So what do you know about beef? That it comes from a cow. That it’s used to make hamburgers.
What do you want to know about beef? Maybe that is all you care to know.
I know I am rather dorky, but I find it fascinating to learn about food – what it is, how it was grown or the animal raised, what I can do with it – everything! I know most people aren’t like that, but give it a try and keep reading.
I eat meat, I am not a vegetarian, but I do think it is extremely important to make good choices about the quality of meat we are consuming for many different reasons. Today I am going to share what I have learned about beef, in hopes that it could help you make choices about things you care about, and maybe this is one of those things. There are many people in this world that have some connection to the farming and/or meat industry - my own grandfather retired from the meat industry after a life long career of climbing up the company ladder. My hope is that if you are one of those people, you won't take offense to anything in this blog, because that is not my intent. I bet if I shared this with my grandfather today, he would probably be surprised himself. Most of this information is simply not well publicized, so here goes...
I have mentioned before, I read a lot of articles and blogs and watch a lot of food television and documentaries. Meat is one topic that I see over and over again. I continue to see the same few important key points that I want to try to summarize for you today. I want to make it clear, I am sharing what I have learned and my interpretation of things I have read about or watched and there is potential for inaccuracies. Take home point – do your own research, hopefully this will just get you thinking!
I am going to speak specifically about cows and beef today, but keep in mind most of this same information can apply to pigs and chickens.
When I think about cows, I think about them out on a farm roaming around and the occasional smell of manure as I drive through my college rivalry town, Manhattan, Kansas (Go Jayhawks!). Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, cows are not always raised on grass pasture farms like they used to be. It is now common for cows to be raised on feed lots or what is sometimes known as AFO or CAFO (an animal feeding operation or concentrated animal feeding operation) by the Environmental Protection Agency. These are basically confined spaces where animals can not roam around. Food is brought to them and the food is typically not grass. They are fed a majority corn diet, typically along with small amount of other items such as soy. Corn is cheap, easy to grown and easy to access for a variety of farmers and distribution channels. Cows are fed a corn diet, because it can be done easily in these confined spaces and also because it can quickly fatten up the animals, which means the product (i.e. steaks and ground beef) can be sold much quicker and in a larger quantity. So what does this mean for us as the consumer?
Corn fed cows, also sometimes known as grain fed cows, are more prone to carry a mutated E.coli strand (known as 0157), a potentially deadly bacteria, in their digestive system. Normally acid can breakdown the bacteria in the cows stomach, but over time cows fed a diet of corn can build some resistant and become unable to kill this bacteria. As we all know, cows naturally defecate, just as all mammals do, and if they are in confined spaces, they could end up standing in their own manure or any of the other animals in the same confined space. This increases the risk of potentially passing on various bacteria strands to each other, including E.coli.
One documentary Zach and I watched called Ingredients made a statement that said research shows one pound of ground meat can come from up to hundred different cows, therefore preventing little to no control of production and making it extremely difficult to monitor and track diseases, such as E.coli. This means if someone gets sick from eating a hamburger contaminated with a bacteria, it can be extremely difficult to prevent others from getting sick because it can prove complex to track where the meat originated.
Cows can also be given antibiotics and growth hormones for the same reason - quickly fattening up the animal. A major concern is the potential transfer of these substances to the human consuming the meat. (***The use of hormones is federally prohibited in pigs, turkeys, and chickens***)
In addition to cows being given antibiotics to stimulate growth, they also can be given as a means to try and control various bacteria and potential diseases. The increased use of these antibiotics is said to have caused humans resistance to some antibiotics. I don’t want to have to question, nor should anyone, the by products of a simple hamburger – bacteria, antibiotics, hormones.
If you aren't convinced yet, eating beef from corn or grain fed cows is not as good for you. Eating beef from cows that are primarily grass fed, are more nutritious than their counterpart (less saturated fat, more vitamins, higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids).
