The January 25 issue of Time magazine had two articles that jumped out at me in a ‘well duh’ way.  They compliment each other and I don’t think it was intentional.

The first article, Save the Planet: Eat More Beef, discusses the planet saving impact of eating grass-fed beef.  Anyone who has been following any kind of paleo eating program already knows this.  If you’ve watched Food, Inc. you’ve seen this (one-sided) debate unfold on screen.  Raising livestock on what they are designed to eat is good for them, the earth and for us.  For all of the efficiency of the factory farms, they are horrible for everyone but the company owners.  Pick up a copy of  The Omnivore’s Dilemma and read about, among other very interesting and stomach churning things, the concept of rotational grazing and its benefits to the land, the animals and those of us up the food chain who eat the animals who ate that grass.  Grass fed animals produce LESS gas because they are eating what they are designed to eat and the entire process of rotational grazing captures carbon from the air and puts it into a useful format in the ground.  HUH!  Not only is rotational grazing better for the environment in that there is the reduction of gasses and the capture of gasses but the fat profile of grass fed beef in particular is better for you.  Grains are inflammatory as they are high in Omega-6 fatty acids.  And if the cow is eating foods that irritate its system and is inflammatory by its very nature then those negative and inflammatory properties carry over into its tissues.  Grain-fed beef anyone?  Cows that eat grass, live out in the sun (increased vitamin D) and do their beneficial part in improving our planet also have a positive Omega-3 fat profile that is anti-inflammatory and good for us.  Those are wins all around!

Photo courtesy of Yonder Way Farm and their actual cows eating actual grass out in the sun.  Lucky cows!

The second article, The Trouble With Fish Oil,  talked about our increase in consumption of fish oil, needed as a source of Omega 3 fatty acids, effecting the balance of the ocean’s fish population.  To compensate for our inflammatory grain based diets we need to consume ever increasing amounts of fish oils.  Previously we were tapping larger fish higher up the food chain for this benefit (salmon especially) but we’ve begun to look closer t0 the beginning, at the smaller feeder fish to get the healthy oils and, hopefully, avoid the mercury found in the bigger fish.  While we are avoiding the mercury we are now in competition with every fish population up the line that also feeds on these small fish.  To the victor goes the spoils, right?  We are causing imbalances in the eco-system with our meddling. Anyone notice how the wild fish that we can’t mess with have healthy, positive Omega-6 fat profiles where the farm-raised fish that we pull out of their natural environment (and feed grains!) have unhealthy, negative Omega-3 fat profiles?  It should make you think.

See where I’m going with this?  If we are treating our food animals better via letting them actually graze as they were designed to on healthy grasses out in the sun then they are becoming healthy sources of good fats, vitamins and protein.  If we are getting good fats from the beef that we consume then we do not need as much or any additional fish oil for healthy fat which puts systems back in place.  If our government really had our health on the top of their list of concerns they would do something about factory farms.  That’s a big giant if.  And crazy talk.  Our government is not in the business of actually helping the populace.  It is up to each of us to be our own caregiver and do our part.  Educate yourself, eat healthy and support your local grass-fed farmer.