The Benefits Of Buying Local Beef In Northern Virginia

The Benefits of Local Beef

Are you considering making the switch from grain-fed beef to grass-fed, local beef?

The benefits of switching to a grass-fed alternative when it comes to your meat source are numerous. Not only are you making a healthier choice for your family, you’re also making a big impact on the world by choosing meat from ethically-raised, healthy animals.

Here are just a few of the benefits of eating local beef as opposed to the supermarket alternative.

May Help Protect Against Cancer

In addition to having more omega-3s than conventionally raised beef, local beef is rich in another type of healthy fat: conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Conjugated linoleic acid has been shown to help with weight loss, protect against cancer, and even help prevent obesity. Research indicates that this essential fatty acid may actually combat tumor growth, making it a versatile and beneficial fat along with its other health benefits.

We know that omega-3s are essential for heart, skin, and brain health. However, studies show that getting healthier fats in your diet such as omega-3s and CLA may help stabilize your blood sugar, therefore lowering your risk of diabetes.

Lower Levels of Cholesterol

Local beef is not only lower in total fat with more types of healthy fat, but also contains less cholesterol than your supermarket beef. This means the meat is heart healthy as it contains less fat overall and more vitamins and minerals, without the added antibiotics and hormones.

Red meat is typically associated with higher cholesterol levels, but as grass fed beef contains more essential fatty acids, it can actually help promote a higher level of good cholesterol (HDL) and a reduced level of bad cholesterol (LDL).

Healthier for You and the Planet

When you choose to purchase local beef, you’re getting meat from cows that weren’t treated with antibiotics or hormones. Best of all, the grasses they were fed weren’t treated with any herbicides or pesticides, making their diet a natural, organic alternative to genetically modified grains.

Perhaps even more importantly, these cattle were ethically treated. Their healthy lifestyle and natural diet means their meat contains more antioxidants such as vitamin E, a higher content of vitamin A, and more nutrition for you and your family.

Choosing to purchase grass-fed beef is not only the healthier option for you, but makes a positive impact on the planet as well.

Reduce Risk of Food Poisoning

By choosing a local ranch for your meat source, you can also help reduce antibiotic resistance, which leads to bacteria in some types of conventionally raised beef. Did you know what 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States are used in animal agriculture? That’s a lot of antibiotics in your meat!

In addition, more and more alarming research is showing just much bacteria is in conventional beef. Many of these bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics that farmers use to try and stop them. Some of these bacteria—including MRSA—kill thousands of people in the United States every year.

In fact, nearly 20% of supermarket beef contains some type of superbug, which are bacteria defined as being resistant to three or more types of antibiotics. How can you trust what’s safe for your family to eat? You can make the safer choice with local beef.Finding local beef from a true local ranch shouldn’t have to be difficult. Eating tasty, ethically-raised meat has some important benefits that factory raised beef just can’t offer. From more protective, cancer-fighting healthy fats to less cholesterol and zero antibiotics, you just can’t beat the purity and nutrition that comes with your local, grass-fed beef!