The Lamb: Healthier than Other Meat

Want to eat meat? Actually eat lamb because it is healthier than other types of meat. The truth is, it is popular in Mediterranean diets which result in lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Why So?

Lamb is rich in high-quality proteins, B vitamins, zinc, and iron. It has the proper ratios of all the eight amino acids necessary for the body. Eating a 3-ounce serving of lamb provides 43% of an adult male’s recommended daily intake of protein.
In comparison to other meats, lamb has very little marbling in it. Marbling is the streaks of fat in the meat. Lamb fats are visible on the edges of the meat. However, when it is trimmed, it contains less calories. Experts say that the fat in the lamb is only 36% saturated fat and 64% are mono or polyunsaturated fat, which is the “good” fat in diets.

Lamb is also full of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which the body of a human cannot produce. CLA is a potent anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogen, anti-catabolite, as well as an effective immunity process enhancer. It aids in fat burning and building and retention of lean muscle mass. CLA is produced by herbivores such as cattle, sheep, and goats.

Lamb vs. Mutton

The meat of a young sheep that is less than 12 months is known as lamb; that of over Twelve months is called mutton while the one that is between one and two years old is called yearling mutton.

The lamb is tender and has a mild flavor. Compared with the lamb, the mutton has a more serious flavor and is desired by some cultures.

What They Eat
In accordance with the American Sheep Industry, lambs spent most of their lives grazing to provide quality cuts of meat. Most sheep feed on grass, forbs, clover, and other forages. They consume a variety of plants and judge a more proper diet than the cattle.

Grass-fed Lambs

Lambs are initially nursed by ewes until they achieve the weaning stage. Researches have shown that the ewe’s diet plays a vital role in the nutrient quality of the lamb. It also revealed that once lambs start to eat solid food, feeding on pastures provide the best nutrition for lambs. Compared with grain-fed lambs, grass-fed lambs have less fat, soft enough to eat, and has dense, rich, and sweet meat.

Selecting and Storing Lambs
When purchasing lamb, choose the one that’s pink colored, whose flesh is firm and fine-textured. Marbled lamb should be white and not yellow.

In supermarkets, select choice grade lambs over prime grade cuts because they have slightly lower marbling than the prime grade. This will reduce your fat consumption when including lamb in your regular diet.

Lambs are highly perishable, so it should be kept refrigerated or frozen. Store them in their original packaging, secured and intact to reduce the amount of handling involved. To prolong freshness, keep an eye on its “Use By” date. If it does not have any, follow this straightforward guide so you can get the most from it:

1.Store lamb chops and roasts in the fridge for three to 5 days.
2. Ground lamb can remain fresh for two days in the fridge.

To discover grass-fed lamb and other forms of fresh meat like grass-fed beef and pastured pork nags head, come and look at the Farmers Market in Raleigh, North Carolina because you will surely find the best products that you are looking for.

 

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What to Consider When Buying Beef

When looking into butcher or the corner meat store or the supermarket to buy beef, you will notice that there are lots to choose from. When buying beef, you have to think about the grade and the cut.

The Grade

The grade lets us know regarding the expertise of the beef determined by marbling and age. Marbling is the white flecks or streaks of fat within the lean meat. When a marbled piece of beef is in the technique of being cooked, it actually bastes itself, making the meat moist, juicy, and tender. However, when there are thick lines of fat, this means that the steak has lots of connective tissue that will make that it is hard.

Quality grades are awarded depending on tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. The very best three grades that the Us Department of Agriculture (USDA) ranks in grading beef are:

Prime Grade

Prime grade beef originates from young, well-fed cattle. It has abundant marbling and usually sold to hotels and restaurants and exported to many people countries. These are excellent for dry-heat cooking including grilling, broiling, and roasting.

Choice Grade

Choice grade is top quality beef that is available in the supermarket. It has less marbling compared with the prime grade. However, it is 15% more marbled than the Select grade. The choice meat is very tender, juicy, and flavorful and just like prime beef, it is great for dry-heat cooking. Only tender cuts such as rib, loin, and sirloin are cooked with dry heat.

Select Grade

Select grade beef is also for sale in the supermarket. It has uniform quality, fairly tender, and leaner than prime and choice grades. It has the least marbling and thus, it has less juice and flavor than the higher grades. It is best marinated before cooking or braised to get tenderness and flavor.

Other grades that the USDA is offering are standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner. Both standard and commercial grades are sold in brand-name packages while utility, cutter, and canner are used for by-products such as ground beef or hotdogs.

The Cut

Cuts are categorized into three sections. From top of the back heading down to the mid back, you find the rib, the short loin, and the sirloin. The rib is the least tender among the three. It is where you get the Rib-eye Roast, Rib Roast, and the back ribs. The short loin contains the T-Bone, Top Loin Steak, Porterhouse and the Tenderloin. The Sirloin produces the Sirloin Steak and the Top Sirloin.

