All vegetarian diet is not the same as grass-fed beef

Don't let the label fool you! If you have gone shopping lately from those giant health food markets to purchase grass-fed beef products, you've probably noticed the label that says "100% Vegetarian Diet." I'm sorry, but I got to say, this is one of those trickery that these supermarket and affiliated marketers employ to trick "grass-fed beef" consumers into purchasing something that they think is an equivalent of the real grass-fed beef product.

Semantics are very powerful! Just listen to our politicians. Claiming 100% vegetarian diet does not constitute healthy beef from healthy cattle. You see, the word "vegetarian" alone rings a positive spin to whatever you attach it with. In this case "diet." You put these two words together plus "100%", you got yourself a customer who thinks that "100% Vegetarian Diet" is as healthy as natural grass-fed beef. Heck, it even sounds better!

Here's the sad part. Vegetarian diet, without the mention of grass feeding, means they're feeding these cattle with something else. Most people don't realize that cattle are ruminants, which means these animals are meant to eat "grass" or similar species of grass. So if it's not grass, what other vegetarian diet that the beef industry is known to feed these cattle? The answer is grain or corn; which still is within the vegetarian food group. So, technically, they are not lying.

And technically, nothing has changed. Because, feeding cattle with grain (or corn) still increases the amount of acid in their digestive system. Over production of acid promotes higher rate of bacteria, the e.coli family in general. Therefore, beef manufacturers are forced to use antibiotics to reduce the amount of infection which spreads amongst the herd. Though not all e.coli are bad, that notorious strain known as e.coli 0157:H7 is the one that we need to watch out for. Most of the beef recall you've heard on the news is most likely related to 0157:H7.

So, the next time you're in one of those overpriced health food stores to pick up a healthy beef, you may want to ask someone in the meat department if those beef products are as healthy as the "real' 100% natural grass-fed beef.

Please support your local ranchers and farmers. Buy grass-fed beef from a source you know.