Why I ‘Prescribe’ Meat to My Patients

By Al Sears, MD

Have you see any of these headlines?

• “Too much red meat will kill you” (The National Business Review)
• “Want to live longer? Cut back on red meat” (CNN)
• “Meat-heavy diet linked to early death” (USA Today)

So why in the world would I “prescribe” eating red meat to my patients… when the mainstream media is screaming to the masses that it will kill you?

Because, in my opinion, there’s a huge difference between factory-farm GRAIN-FED beef … and pasture-raised GRASS-FED beef.

Here’s why…

Get The Truth About Grain-Fed Beef

Cattle aren’t supposed to eat grain. They’re natural-born grass eaters. But, factory farmers feed cattle high-calorie, high-octane grain to fatten them up faster… bring them to market faster… and reap higher profits.

Unfortunately, you wind up paying for it. Grain-fed beef has up to three times more fat than grass-fed beef. 1

And grain isn’t the only “unnatural” food these farmers serve cattle, either.

You know the saying, “You are what you eat?”

Well… think about this:

Factory farmers have also been known to feed cattle:

1. Recycled human food, such as stale candy, pizza, potato chips, brewery wastes, and hamburger buns.

2. Parts of our fruits and vegetables that we don’t eat, such as orange rinds, beet pulp, and carrot tops.

3. STUFF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT… including chicken manure, chicken feathers, newsprint, cardboard, and “aerobically digested” municipal garbage.

And here’s something even more disturbing.

In the mid-1990s, a team of animal researchers conducted a study to see what would happen if they fed cattle stale chewing gum – still in its wrappers.” 2

The conclusion? Here’s a direct quote from the researchers. (I’m not making this up.)

“… gum and its packaging material can safely replace at least 30% of growing and finishing diets without impairing feedlot performance or carcass merit.”

Fatten cattle up on stale bubblegum and aluminum wrappers and pass on the end product to you and your family.

Would you eat something that was raised on stale candy, garbage, bubblegum, aluminum wrappers, cardboard and chicken crap? Or feed it to your family?

I’ll tell you something… the fact that the USDA lets this fly is absolutely insane.

And then there are all the synthetic hormones, low-level antibiotics, and chemicals they pump into factory-farm cattle…

… or how the cattle may “accidentally” get fed cow parts - which leads to the deadly “mad cow” disease,…

… or how the massive, corporate-owned feedlots cram huge numbers of cattle into inhumanely small spaces (which places huge amounts of stress on the animals – and makes them highly susceptible to disease)…

The list of negatives goes on and on and on.

With all this in mind, in my opinion, it’s no wonder that red meat has been linked to certain chronic health concerns. How could any cow that’s raised in such a way remain healthy and produce healthy beef? It’s next to impossible.

The bottom line is factory-farm red meat is simply horrible stuff. And you have every right to be scared to death of it.

However, pasture-raised, grass-fed beef could not be any more different. You have nothing to fear when you make it a part of your diet. In fact, pasture-raised, grass-fed beef is so loaded with health benefits, I’d even go as far as to call it a “super food.”

Seven Health Benefits of
Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Beef

For starters, here are seven reasons why making grass-fed beef a regular part of your diet is such a wise health decision.

Health Reason No. 1. Less overall fat and calories than grain-fed beef: A six-ounce loin from a grass-fed cow has, on average, 92 fewer calories than a six-ounce loin from a grain-fed cow. Now, the average American eats 67 pounds of beef per year.3 This adds up to, on average, a 16,642 calorie difference. So if you switched to grass-fed beef… and did nothing else… you’d lose 9½ pounds in two years just by switching to grass-fed!

Health Reason No. 2. More Omega-3s: You need omega-3s to survive. That’s why they’re called “essential fatty acids.” Omega-3s:

• Help promote a healthy heart, brain, and immune system…
• Encourage strong bones, teeth, and nails…
• Support a positive, happy mood…
• Help maintain sharp vision for decades… and more.*

And where do omega-3s originate from? Green plants (including grass… the food of choice of grass-fed cows.) As a result, grass-fed beef has 2 to 10 times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef. 4

Health Reason No. 3. A healthier ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s: Omega-6s and omega-3s are both essential fatty acids. You need them to survive. The problem is when you have too many omega-6s. omega-6s have a pro-oxidation effect if your diet is too heavy in it, which the typical American diet tends to be. This can impact your overall health and wellbeing, including heart and brain health.

