4 Those w/ Celiac, wheat intolerance or follow gluten-free, BE WARY

[dae_tona]

of buying regular ground beef. (it would probably be in your best interest to ALWAYS buy organic) We received a Christmas card along witha Christmas letter yesterday from a friend who raises cattle for food. This is what caught my attention in the letter 'The cattle are fed daily a scientific mixture of hay, ground corn, minerals, and a substance called wheat gluten'.

Dyan

[Purple Sage]

Originally Posted by dae_tona

of buying regular ground beef. (it would probably be in your best interest to ALWAYS buy organic) We received a Christmas card along witha Christmas letter yesterday from a friend who raises cattle for food. This is what caught my attention in the letter 'The cattle are fed daily a scientific mixture of hay, ground corn, minerals, and a substance called wheat gluten'.

Dyan

Almost all animals that are being raised for food are fed a mixture of grains...even "grass fed beef" only has to have a diet made up of "majority grass". My dad raises all natural, hormone free, grass fed beef and in the winter they get a ration that includes ground corn and wheat. I don't believe that transfers to the meat as our friend whose little boy is severely celiac buys beef from my dad and I just called them and the beef does not affect him at all that they can tell.

The thing is, for a cow to be raised 100% on grass the beef would have no marbling or flavor. They give them a ration in the winter that contains some corn and wheat so that the meat will not be too lean because meet that is too lean is tough and dry not tender and flavorful. Also, in the winter they need that layer of fat unless they are in a tropical climate because they get cold out there in the winter. They are still given grass hay that is ground with their ration but if a cow is bearing young, living in a cold climate, she will get sick if she doesn't have some fat in her diet and the fat does not come from grass.

Sorry for getting on my soap box here but that is your lesson of the day from the ranch girl in your midst. I have done a lot of research and my dad is very "up" on how things are done in the industry and I can pretty much assure you that unless you are raising your own cow for meat and you KNOW exactly what you are feeding her, you are going to be getting a cow that has had somewhere around 30-40% of her diet from grains because they NEED that in their diet to remain healthy and be able to be raised free of antibiotics. If a cow does not have enough fat she will get sick then you have to treat her with antibiotics or she will die.

[dae_tona]

I must be the exception to the rule,then, when it comes to buying regular ground beef. A year ago, after buying it because it was less expensive, I started bloating really horribly & nothing in my diet had changed with the exception of adding in the regular ground beef. That's when I discovered that manufacturers will add wheat to their ground beef to make it look fresher. I took it out & in 2 days, the bloating was gone. That's why I tell people to be wary. It happened to me. It could happen to someone else. If it wasn't for my own experience, I would have never even brought up the subject.

I was a ranch girl, too but it's been 20 years since I lived on my grandfather's 82 acre spread so I have no clue how things are done in the industry today.

PS I don't NEED a lesson in this, either!!!!!!!1
Dyan

[jem51]

it pays to know where you get your beef. there is no reason to feed grain in winter and many ranchers who raise grass fed just feed hay...and may even grow their own hay. if your buying grass fed, whether from a store or a ranch, go to their site and if you can, visit the farm. i buy it by the 1/4-1/2 and always visit the farm. if they don't allow visitors, you can bet there's something amiss.

[auradawn]

Wait, I'm confused. I thought this was about the feed given to a cow, but it's also that butchers are infusing gluten into the meat to make it look fresher?

I've never had a problem, but then again I have a wheat allergy rather than celiac.

[Purple Sage]

There is a big difference between the cow being fed a diet that contains wheat gluten and a manufacturer adding wheat to the meat to make it look fresher. They are not even in the same ballpark and have nothing to do with one another. If you have celiac disease and you are buying meat with grain added by the meat processor then you are going to probably develop problems, but don't attack the rancher over what the processor does to the meat....he has nothing to do with it and the problem is not coming becuase the cow ate wheat.

[auradawn]

Thanks!

[choconut68]

Thanks Purple Sage. I like information like you shared.

[rightnow]

I bought a quarter side of all organic no hormones/antibiotics grass fed beef.

I hated it. It tasted gross to me. I'm giving it away!

I feel badly about it -- I'm sure growing up with the stuff in the grocery store is the reason my tastes are the way they are -- but I just don't like it. Even my little girl has the same reaction, "Is this meat bad?" even when it's spiced in a lowcarb burrito. It has so little fat you can barely fry it. And it just. tastes. different. I'm sure most people would think it was great. But to me -- and I'm gluten sensitive, and my boyfriend celiac, but we do not react to hamburger (I do know people who do, but who knows how diff their specific burger is? -- pre-made/fastfood burgers usually have gluten to help hold the patty form together) -- I'm happy to eat grain fed cows now.