The most tender cut, but less flavorful of the beef is the tenderloin. It is the place you get the filet mignon, Chateaubriand, and tournedos. The rib-eye, rib steak, and the sirloin cuts are less tender but far more flavorful than the tenderloin.

Yield Grades

Aside from the quality grade, the USDA evaluates the beef into yield grades. It refers back to the percentage of lean meat that can be derived from the beef carcass. It is determined by the quantity of external fat; amount of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat; areas of the rib eye muscle; and warm carcass weight. Yield grades are applied without regard to quality grade.

Realizing grading and cuts when buying meat is not enough to get the best beef. You should also use your senses to check for firmness and freshness of the beef. So having known these, the very next time you buy beef, you know better what is good for you.

At the Farmers Market Raleigh, North Carolina, you will find fresh grass-fed beef as well as pastured pork nags head and other farm produce of Nc. So come and visit and get yourself the best beef that suit your needs.

 

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18 Interesting Facts about Farm Animals

 

Having a farm of domesticated animals means that you can find out more about them. Here are a few interesting facts that you could need to know:

On Cattle

1. A female bovine is a cow while a bull is an uncastrated male bovine. A young cow is a calf. A steer or bullock is one that had its reproductive organs removed when it was a calf. A young female cow, especially that has not had a calf, is known as heifer.

2. A cow produces 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime. It generates milk for his or her young and lactates around 10 months.

3. Cows don’t bite the grass, but they curl their tongues around it. They usually spend 6-7 hours eating their food and 8 hours chewing it. Most cows chew in an average of 50 times a minute and have 40,000 jaw movements in a day. Due to constant cud chewing, a typical cow produces 56.70 kilos of saliva each day.

4. A normal cow sleeps in about four hours a day and spends 10-12 hours a day laying. Unlike a horse, a cow doesn’t sleep standing up.

5. A cow consumes 7-10% of their body weight in water per day, produces 13.6 kilos of urine, and 29.5 kilos of dung every single day.

On Sheep

1. A female sheep of any age is called a ewe. A lamb is a sheep that is under a year old. A male sheep is known as a ram while a castrated one is known as a wether.

2. The meat of a sheep that is more than a year old is named mutton. It is tougher and contains a stronger flavor compared with lamb meat.

3. Sheep’s milk is much more nutritious than cow’s milk since it contains higher levels of calcium and vitamins A, B, and E, thus, well suited for cheese. Some of the famous sheep’s milk cheese is Greek feta, French Roquefort, Spanish Manchego, and Pecorino Romano from Italy.

4. The 4 main products of sheep are lamb, mutton, wool, and sheep’s milk.

On Pigs

1. A female pig is known as sow; a first-time mother, gilt. Males are called boars or studs while those de-sexed are named barrows. The British call the castrated male pig a hog. A hog is a common term used for a swine. A newborn pig is called a piglet.

2. Pigs are intelligent, have an excellent hearing and eyesight, and have a great sense of smell. Like human babies, they probe through their mouths. Anything that is strange, they nibble and taste.

3. Pigs have 44 teeth. Adult male pigs have two sharp tusks which they use for digging and as a weapon so farmers usually clip them off.

4. Pigs don’t have sweat glands so they are allowed to wallow in mud and shallow water during hot days. They have coarse hairs depending on the breed and whether they stay indoors or outdoors.

5. A pig’s nose is named a snout. It may be long or narrow, short or broad, and extremely strong. It should be moist, clean, and shinning.

On Horses

1. A male or female horse that is less than a year old is called a foal while one that’s about 1-2 years old is named a yearling. A male horse that is lower than 4 years is a colt whereas a female is called a filly. A male horse that is a lot more than four years old is a stallion; a female is called a mare. A male parent horse is called a sire while a female parent is called a dam. A castrated horse is called a gelding. Matured horses that are small in size are called ponies.

2. Domesticated horses live for around Twenty five years. They can run soon after birth and can sleep either standing up or lying down.

3. Since horses have their eyes on the side of their heads, they can nearly see 360 degrees at one time.

4. Horses can gallop at around 44kph or 27mph. The fastest recorded speed of a horse was 88kph or 55mph.

There are a lot more to understand these farm animals and their by-products. At Windsor, North Carolina, fresh grass-fed beef and pastured pork nags head are on sale. These are available at the Farmers Market Raleigh, North Carolina.

 

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13 Cooking Tips for Grass-Fed Beef

Overcooking is the best mistake when cooking grass-fed beef. So the following are 13 cooking tips extraordinary chefs have to say for the greatest out of it.

1. Grass-fed beef is best for rare to medium rare cooking. If you want your beef to be cooked thoroughly or well done, you should definitely cook it at low temperature with sauce in it to add moisture.