Many health experts believe the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s should be no more than 4:1.5 Grain-fed beef has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 5:1 to 14:1. Way too high. Grass-fed, on the other hand, has a much healthier ratio of less than 1:1 to 3:1.6

Health Reason No. 4. More CLA: Grass-fed beef contains two to five times more CLA than the grain-fed variety.7,8 , CLA is a newly discovered “good fat” that research suggests helps support immune and cardiovascular growth . It also appears to help promote lean muscle mass.9

Health Reason No. 5. More Vitamin E: Vitamin E is an extremely powerful antioxidant. It helps protect you from free radicals… which is considered the leading cause of premature aging. Vitamin E also boosts your immunity and helps promote a healthy heart.

Grass-fed beef contains three to six times more vitamin E than grain-fed beef.10

Health Reason No. 6. More Carotenoids: A diet rich in carotenoids has multiple health benefits… including promoting eye and macular health. Grass-fed beef has up to four times more beta-carotene than grain-fed beef.11

Health Reason No. 7. More B Vitamins, CoQ10, and Zinc (and SAFE!): When you eat grass-fed beef, you are getting more B vitamins, CoQ10, and zinc than you would with grain-fed beef.

Aside from grass-fed beef’s amazing health benefits, there’s one other thing I haven’t mentioned yet.

And I think you’ll like this as much as I do.

It’s The Best Beef I’ve Ever Tasted

One of the biggest misconceptions about grass-fed beef is that it tastes dry or gamey. That because it has no fat… therefore it has no flavor.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

When it’s raised and finished properly, it’s actually far superior, in my opinion, to grain-fed beef. And I’m not alone in thinking this, either.

Here’s what gourmet critics in several mainstream publications had to say about the flavor of grass-fed beef:

“… superior to the meat harvested from grain-fed animals.” -- The New York Times

“Grass-fed beef tastes better than corn-fed beef.” -- The Atlantic Monthly

“… delicious, rich and full-flavored, but without the excessive fattiness on the finish of some prime beef.” -- Wine Spectator

I’m telling you… it’s delicious!

There is one caveat about grass-fed beef, however. And it’s something you should know about as well.

Because it takes so much more TLC to raise grass-fed cattle, it costs a little more than the cheap grain-fed stuff.

And it hasn’t been that easy to find, either. It requires more effort to get it onto your plate. But I sure think it’s worth it… especially when you consider:

• The welfare of the animals (grass-fed cattle are raised in a natural environment)…
• The well-being of the local farmers that raise grass-fed cattle (supporting local farming benefits the community… instead of massive corporate-owned farms)…
• Your health (Now that you know the facts, what would you rather eat?)…

So in the end, it’s definitely worth it to “go grass-fed.”

And here’s some good news.

I’ve just made it easier than ever for you to give grass-fed beef a try.

Sample Some Delicious Grass-Fed Beef In Your Own Home

Not long ago, a friend put me in contact with a man who owns a cattle ranch in the foothills of Virginia’s Appalachia country.

He’s got about 700 cattle. What’s more:

• The cattle are pasture-raised and grass-fed…
• The beef is “Certified Humane"…
• The feed is free of animal proteins…
• They don’t EVER use hormones or steroids on the cattle…
• They don’t give the cattle unnecessary antibiotics…
• The beef is dry-aged for 14-21 days (to ensure maximum flavor)

But here’s the thing.

Normally, you could only buy a “quarter-beef” (188 pounds) or a “half-beef” (375 pounds).

That’s a lot of beef… even for a large family. And that’s a lot to order at first. Especially if you’ve never given it a try and not sure if “grass-fed” is for you (even though I know you’re going to love it!)

So we worked out a deal where you can bypass ordering hundreds of pounds of grass-fed beef…

… and order a much smaller 20-pound “sampler” pack of tasty cuts of grass-fed beef instead… straight from the ranch. Each sampler pack is different, but you’ll get:

• At least six pounds of steaks
• Approx. five pounds of roast/rib combination
• Approx. nine pounds of burger and stew meat

It’s a great deal… but there’s a catch. When you order a sample pack, you’re not going to receive it “overnight.” In fact, it’ll take about 3-5 weeks before it arrives at your doorstep. Why the wait? Because the ranch guarantees the freshest beef possible.

And it’s well worth the wait.

I strongly encourage you to give grass-fed beef a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Click here for ordering information.