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Choosing Healthier Animal By-Products
Research
now shows that the animal by-products made from grass fed animals are
healthier for us than the animal by-products that come from grain fed
animals. Grass fed animal products have greater omega-3 fat compositions
than the omega-3 fat compositions found in grain fed animal products and
the fats in omega-3 are crucial fats our bodies need. Our bodies are not
able to produce these fatty acids so we must get them from other sources
such as animals and health supplements. Omega-3 provides our bodies with
greater protection from such afflictions as arthritis, various cancers,
coronary artery disease, hypertension, as well as other conditions.
You may not
want to think of the animal products that you eat in this way, but it is
the truth. The diet that an animal had affects the beneficial qualities
of the meat, tissue, and organ products we consume. There is clear
evidence to support the assertion that animals that were fed a diet of
grass retain more of those beneficial qualities that humans depend on
for life and for our health, than those animals fed a diet of grain. In
scientific testing, the products made from grass fed animals were found
to have higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and fats than those
of grain fed animals.
Not all
fats are the same and not all of them are healthy for us. Some have been
proven to contribute to the development of disease, even as others such
as omega-3 offer us protection from many diseases. Grass fed animal
products have more of the fats that help our bodies to protect itself
from disease and have less of those fats that are believed to be
contributors to disease development. Grain fed animal products do not
have a greater amount of the healthy fats versus lower amounts of the
unhealthy fats.
In early
civilization animals were fed diets of grass. It was not until we became
a more industrialized society that feed for animals such as grain was
developed. The industrial revolution as it is known, also brought
changes to farming which in turn changed the beneficial qualities of
plant food sources. The diet of early humans was natural and unspoiled.
The average American diet today is polluted with manufactured food
products that do not resemble those early foods at all. They do not
offer the health benefits early people enjoyed because of their natural
diets either.
Organic
farming and feeding livestock grass only for healthier animal
by-products is leading us back to our early roots of healthier
eating. Not everyone has caught on to the need to do this as evidenced
by the overwhelming number of obese men, women, and children living in
the United States. Organic farmers do not inject animals with
antibiotics and hormones. Grass fed, organically raised animals make
healthier animal products for human consumption, then grain fed,
antibiotic and hormone infused animals do, plain and simple.
In reading
about how grass fed animals have greater omega-3 compositions than grain
fed animals, you may wonder why not just eat fish to get omega-3. Early
humans did consume large quantities of fish and got a good portion of
omega-3 from doing so, but we are warned against consuming fish in large
quanties today. This is because our industrial practices have dumped
pollutants like mercury into lakes, rivers, and oceans, contaminating
the water and the fish. Many fish today contain high levels of mercury
and other contaminants, making consumption of them unsafe. The
government thus far only warns pregnant women not to eat fish, but many
health experts are now encouraging people not to eat fish unless it has
been tested to determine if it is mercury free prior to consumption.
So look to
grass fed animal products to get the omega-3 fats and many other
vitamins and minerals your body needs to protect itself from disease and
reward you with a long and vital life.
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