2. Since grass-fed beef is lean and contains less fat in it, it will require 30% less cooking time compared with grain-fed beef.

3. It is advisable to bring your beef at room temperature before cooking it. However, if you have a necessity to thaw it, never use the microwave. Thaw it in the fridge or put your sealed or vacuum package in water and allow it to stand for about 2-3 hours.

4. Using stove top cooking is best in cooking beef since you will have more control over its temperature compared with a grille.

5. To get additional zest or flavor from your beef, coat it with virgin olive oil or any light oil for simple browning. This also will prevent sticking and drying.

6. When tenderizing the meat, coat it with your favorite rub make it in a zipped bag. Placed the bag with your kitchen counter or on any hard surface and using a rolling pin or mallet, pound the meat. Make sure that it is not flattened unless the recipe calls for it.

7. Marinate beef in the fridge and not on the counter. Discard the marinade before cooking the beef as this may harbor bacteria. If you need to make use of the marinade as a sauce, ensure that you reserve a little before adding to raw beef.

8. Never partially cook beef and then put it within the fridge and then cook it again for the reason that bacteria in the beef will not be destroyed.

9. Always pre-heat your oven or grill when cooking grass-fed beef.

10. Use tongs when turning a beef. Never use a fork since this will always make the juices come out of the beef.

11. Investing in a meat thermometer assures that that you cook your beef just the way you like it. So be sure to utilize it to check doneness. Carefully be careful about your thermometer as grass-fed beef is readily cooked. You would not want to have it dry and lose all the juices that are in it.

12. When grilling hamburgers, use roasted bell peppers or onions to add low-fat moisture while cooking. This will compensate for the loss fat while grilling. Be sure not to overcook your burgers as it only takes 30% less cooking time to do it.

13. After cooking the beef, let it rest for 10 mins. The beef will continue cooking even after it’s been removed from heat as the juices will suck into the meat. If you forget to accomplish this, then you will not get the nutrition out of it.

After learning the following tips, you may want to take a look for nice recipes on your grass-fed beef. Enjoy cooking and eating your delectable beef dish!

 

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Nutrition from a Lean Meat

Public awareness using newspapers, television ads and news, and the most viral of all-social media, is assisting many individuals today to realize your food they eat. The quality, how it is being processed and preserved, ways to maintain it fresh, and much more. There are links to websites being provided as well to recognize more about its nutrients and what it can do to human health.

Listed below are some of the nutrients you may get from a lean meat:

Iron

Iron is a vital nutrient that we need in order to possess a normal growth and development. And since women lose plenty of blood due to menstruation, they want more iron than men.
The most effective sources of iron is red meat, and including beef, pork or lamb in your daily diet three or four times a week, helps boost your iron intake.

Zinc

Zinc for all we know aids our kids and teenagers in bone formation. It also assists us in maintaining our bone structure as well as boosts immunity by advancing our human body’s resistant against infections.
Seniors could also prevent bone loss by increasing intakes of food rich in zinc. And meat products are actually a better source of zinc than plant foods if you are encountering zinc deficiency.

Zinc deficiency can boost impotence, diarrhea, eye and lesions on your skin, impaired appetite and the loss of hair.

As for additional information that you need to learn about zinc, it will help create our DNA and act as a neurotransmitter by helping the body cells to convey. It also aids us in healing our wounds properly.

Protein

Meat is an effective source of protein and the lean ones are considered to be full of protein. All nine necessary amino acids are offered by lean porks and a 100 gram of a lean meat gives about half of our own body’s daily protein requirement.

Protein is another essential nutrient required to have proper purpose of the body system as well as proper growth. It is digestible and helps us in forming and repairing tissues throughout the body.
One could not aware, but protein is important attain the much needed healthy membranes and cell growth. It is also liable for giving us protection by providing immunity and antibodies by developing white blood cells.

Fat

A lean beef provided by Farmers Market Raleigh North Carolina contains only one more gram of saturated fat compared to a skinless chicken breast and a 100 gram serving contains 5 grams of fat, which make it healthier for you since it has half rate of unsaturated fat.

Fat from a lean pork contain vitamins A, D, E and K. In healthful eating, some fats are very important too! These fats boosts our energy and provide us nutrients for our normal growth and aids us in maintaining a nutritious hair, skin and nails. It contains an antioxidant called CLA-conjugated linoleic acid, that helps in heart disease and cancer prevention.

