It won’t surprise you to hear that I love beef. Beef of ALL sorts- I love a good burger, some yummy smoked tri-tip, pulled brisket, a chicken fried steak, a thick juicy sirloin steak, or a beef fajita. I don’t love beef just because it tastes so good or because we raise our own, but also because it is good for you. Really, really good for you.
Does THAT surprise you?
There are so many different voices telling consumers that beef is bad. Red meat is bad. Meat in general is bad. But I don’t think so. If it was I wouldn’t be eating it and certainly wouldn’t be feeding it to my family.
For a minute I am going to get all nerdy on you (I’ll admit it… gulp… I’m a nerd). Lets quick chat about all the good that is in beef. Beef is seriously loaded with all sorts of goodness. It is a significant source of 10 essential vitamins and minerals (protein, zinc, selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and choline). In one serving of beef (3 oz) you get at least 10% of what you need daily of these 10 essential vitamins and minerals in less than 10% of your daily recommended calories. I could go into more detail (and will if anyone is interested) of how and why your body needs these nutrients.
Now, if you wanted, you could say, “Hey, The Rancher’s Wife, I can get all of that from other sources of protein.” Yes. You can. And its totally fine if that is the way you want to go. But you should know that in one serving of beef you get more and more complete nutrients in half the calories as you would in other plant based sources of protein. So in essence, you get more bang for your buck.
Beef is also a good source of the healthy fats that we need in our diet being considered one of the best sources of monounsaturated fats. That’s the same kind of healthy fats that we get out of avocados and olive oil!
Yes, beef is healthy!
All beef.
Grass fed (which most cattle spend the majority of their life on grass), grain finished, organic, and natura are all types of beef that WILL have these all nutrients. The beef from all the different ways the cattle are raised WILL be a benefit to your diet. Whether the cattle have been finished in a feed yard, given antibiotics when it was sick, or raised on a meadow and never doctored, IT IS ALL GOOD.
And leads me to my final thought…
It’s all your choice. To eat beef or to not eat beef. To have grass or grain finished beef. To have organic, all-natural, dry-aged, home grown, or whatever other options are out there! It’s all up to you. I’m not here to say that you HAVE to eat beef or that it will miraculously change your life (Ok… the yumminess may change your life, especially if The Rancher cooks it up for you!). What I’m here for is to give you the information you need to make a good choice for your family, to tell you that it is a great, healthy option for you and your family and for you to know that my family is here doing our best to give you a product you can be proud to serve your family.
