Simple Math: Grass Fed + Grass Finished > Grain Fed.
Buffalo and beef cattle are ruminants, meaning they have a four-chambered stomach and digest their food in an unconventional way. Ruminants chew their cud as a means to produce saliva which provides a buffer for the first part of the stomach (the rumen). If the animal stops chewing their cud this is a major sign that the animal is ill.
Ruminant stomachs are not designed by nature to digest high volumes of starch and grains. As grazers, buffalo and beef cattle are unable to safely consume and metabolize grains and corn feed.
Grain Fed Buffalo & Beef Cattle = Not Healthy
A diet high in grains leads to an increase in inflammatory responses in both buffalo and beef cattle. Due to the animal's inability to properly digest grains, we will see a lipid panel within the meat that favors omega-6s to omega-3s. Omega 6 in moderation is beneficial to the body; however, when consumed in high volumes it disturbs health significantly.
Increases the risk for:
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Coronary heart disease
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Hypertension
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Cancer
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Diabetes
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Arthritis
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Autoimmune disease
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Neurodegenerative disease
So yes, having a balanced fatty acid panel is very important.
Buffalo = Healthy Red Meat Alternative
Buffalo have a lower fat content than beef, containing 3-4 times more anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Buffalo that are grass-fed and grass-finished consume a diverse diet of plants and have superior nutrient make up. Buffalo meat is high in B vitamins, which are essential to a human's memory, mood, and energy levels. In addition, buffalo meat is rich in copper, potassium, and zinc, and is a recommended source of iron for women who tend to be anemic.
Regular buffalo meat consumers have been shown to have an improved lipid panel, lower levels of cholesterol, increased levels of HDL (good cholesterol), and low levels of triglycerides (bad cholesterol.) In addition, regular buffalo consumers exhibit better oxidative-reductive homeostasis (unregulated oxidative reactions lead to chronic disease and cancers).
Wild Idea Buffalo = Beyond Organic
By regeneratively ranching our bison over large landscapes, our buffalo meat is beyond organic. For their entire lives, Wild Idea's buffalo continually graze pastures ranging from 500-24,000 acres on which they happily roam between 2-5 miles a day. By consuming a wide array of natural prairie grasses, we can confidently guarantee that our grass-fed, grass-finished, and humanely field-harvested buffalo meat is a superior red meat alternative.
Try some today!
Sources
1. McDaniel J, Askew W, Bennett D, et al. Bison meat has a lower atherogenic risk than beef in healthy men. Nutr Res. 2013;33(4):293-302. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2013.01.007
2. Tamburrano A, Tavazzi B, Callà CAM, et al. Biochemical and nutritional characteristics of buffalo meat and potential implications on human health for a personalized nutrition. Ital J Food Saf. 2019;8(3):8317. Published 2019 Oct 2. doi:10.4081/ijfs.2019.8317
3. Tamburrano A, Tavazzi B, Callà CAM, et al. Biochemical and nutritional characteristics of buffalo meat and potential implications on human health for a personalized nutrition. Ital J Food Saf. 2019;8(3):8317. Published 2019 Oct 2. doi:10.4081/ijfs.2019.8317