Who's your meat-man?

Happy, grazing cows at Thundering Hooves Farm, Walla Walla

You'd have to have been living in a hole for the last 5 or so years to not know that grass-fed beef is the newest craze in health food.  That's why I was surprised to recently be dining at a McCormick and Schmicks in Baltimore and see them proudly boast about their corn-fed beef.  Huh?  I suppose I appreciate their transparency.  I opted for the wild caught mahi mahi.

The idea of grass-fed meat is a simple one.  Cows are not supposed to eat corn or any grain for that matter.  They are supposed to eat grass.  They have 4 stomachs for a reason.  But corn makes cows fat fast... And that is very convenient for the meat industry.  Unfortunately cows raised on corn make us fat fast too.  Corn fed beef is extremely high in the Omega 6 fats that we definitely don't need more of.  Eating grass fed beef means you can take less fish oil... this will make Tyler very happy. 

For about a year now, I've only purchased meat that I know comes from a source that is grass-fed/pastured/humanely raised/wild caught/free-range (depending on the meat, of course).  It's harder initially because you actually have to think when you buy your food.  But it gets easier.

I'm just going to highlight two of my sources of grass-fed beef.  The first is Olsen Farms.  They sell at just about all the Seattle farmer's markets (even throughout the winter).  I've gotten to know the farmers and I trust the meat I buy from them.  Try their breakfast sausage and beef bacon.  They also sell lamb (yum!).

Knowing the people who raise the meat I eat is important to me.  I used to call him My Meat Man until my friends told me to stop cause it was creeping them out.

When I want to buy a lot of meat at once, I purchase from Thundering Hooves.  They are a family owned farm located in Walla Walla.  They deliver meat frequently to many locations in Seattle and offer $20 off your first purchase.  They also sell at PCC and many Seattle restaurants use Thundering Hooves beef and lamb.  They are a great option if you have a lot of freezer space.

It is my lifelong goal to make my parents healthier, so I dragged them on a tour of the Thundering Hooves farm this week.  It was fascinating.  I learned so much about the challenges and struggles that family owned businesses have to go through to provide humanely raised, organic, tasty pastured animals.  I could go into lots of details, but I will spare you and just show you a picture of my parents and me in front of the slaughter house, which we walked through.  I'm serious when I say it is a trailer!

Have you tried grass fed beef?  What do you think of it?  Where do you buy it?

Further reading:


Fitness Spotlight - As a statistician, the ugly graphs in this post drive me crazy - but still good quick comparisons

The Daily Green

Decoding Meat Labels - Sheena shared this article with me - thanks, Sheena!