Reducing the amount of beef you consume is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but if beef is what’s for dinner, try to buy meat from grass fed cows. Grass fed animals, including cattle, bison, goats and sheep have eaten nothing but their mother’s milk and fresh grass or grass-type hay from birth to harvest – all their lives. Grass fed animal products have been shown to be higher in beta carotene (Vitamin A), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important in reducing cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and other life threatening diseases. These products are lower in fat, cholesterol and calories. In addition, the risk of infection by E. coli in these products in virtually eliminated. In addition to being healthier for you, grass fed meat is better for the environment because animals allowed to graze on pasture spread out their waste over the entire pasture area, providing a natural source of fertilizer. This is in contrast with a commercial feedlot or dairy where the manure must be collected, trucked, and then spread onto fields nearby. Grazing operations are very environmentally friendly as they are really “grass farms”, which use livestock to process grass into a healthy food product. By skipping commercially produced grains, grass fed animals are spared the hormone shots, sub-therapeutic antibiotics and animal proteins added to feeds. Another advantage? The grass is eaten where it grows, which means no gas is used to ship it from the factory to the farm. Cutting back on beef is best, but when given the choice, choose grass fed instead.

Photo by Jesse Hove.