Did I say that lean red meat had more omega 3s?

Submitted by louiseds on October 13, 2009 - 3:41am
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Well if I did, I was wrong. Regardless of fat content, *grassfed* meat has less than 4:1 omega 6:omega 3. *Grainfed* beef can get up to four times that. Meat from both feeding systems looks similar on the butcher's cabinet, though grainfed meat can be made paler (which consumers think is younger and therefore more tender) by manipulating the diet in the feedlot.

Here's the reference for the research that shows the difference between grassfed, short term grainfed (ie grain-finished) and longterm grainfed (raised and finished in a feedlot for a long time), http://www.deakin.edu.au/dro/view/DU:30009413.

Lean red meat turns out to be second only to fish as an omega 3 source in the Australian diet (Source, www.mla.com.au ), without the mercury problems and sustainability issues. Now imagine if all the meat we ate was gressfed! Pity about all the omega 6 that is so hard to dodge.

I was wondering if the story about grassfed vs grainfed was a lot of cobblers dreamt up by the organic lobby, but at last I have found some good evidence amongst all the alternative sales talk!

Well, I am off this weekend with DH and all our kids, to catch some wild fish from a wild beach of squeeky, powdery sand the colour of snow, with my new hi-tech fishing rod and new reel. I haven't been so excited by a consumer purchase for a long time! No, it didn't come from an op shop.

Dead fish rock (on my plate)! Yum. Truth be known we will probably just go and throw a lot of money at the Tackle Shop for bait, catch nothing and go home for a farm-killed grassfed steak instead! Aren't we a stupid species? Oh well, I guess it keeps the economy going. And what a *beautiful* place to spend a weekend without a bite.

Cheers

Louise

kiki

October 13, 2009 - 3:50pm

thanks for that Louise!
Oh, we are just so meant to eat in the natural ways we did 100 years ago... fresh butter from the farm, fresh healthy meat not this cramped feed fed stuff, happy animals, natural veg... how far from it we get ;-(

hope fishing is fabulous! our son got really into it this summer on holiday and was completely addicted. i wish we had lovely clean places to go near us. unfortunately, the north of scotland is rather far...

jandi_7

October 24, 2009 - 6:58pm

yes, grass fed is good for you- probably just the right proportions we were designed to eat..and did eat up to recently when lot fed came in. Try kangaroo(definitely would be all grass fed as they can't keep them in lots as far as I know) or even lamb (usually fed on grass especially in NZ), as well as grass fed beef- ie taht stuff that is not grain fed. The grain fed may or may not be fatty but there is some that is especially mostly marbled fed grain fed , for presumably the taste, although I prefer grass fed. I found some in Sydney finally at a Chinese butchers in Ashfield(both butchers look grass fed- but its just cheap meat, not prepackaged and I doubt they would know what the cattle ate). Similar I found a Chinese run butchers at Hurstville with similar cheap meat :-) Both taste way way better than the prepackaged grain fed meat, the stuff Coles and Woolies seem to sell, and that plasticy taste is absent in the steak too- its also less than half price.
Looking forward to hearing from anyone else whose found grass fed (or what they think may be) meat in Oz (its not labelled as such usually and usually cheap too:-)
PS.I've studied a bit on the fats etc at uni and I think in this I'm up to the latest research etc.(or at least up to a year ago or so if anyone wants anything briefly explained.)

louiseds

October 25, 2009 - 8:11pm

Hi Jandi

I have found a source in Mundaring.

Don't start me on kangaroos. I think a conversation between two Australians about kangaroos and eating them could get very messy. Yes, we can buy kangaroo meat for human consumption at our local IGA supermarket. It is pretty easy to find in the metro area too. Lovely and lean, and definitely bushfed. DD lives in kangaroo country, right out at the edge of the farming areas. We have also received kangaroo tails courtesy of DD's partner's shooting expertise. They makes demon soup or very flavoursome slow-cooked stew. Out there at the edge of human settlement, artificial water sources, earth dams and soaks, installed since white settlement have created a situation where the kangaroo population is far greater than it ever was in its undisturbed state. They really do get into plague proportions at times. Periodically we hear of suggestions about feedlots for kangaroos. The mind boggles.

It is such a pity that so much of the kangaroo meat from the supermarket is dressed up as pre-prepared dishes, complete with commercial marinades and seasonings. People seem to buy it. I would rather work from scratch and know what I am eating.

My personal experiences with kangaroos of the non-cooked variety are very upsetting for both me and the kangaroo, expensive, and usually involve a car and skidmarks and an insurance company. Therefore I take great enjoyment in savouring the flavour when I can.

L

jandi_7

October 29, 2009 - 4:57am

Hi back at ya,
Well I do admit kangaroos are cute, but then I also think cattle are too. Those great big eyes-they are like a big dog!
But unfortunatley I like eating meat... so I try not to think about either. I just think of them the same. My niexce has not spoken to me though since I made her a meal of kangaroo!
In the Nth Americas I guess buffalo or deer may be similar? Though I wouldn't know.

Jandi

louiseds

October 29, 2009 - 10:55am

Hi Jandi

I wouldn't worry about your niece. She'll get over it eventually. A grim reality like that needs to be delivered by the loving words of an auntie who cares deeply about her ability to make sense of the world as it is.

Here's another philosopical discussion starter for her.

"If we are all supposed to be vegetarian, why are animals made out of meat?"

But seriously, google 'ethical carnivore'. There is a worldwide movement out there. Ya just gotta get over the big brown eyes. I am sure that the Creator designed them that way, whether kangaroo, cow, pig, deer or rat, so that we would understand the seriousness of taking the life of another living creature.

Have you been watching River Cottage on ABC1?

L

saddleup

October 29, 2009 - 6:06pm

Louise:

Here in the American Midwest, we have unnaturally large populations of the white-tailed deer. They are beautiful, graceful, super-abundant, and quite tasty, with almost no fat. DH hunts them when he can. They jump almost as well as kangaroos, though they are not known for their boxing skills. They cause lots of auto accidents and eat up the native vegetation. They are pretty well corn-fed in this area--hanging out in farm fields and gorging themselves. If they were less common, they would be appreciated more for the stunningly beautiful creatures they are. I love being an omnivore.

louiseds

December 5, 2009 - 7:40am

Hi All

I just stumbled upon this website, http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html . Thought some of you in North America might be interested to know where you can get pasture based animal products, ie those high in omega 3 fatty acids and low in omega 6 fatty acids.

Cheers

Louise

louiseds

December 5, 2009 - 7:45am

Hi Upside down people

Here's one for us down here, http://www.realmilkaustralia.com/index.php?page_id=9 , about stuff to do with raw milk products and the current threats to its supply.

Cheers

Louise