Beef is Better

Posted Fri, 03/19/2010 - 17:58 by Melissa

From Dr. Harris at PaNu

Non- ruminants are much more subject to passing on the ratio they get in their diets. So the unhealthiest beef has a 6:3 ratio as good or better than pastured free range bug-eating chicken, and fowl fat from industrial operations is like eating vegetable oil.

That's something good to remember. I had a roommate who was a poultry scientist and I learned lots about chicken feed from him. It's nearly impossible to raise modern breeds of chicken...or any chicken for market weights without using lots and lots of grains, seeds, and legumes. Same goes for hogs. I've updated paleo foods in light of this. 

While feedlot beef might have gorged on grains at the end of their lives, they spent much of their lives relying on grass. If I am at a restaurant and the choice is between chicken of dubious origin and beef of dubious origin, I pick beef. Lamb is an even better choice.

When I'm dining with friends who could give a damn about local or paleo food, I try to steer them towards Middle Eastern or Indian restaurants that might use Halal meat. There isn't much terribly special about it, except they are likely to serve lamb and the is likely to be from New Zealand (major producer of halal meats) and thus grass fed. Don Wiss pointed this out at in the forums at Eating Paleo in NYC.

Comments

I am interested that you say

by scruff - 03/28/2010 - 12:19

I am interested that you say "While feedlot beef might have gorged on grains at the end of their lives, they spent much of their lives relying on grass." This doesn't quite fit with the picture of CAFO feeding procedures as I understand them - admittedly gleaned mostly from Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma.

As far as I know, lamb is

by Murray O'Brien - 03/21/2010 - 06:08

As far as I know, lamb is only ever pasture fed, this is certainly the case in Australia where we grow a lot of lamb. Supermarket beef is all pasture raised here as well. They export the grain fed stuff to Japan at a premium!

Excellent point, Melissa. I,

by Keith Norris - 03/20/2010 - 22:14

Excellent point, Melissa. I, too, choose beef when out and about more times than not. Except when at a fine restaurant, and duck is offered. Good duck, like good beer, is one of my few non-paleo treats.

i had rack of lamb for dinner

by emily - 03/20/2010 - 13:50

i had rack of lamb for dinner the other night, and though it takes heavy amounts of fossil fuels to get here, i was glad it was new zealand lamb as i assumed it always grass fed there. is this fact though, or just wishful thinking? how can it be so inexpensive compared to domestic grass fed beef or lamb is my other question. also whole foods often has new zealand sharp chedder on sale for 4$/lb, its tasty and cheaper then local chedders.

What interesting - and

by Maggie - 03/20/2010 - 10:29

What interesting - and encouraging - news! I was just wondering this the other day, as I have been eating out a lot lately. The other day at a Thai restaurant I went with duck, because it seemed like it might be the safest option. Oh, the fat was plentiful and divine in my red curry...now I know I can feel okay about ordering beef even if I don't know its origins. Thanks!

Duck is SO good and based on

by Melissa - 03/20/2010 - 11:29

Duck is SO good and based on Nutritiondata.com not as high in omega 6 as dark chicken meat, but beef still seems to have a better ratio. It's interesting poking around in nutritiondata, because the ratios are so surprising.

Luckily, in Thai food much of the fat comes from coconut. Most restaurants unfortunately use oils though, it seems they often use canola oil, but at least that is better than soybean oil.