Whatever you eat, eat the best quality you can...
I have been craving burgers like crazy this week. I eat some kind of read meat once a week, but once hasn't been enough - maybe it's because I've been more active than usual, or maybe it's the meaty juices vapourizing on the neighbour's BBQ into frequent aromatic reminders... whatever the reason, while I was frying up another succulent onion spiked beef patty yesterday, I realized that there was something greatly different about this meat. When I lifted the patty out there was nothing left in the pan. i.e. no pools of grease.
This was 100% grass fed beef. Raised in a pasture, on nothing but grass. No corn. No M&Ms.
As a kid, I remember cooking ground beef to make tacos from that Old El Paso kit - step 1 - fry the beef, step 2 - pour off the fat, step 3 add seasoning mix. There was always a good 1/4 cup of grease or more to pour off. But my 1/4 lb 100% grass fed burger patty left nothing more than delicious deep browned bits on the pan, and barely a drop of fat.
**I want to be clear that I'm not saying fat is bad. We NEED fat in our diets. It is an absolutely essential part of cell walls and many body functions. However, getting each type of fat in healthy proportions is important. To do this, focus on getting lots of omega 3 fatty acids (walnuts, flax seeds, wild salmon) and omega 9 fatty acids (olive oil), some omega 6 fatty acids (safflower, sunflower, most seeds), a bit of saturated fats (animal products, coconut/palm oils) and avoid trans (hydrogenated) fats like the plague)**
Grass fed beef is very lean. True, meat is still a calorie dense food -much more so than the same volume of vegetables or grains - and meat is a resource intensive and environmentally costly product to raise (with ethical concerns as well). But meat also offers a hefty dose of iron and B vitamins (notably B12) and 100% grass fed, pastured beef (i.e. not corn "finished") actually has an omega 3 fatty acid content that rivals that of wild salmon and has less saturated fat than it's corn fed cousin.
I feel like my burgers are a super nourishing treat.
I had my burger with a side of broccoli and kale sauteed with garlic and a little balsamic vinegar and a few handfuls of Salt and Black Pepper Kettle Chips... Bliss. Adding a few vegetables is important because for all its mineral potency, meat has no fiber, few antioxidants and all that protein can be a burden on the body. Animal proteins are very high in nitrogen, which is metabolized to ammonia. The kidneys then have to process this into a much less toxic compound - urea - which is then excreted. This uses up precious resources that are also needed to handle environmental toxins and detox other compounds we ingest - so meat is something I enjoy less often.
But enjoy it, I do.
When you eat your burgers, when you eat anything - eat the best quality you can afford. And consider it a long term investment that will save you in prescription medicine costs or sick days down the road. Also consider it a chance to nourish yourself. Something I am very fond of.
For more info on pastured meat check out Michael Pollan's book- In Defense of Food. He sums it up with the motto - Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.
For a delicious 100% grass fed beef burger check out the Natural Burger at Vera's Burger Shack. To buy 100% grass fed beef try Choices, Capers, Whole Foods, or your local butcher. I got fantastic 100% grass fed, organic beef for a great price at Windsor Meats on Main near King Edward.
