Beef can be high in omega 3 fatty acids, however, this is not always the case. Modern agriculture is designed to produce more meat at lower costs and does not pay much attention to the health of the animals or the quality of the food produced.
The result is much lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Beef that is grain-fed has low omega 3 levels and much higher omega 6 levels. The result is that grain-fed beef has a ratio that is skewed toward the bad kinds of fat - even though you are getting some omega 3 from eating it, you are also getting far too much of the omega 6 fats. (This is a similar problem to eating eggs from commercial farms.)
However, grass-fed beef is far more healthy and has a better balance of omega 3 fatty acids. Beef that has been grass-fed is also leaner, doesn't have anti-biotics in it, and generally tastes better. Although there are some disadvantages to eating lots of red meat, grass-fed beef actually has more omega 3 than most species of fish.
How does the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 measure up in grass-fed and grain-fed beef? The ratio in most grass-fed beef is more in keeping with the ratios that were in food before farming became commercialized. In grass-fed beef, this ratio is 3:1, but in grain-fed beef, the ratio is much higher. Depending on how much grain the cow has been fed, the ratio can be anywhere from 10:1 to 20:1!
One of the disadvantages of fish is that it can be high in mercury, which is why fish oil that has been purified is the best way to get omega 3 from fish. However, as long as you are careful to make sure that you are only buying grass-fed beef, this is a better food source of omega 3.
Jane_L._Lawson
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