Farm Fact: Omega 3 Production

There is an actual biological basis for why grass-fed meat and dairy has more omega-3 fatty acids. Cattle have four stomachs for a reason, just like their cousins, the giraffe and antelope, on the Serengeti plains of Africa. Their digestive system is a survival mechanism: They can go into the open grassland, away from the shade and security of the trees, fill up their second stomach—the rumen—with 40 to 60 pounds of grass and clover, and then retreat back to the security of the trees to ruminate, or digest, what they gobbled up very quickly. (In case you are wondering, the first stomach, the reticulum, is honey-combed to catch rocks, thorns or—relatively recently—metal that could cause problems if sent down the way.)

The digestive metabolites from a cow’s third and fourth stomachs and intestines produce a healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 for them to build muscle or make milk. When cattle consume a high percentage of readily digestible starches in the form of grain, they produce less omega-3s.

Organic meat and dairy farmers must document that their animals consume the appropriate amount of forage and not too much grain to ensure you are consuming the good stuff.