you have an otherwise pristine (namely, whole-food) diet.
- If you can afford it, eat meat from pastured animals as often as you eat meat. If your budget prohibits it, consume grass-fed meat once or twice a week and get your protein from organic eggs, beans and homemade bone broth the rest of the time.
If you are not near a health food store or farm that sells high quality grass-fed meat, you can order it online from
US Wellness Meats. They carry grass-fed organ meats as well, which are impossible to find in stores.
There you have it. Choose grass-fed meat, and be healthy!
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