March 8, 2006

BY JANET RAUSA FULLER Staff Reporter

A hamburger doesn't usually come to mind when you think of health food, but a study suggests that a burger made from grass-fed beef has its merits.

Meat from grass-fed cattle is consistently lower in total fat and higher in so-called good fats thought to protect against certain diseases than conventional beef, a study released Tuesday in Chicago by the Union of Concerned Scientists found.

The study, which reviewed the findings of 25 previous studies, is the first comprehensive analysis of fat levels in grass-fed and grain-fed beef and milk.

The study found that grass-fed beef generally had higher amounts of three types of omega-3 fatty acids believed to reduce the risk of heart disease: alpha-linoleic acid, or ALA, found in plant foods; eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, found in fish.

Milk from grass-fed cattle had higher levels of ALA and another fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, which some studies have shown protects against cancer, the study found.

Grass-fed beef doesn't have nearly the amount of omega-3 fatty acids found in, say, salmon. On average, there are 35 milligrams of EPA and DHA in one serving of grass-fed beef versus 1,400 milligrams in a serving of wild salmon, researchers say.

But, they say, grass-fed beef is still a better choice than beef from cattle raised in feedlots, which often are given antibiotics and hormones to fight disease and grow bigger.

The beef most Americans consume comes from cows that mature in a feedlot, eating corn and other grains, until slaughter -- a cycle of between 14 and 16 months. By contrast, the average life span of a grass-fed cow is between 20 and 26 months.

Broadcaster on the bandwagon

Though "grass-fed" conjures up images of cows grazing only on grass, a cow raised on grass but "finished" on grain may also be considered grass-fed. That's because there is no legal definition of "grass-fed."

Chefs already on the grass-fed bandwagon include Michael Altenberg of Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square and Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook.

Stegner uses beef raised on the Kansas ranch of Chicago broadcaster Bill Kurtis, who got into the grass-fed cattle market about five years ago.

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