Hi everybody this is Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous

today I'm going to be talking about the differences

between conventionally raised and grass-fed beef and take a closer look at some of

the nutrition claims you sometimes hear. When you see meat that's labeled grass-fed, it means that after these animals are weaned,

they eat only grass, and whatever other green stuff they might find growing where they graze,

for the rest of their lives.

During the winter, when nothing much is growing in the pasture, the animals can be confined in pens and fed

dried grass or hay, but during the green season, they have to be allowed to roam around freely and

graze.

What's the alternative?

Well, virtually all cattle start out eating grass, but when they're six to 12 months old, most of the cattle that are raised in the

U.S. are eventually sent to feedlots, where they eat corn and other grains for the balance

of their lives. It turns out that feeding cows grain instead of grass fattens them up quickly.

And the same seems to be true of people.

The end result, in the case of the cows that is, is meet with a higher fat content and animals that are ready for

slaughter sooner. Ironically, the term corn-fed used to be a good thing, signifying

well-marbled, flavorful beef.

How times have changed.

Critics point out that grain is not a natural diet

for cud chewers like cows,

and that feeding corn to cows causes digestive problems and generally makes them sickly.

Even though humans are not cud chewers and have completely different digestive systems,

...