Beef In A Diet

A friend of mine emailed the following response to me from Atkins Diet Reviews and a response to the question: "How much weight can I lose on a low carb diet?"

http://www.atkinsdietnutrition.com/how-much-weight-can-i-lose-on-a-low-carb-diet.html

The section of the response that sounded the "Common Sense Alert" is as follows:

"NOTE: BEEF, Oh my god -it is very bad for you and does not leave your intestine for months and months (look it up on Internet…it’s the worse food for you-unless used in moderation and VERY VERY small portions)"

So, let's evaluate this.

I am a regular beef consumer, partaking of the delicious and nutritious delicacy at least once per day, every day of the week, in the quantity of approximately one pound per serving (closer to two pounds when ingesting a homegrown steak) for the past 21 years. On average this equates to roughly 7 pounds of beef consumed per week, and 28 pounds per month. If we take the stated "months", conservatively, to represent just two months, this would indicate that I have 56 pounds of beef residing in my intestines. That is the equivalent of a 50 pound block of salt or minerals.

Certainly, a block of salt is much denser than digested food, but for comparison sake we'll use the average size block of salt as 10"x10"x12" or 1200 cubic inches of space (approximately 3 basketballs). In my personal situation, I estimate my intestinal cavity to be approximately 7"x7"x14" or 686 cubic inches (this is based on a 32" waist), which is basically 57% of the space that would be required to contain the block of salt, which is at least twice the density of digested meat. Therefore, we should take the area of the salt block and multiply it by 2 which would give us an area of 2400 cubic inches (approximately 5.5 basketballs) or 72% more area than is physically available. Remember, this does account for the space occupied by the intestines themselves, nor the other vital organs housed below the heart, lungs and stomach. If this were the case, I highly doubt that I would still be the same waist size now, that I was in 1986, a 32".

While the individual indicated that the information was on the "Internet", an actual source was not given and I was unable to confirm her data personally. However, the point is, information on responsible websites should be factual and at least pass the "Common Sense Test." If you are a person who gives advise and responds to questions, do yourself and others a favor, be factual, honest and forthright.

Is Grass Really Greener?

I've begun hearing an argument among "green" activists and some Grass Fed niche marketers that grass fed cattle are "greener" and produce less methane (CH4) than their grain fed counterparts.

Folks, go back and review your feeds and feeding class, nutrition class and biochemistry class.

First, grain has a higher TDN (total digestible nutrient) than forages. Due to higher TDN, in most comparisons, grain digestion results in an average of four times less methane (CH4) production. In addition, due to the higher digestibility of grains, it requires less energy to breakdown, thus results in a higher net comparable energy gain than forage digestion.

For example, think back to that steer you fed in 4-H or FFA. When you started them on feed your ration was probably around 80:20 (roughage:concentrate or hay:grain) and over the course of feeding, as you neared the end point, that ratio changed to around 35:65. A lower energy, higher protein diet was utilized to maximize growth at the beginning of the animals growth curve and transitioned into a higher energy, lower protein diet to encourage inter muscular and subcutaneous fat deposition. Now, remember how that steers phenotype changed over the course of feeding him? At the beginning, he walked around the pen with a what? "Hay Belly?" Correct! and as time went on, that belly gradually diminished as the ration increased in the percentage concentrate being fed. That "Hay Belly" is methane gas (CH4). OK, enough for the feeds and feeding lesson.

Those in the beef industry need to make sure that the information they present to the consumer is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I fully support niche marketing, however, utilizing mis-information to gain a market share, mislead the public and potentially hurt others within the industry is not the Christian thing to do. Utilize the true scientific merit or consumer preferance to support your endeavors.

For those in the general public, before you believe what you read or hear on the news or from a friend, or organization, always check the science.

The grass is not always greener.