Have you thought about switching your protein sources out for more sustainable meat? Maybe you have already made the switch with your produce. You go to your local farmers market, or you just try to buy organic vegetables and fruit when you are at the grocery store. So, why not make the switch when it comes to your meat by shopping at local meat farmers markets, too, or even trying to buy steaks and meat online that are more sustainable?
Not sure if sustainable meat is worth the hype, the extra effort and the added cost? Keep reading to learn all about free range pork, grass fed beef and free range chicken and even freshly caught wild salmon.
There are a multitude of reasons why mass farmed animals may not be the healthiest form of protein, and why, instead, purchasing something like dry aged beef for sale online may be the better option for you and your family. For instance, when livestock is mass produced and sold, it does not always receive the best care. In the United States alone, livestock are given feed that contains a lot of antibiotics. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of the antibiotics produced in the United States goes straight into livestock feed given to the animals you turn around and eat.
When cows on farms are grass-fed instead of fed food made with antibiotics, it helps both them and you live healthier lives. Grass-fed cows are given the opportunity to get important nutrients and vitamins in their diets. For example, they receive plenty of vitamin A and vitamin E, along with omega-3 fatty acids when they are grass-fed. Additionally, their beef tends to have more beta carotene by seven times than grain-fed beef. Currently, the majority of beef sold in the United States is grain-fed when the demand for grass-bed should be increasing due to the health benefits. To be exact, only 3 percent of beef sales come from grass-fed beef. If you do your research and find good distributors, you could start purchasing healthier items like dry aged beef for sale online that you know comes from a reliable source.
The same can be said for chickens and pigs that are pasture fed rather than fed with a mass produced feed like grain feed. Not only does this feed make them healthier and us healthier, but it helps them keep their litters healthier so that the pork industry can keep up and running to meet our demand for pork in the United States. If pigs are pasture fed, they are more likely to meet the necessary vitamin E levels, and they are able to better care for their babies because they have 74 percent more selenium in their milk.
Fish like salmon are a similar story. Salmon that is farmed instead of wild is less healthy to consume for a multitude of reasons. One surprising fact is that wild salmon is actually less caloric. It has 32 percent fewer calories according to the National Nutritional Database. The number of grams of fat is cut in half when you purchase wild salmon instead of farmed salmon. It drops from 27 grams of fat to 13 grams of fat.
With Americans consuming 66.5 pounds of beef and 90 pounds of chicken every year, it really matters how the animals are treated and fed prior to them hitting your dining room table. Next time you try to decide what protein to buy, consider the healthier choice like dry aged beef for sale online from a healthier distributor.
Have you ever bought protein like dry aged beef for sale online from a distributor that you trust to sell you healthier meat? Let us know in the comments about your experience purchasing healthier meats online or at a local market that you trust to provide you with healthier protein sources.
