grass fed beef burns fat

Beef is loaded with protein, and when it comes to fighting the battle of the bulge, there is likely not a more important nutrient than protein. As a matter of fact, researchers suggest that an increased protein

intake may be one of the single most important dietary and lifestyle changes that one can make as part of an effective weight loss strategy.

Specifically, there are multiple potential beneficial outcomes associated with an increased protein intake:

1. Increased satiety: Protein-rich foods induce a greater sense of satisfaction than fat- or carbohydrate-rich foods, and they may even decrease energy intake in subsequent meals;
2. Increased thermogenesis: Dietary protein exerts a significantly higher “thermic effect” than fats or carbohydrates, and high-protein diets have continuously been shown to boost the metabolism (i.e., increase energy expenditure); and
3. Maintenance or building of fat-free mass (FFM) and preservation of metabolic rate: High-protein diets have continuously been shown to preserve FFM when dieting for fat loss, and they have also been shown to be necessary for the preservation of metabolic rate, which is frequently compromised as a result of dieting.

Clearly, then, one of the single most important dietary factors that you can do to support your fat loss goals boosts your protein intake. As mentioned, beef is a great source of protein, as well as the following essential nutrients:

• Vitamin B12
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6
• Phosphorus
• Choline
• Iron
• Riboflavin

Obviously, despite a bad rap in certain circles, beef is a nutrient-dense, fat-fighting allstar. However,

not all beef is created equally, and grass-fed beef is a superior option over standard grain-fed options.

Interestingly, regardless of whether your beef is grain-fed or grass-fed, you’ll be getting about 40-50% saturated fat, about 40-50% monounsaturated fat, and somewhere near 10% polyunsaturated fat. However, and this is a BIG, however, the diet of the cow significantly influences the types of each fat present.

Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between 2 and 5 times more Omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef. The average ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acids in grass-fed beef is 1.5:1, which is essentially ideal. On the contrary, in grain-fed beef, this ratio jumps all the way up to nearly 8:1.

This is important to note for a plethora of reasons, but succinctly put, this type of Omega Imbalance, which is characterized by excessive consumption of Omega-6 fatty acids coupled with a deficiency in Omega-3 fatty acids, is connected to an increase in all inflammatory diseases, which is basically all diseases, including:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• Irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease
• Macular degeneration
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Asthma
• Psychiatric disorders
• Autoimmune disease

What’s more, this overconsumption of Omega-6 fatty acids not only affects you but also your offspring, as it can increase the incidence of obesity in future generations.

In addition to a much healthier Omega-3 fatty acid profile, grass-fed beef is one of the best dietary sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), as it contains an average of 2 to 3 times more CLA than grain-fed beef. CLA possesses significant antioxidant activity, and research has shown it to reduce body fat, increase lean body mass, and improve body composition.