A quick search of the web has left me dazed and confused :). One thing I know is that at Nutrition school we were taught that full fat is good, goods fats are vital, and avoid rancid fats (anything heated too high, exposed to air for too long, or light for too long). There is an exploding amount of info. coming out about the importance of good fat for brain health - everything from depression to Alzheimer’s. At Mitchell Bros. believe the vital value fat has in our diet.
I have checked a few articles on the pubmed website. There aren’t many new studies on this subject and some of the information has bias however, in general the findings support what we promote: grass finished beef is lower in overall fat with a favourable Omega 6-Omega 3 ratio (3:1) as opposed to grain fed beef which is closer to 6:1. The amount of CLA - an amazing cancer fighting fat - is higher in the grass finished beef product.
The fat composition of the beef depends on the breed of animal, the age of slaughter, the amount of time on growing grass versus the amount of supplemental feed given (hay and mileage in areas with shorter growing seasons). The amount of fat also depends on the cut and where it came from on the carcass. There is a difference in Intramuscular fat and visible fat and grass finished beef fat tends to have a more yellow colour.
As far as palatability, most North Americans prefer the taste and texture of grain finished commodity beef where as Europeans and people from other continents prefer the grass finished taste.
This is why learning how to cook the meat so that it tastes great and is tender is SO VITAL.
The plethora of information available on the web is exhausting to pour through. One site is pro margarine and low fat while others promote keto and full fat diets. The fact that everything we once thought we knew about fat has done a 10 in last few years is great but frustrating. Half the groups say eat more red meat - that it is natures most perfect food (Mercola) and the other half says avoid red meat and full fat dairy. sigh
I always go with my gut and look back to natures plan. Animal fat, protein, and micro-nutrients suit our human bodies best. Full Stop
I don’t know who said it but it’s true :) “If you want a new idea, read an old book!” Grain was initially given to beef cattle in the early 1900's to increase the body fat in the animal for the exploding tallow market. Lets go back to raising meat the way it was raised for centuries before - just pasture please.
This is a cool website:
http://www.grass-fed-solutions.com/grass-finished-beef-QUIZ.html