Is the Fat in Grass-Fed Beef Better for You?

Q: Is there any research showing that the fat from grass fed cows is not as bad for you as the commercially raised cows? And if so, how bad is the fat from the “green” cows?

A: Saturated fats are the culprits that make beef cautionary for those concerned about their heart health. While both grass- and grain-fed beef contain these harmful fats, studies do show that saturated fat is more abundant in grain-fed beef than grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is also higher in the important omega-3 fatty acids–up to six times higher.

Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.

Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.

Read more: Diet & Nutrition, Health, beef, fats, grain-fed, grass-fed, saturated fats

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Angela N.

4:50PM PDT on Mar 28, 2012

Interesting :D

send a green star

Berny P.

7:30AM PST on Jan 13, 2012

fat is not all good!

KS G.

5:45AM PDT on Jul 15, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Jerry t.

4:18PM PDT on May 15, 2011

Cows are dumb, Buffalo are smart, eat smart.

Robert O.

12:28AM PDT on May 14, 2011

Interesting, thanks.

Bon L.

5:18AM PST on Nov 23, 2010

Thanks for the info.

Mary L.

10:15AM PST on Nov 13, 2010

Thank you. I appreciate the information.

MarilynBusy F.

7:24AM PST on Nov 13, 2010

I'm surprised at the comments saying that any fat is bad for you...when in reality, you need some fat to feed your brain!

7:22AM PST on Nov 13, 2010

There would be no E.coli if cattle were not fed corn...which is NOT their natural diet.

We eat extremely little beef, but when we do it's grass-fed organically raised beef.

Fast food beef is treated with ammonia...as is school lunch beef.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html?_r=2

Marie Noelle C.

9:58AM PDT on Aug 11, 2010

Grass fed is better. Grass is what cows are supposed to eat.