There is a lot to learn about human nutrition and how we optimise our health and prevent disease. There is a lot to learn also about how the diet and habitat of the animals we eat affects our health. But we do know this, we are what we eat - it becomes part of us.

Fortunately, there are a lot of good people working on the questions and answers. From this work, there is an emerging body of evidence that suggests that the diet and lifestyle of the animal greatly affects the nutritional characteristics of the meat. The main findings seem to point to the conclusion that if the animal is managed in as close to a natural environment as possible, the meat will have the healthiest characteristics for humans. In some ways this can't be a surprise; plants, animals and humans all evolved together.

Here are some links to references you might like to use to expand your knowledge of the topic so you can make your own informed decisions.

Evidence is increasing that Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) are very beneficial in human health:

• preventing Cardio Vascular Disease,
• helping young brains develop properly before birth and in early childhood
• helping older brains maintain function
• boosting immune systems
• reducing inflammation.

Many people are not aware that the meat from grass-fed beef and lamb are good sources of long chain PUFA. This is because grass itself has PUFA.

Meat from grass-fed animals has also been shown to be higher in antioxidants such as vitamin E which helps to preserve PUFA levels in the meat and makes it keep for longer. In addition to nutrients like PUFA, protein, vitamins and carbohydrates, grasses, shrubs and other plants in healthy pastures and grasslands have important micronutrients and trace elements. These are very important to health and well-being. It is becoming more and more evident that while supplements for particular micronutrients can be helpful, there is really no substitute for 'the real thing'; food in its pristine, wild and dynamic complexity.

With this in mind, it's not surprising to learn that studies are showing that animals (beef, lamb, pork and chicken) produced in feed-lots with no access to a variety of plants have lower levels of PUFA and vitamin E unless they are fed fish oil or other artificial supplements in their rations. You can read more about this at www.eatwild.com "The #1 Site for Grass-fed Food & Facts"

Warning - Science Content!

The following links to scientific journal articles have been provided for those who wish to get the 'good oil':

• Effects of fatty acids on meat quality: a review
• The impact of Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on human health