NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF LONGHORN BEEF
Beef is the number one source of protein, zinc and B12, and the third
best source of iron in the food supply. You’d have to eat 12 cans of
tuna to get the equivalent amount of zinc in one 3 oz. serving of beef.
It takes seven chicken breasts to equal the Vitamin B12 in one 3 oz.
serving of beef. Beef, a good source of Selenium, provides 20-30% of the
recommended daily allowance for men and women. Recent research found
the selenium may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of
cancer (such as prostrate) as well as enhancing the body’s ability to
fight infections. “Lean beef is good for you and the key word is
“Lean”... A heart patient can eat steak every meal if it is in the right
proportions. Registered Longhorn meat, on the average, contains 10%
less saturated fat than that of other cattle. That puts lean Registered
Longhorn Beef on par with skinned boneless white meat of chicken and
that fact may come as a surprise to many dieticians.” Dr. Joseph Graham,
former Cardiovascular Surgeon at St. John’s Medical Center in Joplin,
MO, and Longhorn breeder.
If the source of the beef is 100% grass-fed the nutrition impact is even
better. Omega-3s and B6 are abundant when cattle are fed on grain-free
diets, which many Longhorn owners are choosing to do. Even if you choose
not to sell the beef, utilizing it to feed family and friends is a good
alternative for removing unwanted animals from your herd. Survey
participant Jim Pruett of Pauls Valley, OK shares that he never intended
to get into beef sales, but his heart doctor actually got it started.
“I have two stents and the heart doctor said ‘no red meat’. I showed her
the study on heart healthy grass fed Longhorn beef and she wanted my
business cards to pass out to her patients. It’s nice to have an outlet
besides the sale barn for culls. I sell enough to pay for the processing
and a little extra.” The desire for people to keep beef in their diet
and to know it’s raised and processed naturally in a healthy environment
is growing stronger every day and is creating a need that Longhorn
breeders can fulfill.
Source: Trails July 2017 Issue