 

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The Reality about Feedlots

A kind of animal feeding operation (AFO), feedlot is beingfound in a factory farming for finishing livestock, particularly beef cattle. CAFOs or concentrated animal feeding operations usedfor big beef feedlots in america, while ILOs or intensive livestock operations (or confined feeding operations-CFOs) for Canada. These feedlots might accommodate thousands of animals in a considerable number of cages. Governmental permits have to operate such feeding operations and has tosupply a clear plan in dealing withthe largequantity of waste that’ll be generated by the animals.
Customarily, all beef was grass fed beef, but it istotally different now and it’s unfortunatethat our beef supply is almost 90% feedlot beef.
With the government subsidy, it became cheaper and faster. Back then, steers were normally butchered at the age of four to five years old. But because of grains, they grow so quick and steers now can be slaughtered much younger, usually 14 to 16 months old.
Typically, all beef cattle graze on forage grass during thefirst few months of their lives. But then almost all are fattened in feed yards where they eat grain or corn, but not with Grass Fed Beef Windsor North Carolina. A beef calf comes with a weight of 80 pounds upon birth but grow to 1,200 pounds for staying more than a year on grass. Well, that certainly constitutes aa large amount of corn, soy-based protein additives, antibiotics and other drugs which include growth hormones.
Although itis more economic to shift a cow from grass to grain under the prevailing farm policies, its extremely distressful to the animal’s digestive system. Not to say that if it is done hurriedly, it is also risky and may possibly kill a steer if antibiotics are not administered regularly.

What makes it our concern if our beef is a feedlot or grass fed beef?

1. Growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Consequently, aside from being odd and hazardous to our own the animals, it has medical consequences to us. Since they’re being rationed with antibiotics each day, the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop surely. Sadly, these make our antibiotics inefficient in treating human diseases.

2. E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria
The system of feeding cattle with grain in feedlots is culpable of the intensive prevalence of the lethal bacteria generally known as E. coli 0157:H7. The intestinal tracts of grain fed cattle become more acidic, which aids the growth of the said bacteria and can actually kill somebody who will eat an undercooked meat i.e. hamburger patties, etc.

3. Source of water and pollution
In feedlots, too much animal wastes generatesand a lotof times being chemically managed, these factory farms develop into a shocking source of water and air pollution.
Michael Pollan, a writerplus a journalist commented:
“We have succeeded in industrializing the beef calf, transforming what was once a solar-powered ruminant into thevery last thingwe want: another fossil-fuel machine.”

4. Great source of saturated fats
A lot of us believe that a corn-fed beef is nutritionally superior and make a well-marbled flesh, but it is not. That is primarily saturated fat that can not be sheared off.

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Grass Fed vs. Grain Fed: What’s the Difference?

Although both grass fed and grain fed cattle have been raised healthier significantly less adulterated with chemicals, not every cows nurtured on the pasture are USDA Certified Organic without every conventional cow being 100% grass fed or continues to be granted immense permission to accessthe range. If you desire tobe aware of thedistinction between a grass fed and a grain fed beef, you should know what each tag means and of course what health benefitsfamily and friendsmay getfrom it.

First, let’s define them. Exactly what is a Grass Fed Beef?
As the term implies, Grass Fed Beef is produced by cattle which has beencapable to grow while in the grass pastures. About the late 1990’s, an increasing number of ranchers have start blocking their cows to getsent in the feedlots as well as be raised on supplements such as soy, grains, and a lot more.Alternatively, they kept their animals depending on the range and forage their pasture there, giving them native diet. These animals are not managed with hormones or has become fed by growth-promoting chemicals. This resulted these animals to growin a natural step causing them tolive in a low-stress environment and grow healthy without serving all of them antibiotics or any other drugs. Thus, meat, eggs, and dairy foodsare being produced healthy too.For people with been patronizing the Grass Fed Beefs, they may havestated that this meat is ideal for your healthpossessesa superior taste over a Grain Fed Beef. They are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories. Grass fed beef Windsor North Carolina provide higher nutrients and richer in antioxidants such as vitamin E, Vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene.

Simply what does Grain Fed Beef mean?
Grain Fed beefs can be tagged as conventional or organic beefand can be raised either on a corn or grain diet. During the 1950’s, conventional ranchers started managing their animals by giving them synthetic and growth hormones. Thesehormones will make their cattle to eat more corn and grains causing them to be grow faster. As this could fatten them up, the quicker chance todrive themtowards the market becomes possible. These processeshelp the ranchers lowers the cost of raising cows and save them lots of money.
Heading to the 1960’s, the increase of mechanically separated meat becomes popular.Using these, beef, pork, turkey and chicken products are carried out by a screen or sieve under high pressure, which makes agreat deal of bacteria and being treated with a lot of ammonia. To cover the flavors of ammonia, artificial flavoring and coloring is being injected-and this is actually the food that we eat on a daily basis.
Though they’d probably given some having access to pasture, and some of their nourishment arises from grass, your not guaranteed that these cows are free of charge from toxins. Unless a laboratory analysis will likely be conducted, or perhapsyou’llobtain achance tospeak with the farmer directly, you cannotbe assured that they aresafe to improve your health and highly nutritious too.

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