Grass-fed vs Grain-fed Meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken), Compared

When deciding whether to go with grass-fed or grain fed meat, be it beef, pork or chicken (the latter ones more commonly called pasture-raised rather since they don’t graze on grass in the same way cows do), it can be useful, or even necessary, to know what the actual differences between the two are before you make up your mind.

Soo, what are they then and is grass-fed worth it over grain-fed?

Table of Contents

• Grass-fed VS Grain-fed Meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken) – The Key Differences
  • Grass-fed Is More Nutritious
  • Grass-fed Meat Is More Humane
  • Grass-fed Has Less "Bad Stuff" In It
  • Grass-fed Has Less Calories Than Grain-fed Per 100 Grams (And More Protein)
  • The Fat Composition Is Very Different In Grass-fed VS Grain-fed Meat (Especially Pork Or Chicken)
  • They Differ In Taste
  • Grain-fed Is Cheaper, Grass-fed More Expensive
• Grass-fed VS Grain-fed: Is Grass-fed Meat Worth It?
• Summary
• Related Reading:
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Grass-fed VS Grain-fed Meat (Beef, Pork, Chicken) – The Key Differences

The differences between grass- and grain-fed actually vary in meaningful ways among the 3 listed types of animals, a point which I’ll get to more in a bit, but let’s start with the differences that are mostly the same between all 3 of them, which include:

Grass-fed Is More Nutritious

Overall, grass-fed meat is more nutritious or nutrient-dense than grain-fed, and although the difference isn’t a huge one, it’s still a meaningful enough one for many nutrients, especially when it comes to important fat-soluble ones such as vitamin A, K2 and vitamin E (*) as well as for overall antioxidant content (*,*).

Now, those nutrients in particular are not as big of a deal if you’re already taking the recommended daily supplements, that include those, but still, and if not, it matters!

And then:

Grass-fed Meat Is More Humane

This basically means, that the animals that are pasture-raised and thus fed mainly on grass and/or their natural diets oftentimes lead much better lives, not as often restricted to smaller areas and feed lots, and eating a diet that doesn’t make them sick and obese with all the effects and complications that has on quality of life.

So overall, grass-fed animals have it way better from an animal cruelty perspective, no doubt about that.

Grass-fed Has Less “Bad Stuff” In It

When choosing grass-fed over grain-fed you’ll get less exposure to traces of antibiotics, growth hormones and various additives and pesticides that may be present in the industrially farmed grains they’re fed, leading to less of a toxic burden from the meat overall (which is obviously a good thing).

I wouldn’t say this one is that big of a problem, but it does make at least a small difference healthwise.

Grass-fed Has Less Calories Than Grain-fed Per 100 Grams (And More Protein)

Yep, grass-fed meat generally has less calories in it than grain-fed, and a little bit more protein as well, since it’s just leaner overall.

In comparison,

4 oz of grain-fed/conventional beef: 280 calories, 20 g protein and 22 g fat.

4 oz of grass-fed beef: 224 calories, 22 g protein, 14 g fat.

I wouldn’t say this is a deal-breaker however, since the type of fat in meat, beef in particular, is healthy fat and thus a good source of calories, and if you’re worried about the few grams less of protein, you can just eat a very slightly larger portion of the conventionally raised one.

The Fat Composition Is Very Different In Grass-fed VS Grain-fed Meat (Especially Pork Or Chicken)

This may actually be the biggest and most important point and difference healthwise when it comes to choosing between grass- and grain-fed meat, and again it’s particularly important in pork and chicken.

The fatty acid composition between grass-fed and grain-fed differs mainly in that:

• Grass-fed contains less monounsaturated fat (*) (not necessarily good or bad, since monounsaturated fat isn’t a problematic fat for your health).
• Grass-fed contains a lot more omega-3 (*) (good thing, but also not that big of a deal if you’re eating very healthily (thus including fatty fish regularly or some fish oil).
• Grass-fed meat is considerably higher in conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat which comes with a lot of its own unique benefits (*).
• Grass-fed/pasture-raised pork and chicken contain a lot less bad omega-6 oils than do their grain-fed/conventionally raised counterparts, since they, just like we humans do, store these fats in their cell membranes and tissues proportionately to how much of it they eat (an unnatural diet thus leads to unnaturally high amounts in the resulting meat). This however is not an issue with beef, since cattle don’t store them in that proportional way, and one of the main reasons beef is the healthier meat option among them if you’re eating grain-fed.

