PASTURE-RAISED and HEIRLOOM FOOD
why bother??
If managed properly, the Earth will naturally provide a bountiful harvest of grass in which to feed and rear animals. The nutrients of the grasses grown and eaten not only benefits the animal's health but also those that consume the harvested meat. Grass-fed, or what we like to call 'pasture-raised', animals produce the most nutritious meat, milk and eggs on the market today. The nutrients in the grass are not accounted for in grain-feed, whether certified organic or not. In this way, pasture-raised products are the purest and most 'domestically wild' you can get! Not only are pasture-raised products more nutricious they also taste so much better than other methods of raising animals. If you have ever eaten wild game you know how rich and tasty the meat is, well pasture-raised products are just the same! And finally, pasture-raising products lowers a farm's carbon footprint with less reliance of grains. All of this to say that pasture-raised products are the LEANER, GREENER, AND TASTIER CHOICE!!!
The following is a summary of some of the health benefits to pasture-raised chicken, turkey and eggs:
CHICKEN & TURKEY
~ lower fat and calories
~ extra omega-3s
~ richest source of conjugated linoleic acid (good fat) - most potent
defence against cancer
~ higher in vitamin E
~ higher in beta-carotene
PASTURED EGGS
~ 1/3 less cholesterol
~ 1/4 less saturated fat
~ 2/3 more vitamin A
~ 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
~ 3 times more vitamin E
~ 7 times more beta carotene
~ 4-6 times more vitamin D
Heirloom vegetables have taken the backseat to commercial varieties for years but we say "it's time to honour our Elders and bring back the heritage breeds!". We specialize in rare and unique heirloom vegetables. Many of our varieties come from New Zealand due to our close connection to that part of the world. With heirlooms the key is "the uglier, the tastier, and potentially the more nutritious". The process of GMOing tomatoes or creating genetic hybrids has been at the expense of the nutrients of the vegetable. In that regard, our heirloom tomatoes offer the following health benefits:
~ higher levels of vitamin A and vitamin C~ more potassium = lower blood pressure
~ higher in lycopene = prevention of cancer
~ more vitamin K = strong bones
If you are interested in learning more about the health benefits of pasture-raised products we recommended the following websites:
www.eatwild.com
www.sustainabletable.com
chriskresser.com
www.eatingfresh.com