"We are what we eat" has eaten...

I'm going to make this post a little shorter than my latest...maybe.  The reason being is that it shouldn't take much talk about this topic to get my point across.  I've been reading a lot lately about our food supply in this country--mainly protein sources--and have stumbled upon some truths that I've in one way or another known to be true for quite some time; BUT when it's all sitting RIGHT THERE laid out on several consecutive pages within the same text, it hits home a little differently.
Raise your hand if you eat meat--and raise it HIGH because you're on atleast one right track.  Now, raise your hand if you purchase your meats from locally-owned farms that humanely raise their livestock and allow them to roam their pastures, free to graze on the grasses that Mother Nature provided for them to survive on.  How many hands dropped--I bet most of yours!  Keep this in mind, if it's purchased at your local grocery store, it's more than likely not humanely raised, nor is it fed appropriate nutrition (for it, or for you for that matter!).  Take a look at the title of this post:  "'We are what we eat'...has eaten."  That pretty much sums it up.  Over the next several posts, I'd like to highlight our favorite sources of protein and show how even if you "bought it at the Fresh Market" you're more than likely buying poor quality protein that's doing you more harm than good.  (Now's a good time to slam the Fresh Market--IT'S A FRIGGIN' HIGH DOLLAR GROCERY STORE, NOT A HEALTH FOOD STORE!!! AHHH!)  We'll start with beef for today, and delve into the lives of other commercial livestock through the next several days.

BEEF
These grazers are meant to do just that:  feed off of grasses growing wildly in yonder pasture.  Cows are meant to eat only grasses because their digestive systems are built to break these greens down into proteins and acids their bodies reuse for other processes.  Commercial beef for mass-production is weaned off of grass-based diets long before they can barely utter a "moo."  Because corn and grain are cheaply sourced, beef manufacturers use this as the main source of food to fatten their stock for quick growth and quick sale.  If you were a commercial beef manufacturer, your main goal is to push product, just like any other business owner and operator--and you'll find the cheapest, easiest means to go about doing it with one goal in mind--PROFIT.  What this means is, basically, calves are forced to grow faster than mother nature allowed in an effort to get them fatter and larger to provide more companies with inventory for whole- and retail sales.
Going back to what I mentioned earlier:  cows' digestive systems were only meant to digest grasses.  Force-feeding cows grains leads to many unnaturally occurring issues such as chronic gastritis, increased pH, acidosis and an increase in E. coli.  The government prohibited the use of some antibiotics and hormones in cattle and other livestock to curtail any potential for contaminated product; however, cows are still subject to feed containing chicken manure, pig and chicken parts, and certain steroids.  Think about it this way:  As humans, the Government says we're not allowed to inject steroids into our bodies due to potentially harmful side effects; yet the government allows beef companies to inject your food supply with them?!  Maybe if the Government could benefit from the injection of steriods into humans, they'd change their minds--sad, isn't it.
On a different, less argumentative note, grass-fed beef is simply more nutritious than its commercially raised and fed counterpart.  While grain-fed beef contains high amounts of inflammatory omega-6 fats, grass-fed beef is naturally high in omega-3 fats, which are heart healthy and anti-inflammatory.  One of the reasons Americans are so unhealthy is the fact that we are internally inflammed--all from what we put in our mouths.  A main culprit in this high rate of internal inflammation is a diet where the ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats is all out of whack.  Since cows are not made to digest grains, their bodies actually experience inflammation and we, in turn, end up with "inflamed"--virtually toxic--beef (it's what's for dinner) on our plates!