If any of these things are important to you, you have options. I am not saying don’t eat beef again, maybe just take some proactive steps. Packaging of beef should help guide you with words like ‘grass fed’, ‘antibiotic free’, ‘hormone free.’ Keep in mind, labels such as ‘free range’ or ‘natural’ are not quite as regulated. There are of course organic varieties as well, which have much more strict regulations, but I am not going to get into that today.
One more thing I wanted to share…
I think you all probably remember news stores about fast food restaurants and the use of fillers in their meat. I do remember, but at the time didn’t think twice about it. Well, I had a turning point recently. Zach and I used to watch a show on ABC called Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Jamie Oliver is a chef from England that did a two series show on bringing awareness to people about food and specifically focused on foods that children are given at school. He did a couple of demonstrations during that series that stuck with me, but the one I am wanting to share with you today (and strongly encourage you to watch) is about ground meat.
A couple of different facts I find alarming:
- Up to 15 percent of a ground beef product can be this mechanically separated pink slime filler.
- Overall, to be considered meat it must contain 40 percent ground meat. Why not 100%?
- Finally, the use of ammonia never has to be listed on the label, because it is considered a processing agent and not an ‘ingredient’.
Better Bonus Tips:
- Avoid fast food ground meat as much as possible. Typically the cheaper the meat, the more likely your meat might be affected by some of the items mentioned above.
- Buy ground beef that is labeled 100% ground chuck or ground sirloin to avoid fillers. (disclaimer - this is a bit up for debate due to labeling laws)
- Purchase your meat from a local farmer as often as you can. Not only are you able to question where your meat comes from, you are also supporting a smaller local farmer :). If you have a deep freezer, you can buy in bulk to drive the cost down.
- Consider buying ground meat from a retailer like Whole Foods. Price is typically $2-3 more per pound, but completely worth it because you don't have to question. You could even watch for sales by signing up for email notifications and when it is on sale, stock up and store in your freezer.
- Having the butcher ground the meat for you will also control the use of no fillers. Most grocery stores will do it for you and the difference in price per pound is minimal.
I actually cook with ground meat quite a bit. Below is a staple that I turn to often for a quick lunch or dinner, using lean good quality ground meat.
The great thing about making taco salads (or any salad for that matter) is you can be pretty flexible and just throw in whatever you have around the house. This is what I had on hand this week:
1. Brown ground meat (beef or turkey) in a pan and once mostly cooked, add a splash of water and mix with packaged taco seasoning or simply cumin and chili powder. Drain and let cool slightly.
2. Mix any of the following ingredients to accommodate you and those in your house:
Lettuce - finely chopped (the darker the lettuce variety, the more nutritious - I like romaine)
Tomatoes - any type, finely chopped
Corn - frozen, cooked and then cooled or grilled are my preferences
Black Beans - drained and rinsed
Kidney Beans - drained and rinsed
Edamame - frozen, cooked and then cooled
Avocado - chopped or thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro - finely chopped
Red Onion - finely chopped or thinly sliced
Green Onion - finely chopped (I include the white and some of the green)
Jalapeno, pickled or fresh (the seeds are where the heat lives so remove them from a fresh jalapeno to control the heat)
Cheese - any shredded variety or crumbled queso fresco (a white Mexican cheese)
Sour Cream - lightly drizzled
Salsa or taco sauce (embarrassingly I will admit I love Taco Bell mild sauce - I have family, friends and coworkers who will bring me their left over sauce so I always have a stock. My brother also told me you can purchase it at most stores, so now I will always have some on hand)
Fresh lime juice
I always eat mine by scooping onto chips or crunching chips on top and eating with a fork.
Simple right!
Better Bonus Tip: Mix any of the same ingredients into a soft flour tortilla or crunchy shell for tacos.
Better Bonus Tip: Ground a pound or two of meat and store it in a pyrex container in the freezer for quick access meals. You can thaw the meat slightly allowing to easily scoop out individual servings as needed.
Check out the websites linked throughout the blog for additional information. One of my favorite documentaries that Zach and I have watched multiple times is Food Inc. It is a great introduction to food quality.
~Ashley
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