Most people have seen the signs for organic, grass fed and free range food. When you go to your local market, you have probably gone by the grass fed beef, free range chicken and even free range pork. This has been advertised as being healthier, better tasting and less inhumane. The question you may have asked yourself is, “does it live up to the hype?” For many people, the answer is yes.
Free range pork, chicken or beef comes from animals that have not been housed in small cages for their entire lives. There are two kinds of “free range” animals. There are some who are kept in smaller enclosures while they are young and then allowed to roam “free.” These are marked “bred” free range. The other kind of farming these animals allows them to never have to deal with a cage. Both are better than the traditional way these animals are farmed.
Why should you get free range pork?
It is true that it tastes a lot better. Why is that? Pigs are not meant to live in small cages. Pigs that are never allowed to move around and are packed into small containers (basically) are stressed out creatures, as anyone would be. The free range type of farming more closely mimics the lives the animals would live if they were out in the wild. They can move around and are given shelter they can access when they need and want to. By being able to move freely about, these animals grow more muscles (traditional cattle and pigs do not have the same muscle/fat ratio). Pig mother stay with their young longer. This is another reason that they are less stressed out. Rather than being cut off immediately from her young, a sow gets several months to take care of their offspring. This makes more tasty pork.
Another reason free range pork tastes better is that the food they are fed is a better quality. You have probably heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” That does not only apply to humans. The very same thing can be said of the animals we eat. Free range pigs spend a lot of their day, nuzzling around in the ground looking for roots to eat. Pigs are great at searching out edibles in the dirt, this is why they are used to seek out truffles.
Pigs, despite popular opinion, are very clean creatures. Most people have heard the stereotypes about pigs being “dirty.” When a person lets their home get super messy or dirty, they are often called a “pig” and their residence is referred to as a”pig sty.” When they are in the wild, pigs go to great lengths to put distance between their waste and their food sourced. The same cannot be said of pigs who are confined to a small space. This means, they ingest a lot less crap.
Pork is sometimes called ,”The other white meat.” While traditional pork may not be all that healthy, free range pork can be very good for you. Pork meat has a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. You can get your B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Many people do not know this but you really should ingest your B12 with protein. Also, while many pork products do have a lot of sodium, if it is prepared properly, that does not have to be the case. Eating good quality, free range pork can give your skin a healthy glow, provide you with healthy protein and give you the nutrients you need to have more energy.
Free range pork also does not have all the additives. It has been estimated that between 60 and 80%
of all antibiotics made in the United States end up in livestock. Factory produced livestock are also pumped full of hormones. If you want to avoid all that, go to the market and ask for local meat farmers’ products. You and your family will be healthier and if you want sustainable meat, this is the way to go.
Free range pork, chicken and beef us a much better way to go. It is healthier to eat, better for the environment and will be better for your karma making it a win-win-win.
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