The red meat war has gone far and people are highly keen to gather information about the variety of meats available in the market, majorly the grass-fed meat and grain-fed meat. For long, people have consumed the conventional grain-fed meats and also loved them dearly. However, in the recent times, they are coming across meats labeled as 100% grass-fed which makes them ponder on what’s with these labels? Are these meats different?
Well, of course, they are! There is a big gap between the grass-fed meats and the grain-fed meats. Let’s have a look at them.
Difference between Grass-fed Meat and Grain-fed Meat
Livestock
The foremost difference comes in the way the livestock is raised for these meats. When it comes to grain-fed meats, the animals are put up in cells and stables where they have a very limited space to move around. They are fed with grains and fodder and given other growth hormones so that they quickly gain weight and could be sent for slaughter in the least time period. So, the time to market for these meats is low, the production is easy, and so they are easily available as well. However, for the grass-fed meats, a more natural growth and raising process is followed. The animals are left open to roam about the pastures and graze on the natural grass and shrubs from their surroundings. This makes the production time for grass-fed meats just the double for what it is for the grain-fed ones. This is one reason they are pricier too, and also not that easily available. However, since a more natural process is followed, these meats can be said to be healthier, which takes us to the next point of difference between both the meats.
Nutritional Value
When we get our meals, we are highly concerned about the nutritional value we can derive from them. When you talk about meats, there is a big gap in the nutritional value you could get from grain fed meats and grass-fed meats. It is found that grass-fed beef is far more nutritional in comparison to grain fed meat considering that it has higher content of omega 3 fatty acids, has less amount of saturated fats, and also has other essential nutrients such as conjugated linoleic acid, etc. On the contrary, in grain fed meats, there are growth hormones, and these can turn to harmful compounds in case the meat is overcooked by any chance. So, a lot of care has to be taken when preparing these meats.
So, these are some differences between the grass-fed meat and grain-fed meat and from the foregoing, it is clear that the gap is definitely huge. However, with the gap, it is also clear that the grass-fed meat option proves to be a plus for consumption for it is definitely healthier although pricier. It is only just to pay a little more for a better health. So, choose your meat wisely after fully considering the differences and gaps so that you feed the best to your body.
