Let’s start with the premise: what we eat matters to how our human body functions. Let’s also recognize that the mechanisms by which food influences the health of the human body are wildly complex. With those things in mind, it seems to be widely accepted by the medical community that we should balance the various types of fats available to us in our diets. Bring your own view on the animal versus plant-based protein theories to the conversation. Organic farmers provide us an opportunity to consume wholesome, healthy fats in our diet. And, there is evidence showing that how your food is managed on the farm makes a difference for your nutritional well being.
A national 18-month study concluded that dairy cows who consumed a forage based grass/legume diet produced milk with 25% less omega-6 fatty acids and 62% more omega-3 fatty acids compared to cows who consumed a higher percentage of grains and less forage in their diet (Benbrook et al., PLoS One, 2013). The Certified Organic milk tested in the study had an omega-6 : omega-3 ratio of 2.28, while the conventional commercially produced milk averaged a ratio of 5.77. It is generally accepted that diets with lower ratios provide us the optimal balance of fatty acids; higher ratios force our bodies to figure out what to do with the wrong kind of fats. All individual omega-3 fatty acids were higher in the organic milk. With encouraging ratios like these, fat content is no reason to avoid grass-forage based dairy products, especially since they are so tasty and fun to eat.
Certified Organic farms must operate a grass-forage based system, which they document and a third party verifies. These systems optimize natural resources and require much less steel, diesel fuel, and pesticides than conventionally produced food products. No genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are allowed in organic farming systems, period. Using simple electric fence technology, farmers can effectively provide grass and forage meals to livestock from pasture in a manner that benefits the pasture itself by allowing a quick regrowth for another meal after several weeks. The legumes in the pasture pull nitrogen from the air in a symbiotic relationship with a rhizobia bacterium. In a conventional commercial system, grain crops grown with chemically produced nitrogen fertilizers are fed to the livestock. Unless you are purchasing your milk and other dairy products directly from the farmer, the process-verified Certified Organic milk is the only way to know you are getting the good stuff. When you see the organic seal that product has been carefully managed to maintain integrity throughout the processing and distribution system.
There are other sources of beneficial omega-3 fats, but really, you can only eat so many walnuts, and fish is not so popular for breakfast. Look for Certified Organic beef along with dairy, as it also is verified to be grass-based or totally grass-fed. The beauty of the milk study is the consistency of the sample collection and similarity within feeding systems.
And for the vegetarians and vegans, there’s a difference in plant-based proteins too. A 2013 study published in the journal Food Chemistry determined that certified organic soybeans contain less omega-6 fatty acids, more total protein, more sugars, and less fiber than conventional systems and/or genetically modified soybean farming systems. From the 35 different variables tracked in this study, among them nutrient profiles and pesticide residues, scientists can accurately identify which of the three production systems was used to produce the beans in blind testing of their model. The vast majority of soybeans grown in this country are patented genetically modified plant varieties, as is corn grain for livestock, and increasingly, vegetables. In a fruit fly study, the flies lived longer and had more offspring when consuming organic soybeans and/or organic vegetables than when consuming conventionally farmed equivalent diets (Chhabra et al., PLoS One, 2013).
So when the received wisdom is “people should avoid or limit intake of animal products because of the fat content,” know that there is some nuance to that idea. When those products come from non-organic feeding systems, that is correct. But when meat and dairy products are produced in organic grass-forage based systems that are closely aligned with the natural ruminant digestive tract, the resulting nutritional quality is right in line with our own dietary needs. Therefore it stands to reason, if you eat organic from the “Farm-U-see”, you can avoid a need for a pharmacy. Since we eat for our health, it’s comforting to know how to get it right. Maybe we should supplant conventional wisdom with traditional wisdom: you are what you eat.