We have a great news: If you are buying our beef, here is more proof that our beef is exceptionally healthy for you.
Here is why:
After the media buzz, earlier this year, about omega 6 and omega 3 acid ratio’s in conventional meat vs. grass fed meat, we decided to put our beef to the test.
We contacted Dr. Richard P. Bazinet a Nutrition Science professor from the University of Toronto, and asked him to run a test on our meat, to which he happily agreed.
After sending him a sample of our steak, here is the result of his analysis:
“Eddy, The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (Linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid) of your product is 2.7. This is a “very good score” from our end. Clearly these animals are on pasture and not getting grain.”
What does this mean?
Dr. Bazinet further explained:
“If the cow was consuming organic corn, it would not look like this. I suspect these cows pretty much never had grain. The ratio I gave you is the major omega-6, linolenic acid to the major omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid. In commodity beef, I often find the ratio to be about 30:1, whereas you were 2.7:1, 11 times lower. While controversial, a lot of people suggest we should eat around 5:1, but the current Canadian diet is much higher. Your product fits right in.”
Allow me explain where we fit in the overall picture
Out of 30 plus samples of the grass fed meat that Dr. Bazint analyzed, (they used the same cut) our meat ended up in third place. This means that many organic meats have a higher omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and therefore our omega 6 to omega 3 profile is among the best.
Conventional beef has a ratio of 30 to 1 omega 6 to omega 3. This is because of heavy grain consumption, mainly corn and this would probably be genetically modified corn (GMO) unless otherwise specified. We scored 2.7 to 1 which is a very healthy ratio.
Why is this important?
“The sad reality is that it now ranges from 20 to 50:1 for most Americans. They are getting far too many omega-6 fats,”-1
“Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today’s Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. “-2
A small difference in the ratio has large implications. For example:
“In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality.
A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect.
The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk.
A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and
a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma,
..,whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.
These studies indicate that the optimal ratio may vary with the disease under consideration. …
A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is more desirable in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases of high prevalence in Western societies, “ – PMID 12442909 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]-2
If you are interested to learn more, here is a 20 minutes long interview that Richard Bazinet did on healthy fats. http://drgregwells.com/be-better/podcast-40-all-about-fat-with-dr-richard-bazinet-part-1/
What About the Taste?
If you are afraid that grass fed beef won’t taste as good, here are some testimonials:
“I loved the beef. Was waiting to try the steak. It was wonderful and the brisked was superb. Thanks.” – Liddy
“We are really enjoying the beef! I am very appreciative that Tiferet offers this product.” – Sara
“Hi Tania
Here is a pic of the brisket I served on Shabbat. It was quite spectacular one of our guests said it was the best meat she had ever eaten. I braised it for 9 hours at 300. Finished under the broiler with an internal temp of 210F. It was fork tender and very tasty. … Put me down for another brisket ….
Thanks a bunch..” – Bruce (Toronto, ON)
“Hi
I wanted to let you know that tonight out family ate from the order I made for the first time. We had the beef brochette on the BBQ and everyone loved it! I didn’t tell them it was any different but they commented on their own – what kind of meat is this? It’s amazing! .”- Galya (Toronto, ON)
“Dear Tania,
Shavua Tov! Just wanted you to know that we tried the meat for the first time this Shabbat and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much!” – Shira (Toronto, ON)
“The Swiss steak was qualitatively amazing – I had it for supper!
Thanks- I will be ordering more –that is for sure.” – Esti (Ottawa, ON)
“Had the ground beef last night. Was great!” – Stephen (Montreal, QC)
“Tania – we tried the stewing meat and a steak last night. Here’s a photo of the family dinner – the meat was universally loved by all.
Again, thank you for providing this product and service.”- Shimmy (Toronto, ON)
“Hi Tania,
My entire family was very impressed with the quality of the meat…we also made a chicken…all was great. Thanks again.” – Shimmy (Toronto, ON)
“I’d like to order about 10 pounds of beef spare ribs. We had some and they were great. Also, the whole chickens were excellent.” – Karen (Toronto, ON)
“The beef was great! All the other families really enjoyed it too! I look forward to placing another order.” – Rob (Calgary, Alberta)
You can read more testimonials here: https://tiferetorganic.com/about-us/testimonials/
Sources:
1 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/12/aha-position-on-omega-6-fats.aspx