Most of you know the difference between organic fruit and veg compared to the regular kind. But when it comes to meat, it’s not so clear. Does grass fed beef mean it doesn’t contain any hormones and antibiotics? Or do you need to buy organic to avoid all these? What’s the difference between free range and organic chicken? I was asking the same questions and just as confused as you are. I’ll help clear this up and show you how it can impact your health. Organic Beef vs Grass Fed Beef As the demand for healthier food has increased, so has the amount of choice. Food labels can be a little tricky to decipher today as you may have read in my previous post. Grass fed beef actually means nothing more than the cattle have been fed grass not grain. Regular beef comes from cattle that are fed grain because it’s cheaper and fattens them up however that grass could have been sprayed with the chemicals. Some producers start feeding them with grass for the first year and a half then finish them on grain over the last 90 days to get that little bit of marbling on them and to get the last 50 kilos on them before they go to market¹. Additionally, grass fed beef can also mean that the cows were given antibiotics and hormones to promote faster growth and increase profits. So what type of beef should you be looking for? Organic grass fed beef. Cattle that have been raised on healthy grass provide you with a more nutritious meal, and organic grass fed beef has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and lower levels of unhealthy fats. They do take longer to raise and feed so unfortunately they don’t come cheap. Organic Chicken vs Free Range Chicken Chickens are not immune to the same confusion that surrounds beef. In this case, the words natural, fresh and free range, are often used. They mean very little, however. Although there is no standard definition of “free range” in Australia, they’re very similar and won’t really matter whether there are 12 birds or 17 birds per square metre. Free range chickens are required to have access to outdoor forage areas after 21 days of age however, there’s no clear stipulation involving access to green vegetation. Also, free range chickens may be given genetically modified feed. Organic chickens on the other hand are required to have access to green vegetation at just 10 days old and can’t be given any genetically modified food. Everything they eat must come from organic production, which means no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers were used. Why Choose Organic? I hope you can see why there are benefits in buying organic as opposed to the regular stuff. When animal products are certified organic, they’re guaranteed to be free of toxic chemicals, growth hormones and antibiotics used in conventional farming practices. Some might argue that these are safe, but the dose makes the poison. If you’re regularly eating animal products, your body is accumulating toxins, hormones and antibiotics that it does not need. Even more unnerving is the fact that your body is likely storing these even if you aren’t eating animal products. When pastures and feed are sprayed with chemicals with pesticides like glyphosate, the chemicals begin to build up in the soil and spread to the water. This affects all of our food, which explains why some pesticides and herbicides can now be detected in humans. They’ve been linked to everything from cancer to autoimmune diseases and obesity. These chemicals build up in an animal’s body as well, so you’re not only exposed to chemicals in the water and soil when buying conventional produce, but if you’re purchasing meats that are not organic, you’re also being exposed in that way. It’s common practice for conventionally raised animals to be given hormones to increase their rate of growth and decrease the number of days farmers have to spend money feeding them. If the animal product you consume was given hormones, you’re being given a dose of these hormones. Increased hormone levels have also been shown to cause cancer and weight gain. Antibiotics are often given to conventionally raised animals as disease spreads faster when animals are not humanely raised. Consuming animals that have been giving antibiotics weakens your immune systems over time which fights off disease and virus. How To Ensure You’re Getting The Right Stuff When it’s time to shop, you have to do a little detective work to get healthy organic meat. I recommend you start local and see if there’s an organic butcher around. It’s always best to support local businesses who are trying to do the right thing. If you can’t manage to find one, look for the Australian Certified Organic logo on packages. It’s the most recognised and trusted organic certification in the country. Australian Organic ensures that animals have been raised to comply with organic standards from start to finish. I hope this clears some of the confusion. Do you have a great source of organic meats? Leave a comment below and recommend yours. Do you have a trusted organic meat dealer? Leave a comment below and recommend yours! For more natural health tips visit our blog at: http://www.alkalife.com.au/blog
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