Title: "Why Grassfed is Best"

Source: The Quivira Coalition

Link: http://agriculturalconnections.seedleaf.com/images/pages/grassfed_quivira.pdf

Summary:

In the 1950s farmers around the country took their cows off of grass and started to feed them a cheaper corn grain diet. This resulted in many Americans having cardiovascular problems. The grains that the cows were being fed were high in omega-6s. Omega-6s higher the bad cholesterol LDL and may even make cancer fells grow faster and more invasive. These grains also contain man made fats which are trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids raise our bad cholesterol and unlike fats found in nature, they also lower our good cholesterol. Trans-fatty occur in the hydrogenation process that converts vegetable oil into margarine and shortening. Trans-fats are the worst fats for cardiovascular health.

Cows need to have a natural grass fed diet to absorb omega-3s. Omega-3s originate in the green leaves of plants and algae, specifically in the chloroplasts. Fish have a larger amount because they eat other fish that feed on algae. The grass fed cows also give us conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an acid that may have an effect fighting off cancer.

Grass fed cows are considered "lean meats" which lower LDL cholesterol levels. Grass fed cows have 2 to 6 times more omega-3 fatty acids than corn fed meat.