beef it's what's for dinner understanding beef production practices and their impact on nutrition quality they may employ varying practices to responsibly raise their cattle lifetime diet of grain-finished cattle you may see statements reflecting the different production grain what cattle eat most cattle spend the majority of their lives grazing on pasture than 11% of their lifetime feed is grass-finished cattle spend their grass-finished cattle may spend their entire lives on pasture human-inedible forage food industry byproducts grain-finished spend the majority of their lives eating grass or forage spend 4-6 months at a feedyard eating a balanced diet of and hay or forage most beef is from cattle that are raised this way and the packages likely don't have a specific label claim cow-calf diet other human- inedible plants mostly grass diet other human- inedible plants grass-finished or grass-fed spend their whole lives eating grass or forage may or may not be given fda-approved antibiotics to treat duration duration finishing other human- inedible plants diet certified organic never receive any antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones organically grown may spend time at a feedyard duration naturally raised may be referred to as "never-ever" never receive any antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones may be either grain- or grass-finished may spend time at a feedyard is grass-finished more sustainable? yes and no! grain-finished beef has a lower carbon footprint since grass-finished cattle can contribute to sustainability by using forage from grasslands that sequester carbon nutrition facts the only nutritional differences between the various beef choices relate to the fatty acid content and profile of grain-finished beef versus grass- finished beef.? many cuts of both grain-finished and grass-finished beef its higher monounsaturated fat content,the fatty acid profile of grain- finished beef may be more conducive to better health outcomes mufas are the same type of fat found in avocado and olive oil substituting mufa for cholesterol-raising sfa has been shown to reduce ldl cholesterol and lower the risk of type il diabetes and cardiovascular disease.3 recent studies suggest the higher mufa content of grain-finished beef may be important for increasing plasma hdl cholesterol content among beef consumers essential nutrients in beef iron helps the body transport and use oxygen to power through the day zinc helps maintain a healthy immune system and is required for proper growth and body function energy production from food beef funded by beef farmers and ranchers