They Differ In Taste

This is a point that also isn’t necessarily a good nor a bad thing, since taste and preference differs between different people.

There are those that prefer the slightly more gamey taste of grass-fed, and then there are those that prefer the taste of grain-fed (which could very well be the result of habit and that that’s how you’re used to it tasting and may have grown up with).

But either way, this is an area in which they differ from each other a bit.

To know which one you prefer tastewise personally, you’ll have to try them both, of course.

And then to the point where the tables turn a bit and grain-fed comes out on top:

Grain-fed Is Cheaper, Grass-fed More Expensive

Cost would be the main thing that grain-fed meat has got going for it over grass-fed and where it has the edge, and not a small edge either since the difference in cost can often be considerable (hence, nutritionwise, you might still get more for your money going with grain-fed considering this..

Which brings us to:

Grass-fed VS Grain-fed: Is Grass-fed Meat Worth It?

Because of the discrepancies in cost of grass-fed vs grain-fed meat, a common question becomes whether it’s worth it, buying grass-fed over grain-fed..

And I’d say this much, that going with grass-fed is probably worth it for you healthwise if money is not an obstacle, while when it is, I’d say you’re better off just going with grain-fed, and then trying to stick with beef as much as possible due to the higher omega-6 content in grain-fed pork and chicken, especially if you haven’t already cut out the problematic seed and vegetable oils from your diet that add up with it (and if you have, it’s less of a concern but still a good one to keep in mind to not overdo things with those types of meat in the long run).

Related Reading: Foods High In Seed Oils To Avoid.

Because again, you’ll get more bang for your buck even nutritionwise from going with grain-fed due to the simple fact that it’s cheaper and that you thus can afford to buy and eat more of it than grass-fed when you’re financially constrained.

That does outweigh the extra health benefits of grass-fed gram for gram, or pound for pound, in my so humble opinion and many others’ as well.

With pork and chicken the health benefits to grass-fed are a lot more pronounced (again due to the omega-6), but the cost differences for buying these meats pasture-raised are often even bigger than for that of beef, and they’re also much rarer and thus less convenient for many to find and buy, leading me to recommend that you’re still better off with grain-fed if you’re at all concerned about costs, and then going with leaner cuts of these if you’re not just choosing to eat more beef instead.

Obviously, if you can find grass-fed meat at a great price or deal and where the cost difference isn’t very steep at all (or non-existent), then by all means always go with grass-fed, because why not!

On a more anecdotal note however, I do remember a number of years back when I compared conventional beef with grass-fed intuitively to sense any differences, and interestingly enough my body didn’t seem all too keen on the fat from the grain-fed meat, almost to the point of wanting to shun it completely, while that from the grass-fed was ok and no problems with (my body wanted it as a calorie source). This tells me grass-fed fat, even from beef, is probably better and healthier for you for reasons that we may not even know or understand yet (unless it was because of some of the above ones having to do with the overall health of the animal, hormones, antibiotics, toxins and pesticides and fatty acid composition, but hard to know for sure).

Just an interesting sidenote, is all.

And with that, let’s wrap this beast (whether grass- or grain-fed) up:

Summary

To summarize this post, the key points and takeaways to remember are that grass-fed generally means the animals eat grass and/or their natural diets as opposed to industrially farmed grains, and:

• Grass-fed meat is generally more nutritious and healthy and contains less hormones, antibiotics and other additives, toxins or pesticides.
• Grass-fed is usually more humane to the animals.
• The fat composition is different and considerably healthier grass-fed in pork and chicken in particular.
• They can differ a bit in taste as well.
• Grass-fed can be a lot costlier.
• Grass-fed is worth it if you have the money for it, but if not, grain-fed is still the preferable option, especially beef and leaner cuts of pork/chicken, and ideally in combination with also cutting out all sources of seed and vegetable oils from your diet.

So, eat healthy and responsibly overall, whether your choice of meat is grain- or grass-fed, and, until next time,

/Emil

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