Good Fats Checkup

We are all bio-chemically unique and thankfully so!  Consuming a balanced healthy diet to match our uniqueness is a challenge in today’s fast paced and highly processed world.  Pasture grazed meats can benefit everyone’s diet.  Whether you are low-fat or low-carb, source pasture grazed meat from animals raised in nature’s image as part of your balanced diet.

FATS, CARBS and PROTEIN (Macronutrients)

We need all three macronutrients.  Doug is always enjoying a diet higher in fats, Sheila prefers more carbs.  DNA results from one of the popular testing companies confirmed Sheila’s preference.  Sheila just has more trouble digesting fats.  The key, balance and sourcing quality macronutrients.

When it comes to sourcing healthy fats, for any diet, pasture grazed meats really shine.  At DS Family Farm we are diligent in tracking our harvested beef fatty acid profiles.  In 2016 we wrote extensively about our 2015 harvested pasture grazed beef as analyzed by Midwest Labs, Omaha.  It’s time for an update on our 2016 and 2017 pasture graze beef analysis results.

Tracking Omega 6:3 Ratio

One of the main beneficial claims of grass-fed beef is the improved Omega 6:3 ratio in the fat.  A low Omega-6:3 ratio in grass-fed beef provides better balance of pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fats and anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats in our diets.  Both Omega-6 and 3 are essential fats for overall health!  The modern American diet, heavy in highly processed vegetable oils, results in over consumption of pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fats.  Some believe over consumption of Omega-6 fats has contributed to chronic inflammation within our bodies and partly accounts for the recent rise of autoimmune diseases in the USA.

An Omega 6:3 ratio of around “3:1” or lower is a key indicator we check to make sure our animal care is resulting in a “True 100% Grassfed” product.    Beef fed corn or any type of typical grain products leading up to harvest simply cannot have low Omega 6:3 values.  Our earlier 2015 Omega-6:3 research displayed data from two conventionally raised beef that averaged an Omega-6:3 ratio of 14.5:1.  We use this 14.5:1 average Omega-6:3 value for “conventional grocery store beef” in the chart below.

There are some “known” differences in the 2015 – 2017 samples:

• 2015 = Rib steak, October harvest
• 2016 = Regular ground beef, October harvest
• 2017 = Extra fat ground beef, August harvest

Beef cut and time of harvest are some “known” variables in each the samples.  There are many other “unknown” variables that went into raising these pasture grazed beef.  We can only focus day by day on the overall health of the herd.  Weather, forages and movement for the herd are constantly changing.  If all these variables result in a healthy herd and an enjoyable product for our customers, we get the opportunity to try it again next year.

Chart Summary

The decision to harvest beef earlier in 2017 (August) was for a number of reasons.  We look to the lab results as a check in deciding future harvest dates.  We are always looking for opportunities to improve overall herd health and management of the resources on the farm.  Based on the feedback from the lab results, we are still meeting our goal of raising healthy pure beef!

Health Summary

When it comes to our diets:

1. Avoid cooking in typical vegetable oils (omega 6 fats), when heated = oxidized (cyclic aldehydes)
2. Reduce simple carbohydrates (white bread, sugar)
3. Eliminate highly processed “so called foods” (eat traditional foods)
4. Spend health dollars on quality whole food!

Simply, try to source ALL macronutrients for high quality, low processing.  This ensures a complete package of nutrients as nature intended.  When sourcing meats, look for animals raised their entire life on pasture and harvested off actively growing forages.

We have found the FASTEST way to improve our health from the Standard American Diet is to first drop the bad (steps 1, 2 & 3 above).  After doing research, replace a bad with good healthy option (step 4).  This holds true for every aspect of our lives, eliminate the bad stuff first!