Organic, Grass-Fed, or “Regular” Meat?

April 29, 2019

Is organic or grass-fed meat and poultry any better for your health than conventional?  The answer is, in short, yes. 
 
Organic meat and poultry is from animals that were organically fed.  And what an animal eats is key to the quality of its meat.

Conventionally-raised animals are typically given feed made from GMO corn and soy -- crops which are heavily sprayed with pesticides like glyphosate (Roundup).  The animals eat those pesticide-laden grains, the pesticides get into their meat, and then get into us when we consume that meat.  Buying organic meat and poultry means you are buying products from animals which have been fed non-GMO, organic feed, thus eliminating your exposure to hazardous chemicals in your food.  But it's still meat from grain-fed animals.

Buying grass-fed animal products is even better because cows, for example, are not able to digest grains very well.  Their unique four-chambered guts are designed to digest grass so, when they are fed corn or soy, they get sick.  This is one of the reasons that conventionally-raised cows are often given antibiotics (they are also typically kept in very tight quarters without the ability to move around much, and this breeds disease, so they can require antibiotics for this reason as well).  Same goes for chickens -- they are meant to peck around in the earth and find bugs and plants to eat, not to have a trough of GMO corn plopped in front of them.
 
The added expense of organic or grass-fed meat and poultry is not a small one, but the cost can be minimized by sticking to the cheaper cuts like ground beef, eating smaller portions and adding in more vegetables.  When you do eat meat (which I do recommend -- even conventional meat and veggies is a MUCH better dinner than mac & cheese), buy the best quality meat you can afford.  As they say, “Pay the farmer now or pay the doctor later!”

More on this topic here, if you're interested.