Whitson wrote:
>
> Cows can't digest grains?
As far as I know they can. Whether this affects the meat is what some people on this
list are wondering. I personally can't tell the difference between grass fed and
grain fed, however, other people claim that they can. Since cows have evolved to
get only fairly small amounts of grains in their diet (mostly cellulose) one could
argue that predominantly grain based diets aren't good for them and might affect
the quality of the meat. Some testing has shown that meat from wild animals has
more essential fatty acids, less fat, etc. This would indicate that the commercial
feed produces meat of lower quality. How important that is is for you to decide.

> What does grain have to do with eating beef raw?  Should I opt for
> antibiotic injected/hormone injected grass-fed cows?  My options are the supermarkets or Whole
> Foods for meat that is antibiotic/hormone free.  (I can barely afford it).
Some meat is both grass-fed and antibiotic/hormone free. Example - New Zealand
lamb, which is sold in Bread and Circus and is not that expensive (boneless
leg of lamb is $6.99/lb)

Ilya

PS Cows are, strictly speaking, carnivores (or at least omnivores). They
themselves don't digest grass - bacteria in their guts does. The cows
then digest the bacteria.