We've been buying organic, grass-fed, free-range meat since we decided vegetarianism wasn't for us. I rationalized that if we were going to eat meat, it had to be the healthiest, most-humanely treated meat available. The benefits are huge, not only to your health, but also for the planet. I know a lot of you already eat this way, but for those who are interested, I think Mark Sisson at Marksdailyapple.com best summarizes why grass-fed, organic, truly free-range meat is superior to conventional meat:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/concentrated-animal-feeding-operations/
We have been buying our meat from US Wellness Meats, Hearst Ranch, Trader Joe's (sometimes they carry organic, 100% grass fed ground beef), and now I think we will start buying Sommers brand from the Sprouts that just opened by our house. We always try to buy local, but so far the only local supplier we know of is Hearst Ranch and they can be pretty pricey.
Did you also know that chickens naturally thrive on a grass-fed diet, full of rich vegetation and juicy insects for their liking? I am so excited because I finally found a local supplier of grass-fed, organic, truly free-roaming poutry at Rainbow Ranch. Come to think of it, I need to go place my order right now!
And of course we also only eat pastured, organic eggs. Please read Cheeseslave's post here to learn why; I think she summarizes the reasons beautifully.
Some people think that eating this way is a luxury and that they can't afford it. I agree in certain situations. But I think for most of us, if we cut out all the processed, boxed crap and unnecessary expenses, we would see that buying quality food is the best investment we can make in our health and our future.
This was the topic on the Opera Show one day this week . . . it sure got me thinking. Funny thing I had just gotten home from buying some groceries and had boneless chicken breasts in the fridge . . . what I learned from the show was those chickens never saw the light of day!!! I sort of knew that, but it was easy not 'really' know. I felt okay about it. I will be looking into healthier and more humane options in our area.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog! I will continue to read.
Love Cousin Jacquie
Totally with you on the whole meat and eggs thing, Laura! I usually buy from either tj's, whole foods, or recently Sprouts. How do you store meat that you buy direct? I would like to look in to ordering direct like that but only have my fridge/freezer to store extra in.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacquie and Lili. So glad to see you guys on here.
ReplyDeleteLili, we store the meat in the freezer. We only store meat and seafood in there and some frozen berries so we have room. But since we'll be ordering whole chickens monthly, we may need to look into buying an extra freezer for the garage. If you ever want to go in on an order together, let me know.