Posts filed under Healthy Living

Designer Foods

Designer Clothes have been around a long time – but what about Designer Foods?

Go to a New York Fashion Show and you’ll probably see some of the most outlandish looking clothes that you know you would never wear! Clothing designers, like Calvin Klein, create something new and different in order to be noticed and ‘ahead of the game’. It is simply the fashion world in which we live.

This same phenomenon is happening with foods. All across the country, chefs are competing to create what many might call outlandish combinations of foods to impress judges at competitive shows – and to sell to customers at high-dollar restaurants.

Chefs are to foods what Clothing Designers are to clothes!

Know that everything created is not new. For example; many chefs have rediscovered wood ashes and how they contribute flavor. Native Indians used wood ashes to add flavor to some of their foods, especially corn. They learned this from observing wild life and how they craved ashes from burned vegetation. What is very interesting is that Indians were never known to use wood ash on meat to enhance flavor. Because wild animals graze only on grasses, their meat naturally has tremendous flavor.

Why do clothing designers and chefs feel the need to add to what already exists? Could it be because the clothing or food is bland? Could it be because consumers are bored? Could it be because of the increasing demand to be new and “cutting edge”?

We have great news! We have received feedback from our customers that our grass-fed beef and lamb is not bland. They do not get bored with the flavor and do not need sauces or rubs. Lastly, grass-fed meat is “cutting edge"! There has been an increasing awareness for healthy, quality food that is ethically raised; food that is naturally flavorful and nutritious – just the way nature intended!

 

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Jayne Benkendorf and filed under Healthy Living, Grass-Fed Beef, Grass-Fed Lamb and tagged designer grass-fed beef grass-fed lamb Oklahoma grass-fed beef healthy meat natural.

The Truth About Eating Fat

The Truth About Eating Fat: More Butter Please!

It's time that you know the truth about eating fat and join the awakening that has recently emerged about the quality of the fat we eat and how it affects our body's ability to function. Fat is good and our bodies need it.

I remember the first time my husband, Ironman and athletic nutrition guru, told me that I needed more fat in my diet. I was 15 pounds overweight and thinking, "Are you crazy? I'm trying to lose weight, not gain it!" My entire life, I have been surrounded by the idea that "low fat" meant less fat on my body and therefore, better for me. I, along with the majority of the population in America, have been tricked by marketing.  Here is the truth:

 

"Low Fat" labels do not make those items healthy.

Read the ingredients, not the nutrition facts. In order to keep the food tasty when the fat is removed, manufacturers add sugars, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin and a variety of other processed sweeteners. These sweeteners are usually far less healthy than the fat they removed to begin with.

Eating foods that are high in fat does not mean you will gain weight.

Your body needs fat to burn fat. If you consistently feed your body high quality fats, your body becomes more efficient at burning fat and eventually fat becomes its preferred fuel source. YESSSSSS!! Imagine what will happen to that extra annoying fat when your body finally decides to use it up for fuel?!? The truth is, your brain NEEDS essential fats to function well. Your brain controls everything. Feed it.

Which fats are "good" fats and where can I find them?

Omega 3, Omega 6 in moderation, Docosahexaenoic Acid, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid are examples of quality fats. Don't worry, you don't have to memorize those. Before you get too excited though, fried foods are NOT quality fats. Think avocado, nuts, seeds, high quality oils: coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, and hemp seed oil, salmon, grass-fed butter, grass-fed dairy, and most importantly grass-fed meats.

Click here to read more.

 

We have said it before and will continue to say it: our BF Farms family believes in good nutrition. We want the very best for you! That's why we work hard to offer the highest quality grass-fed beef and lamb. Our meat contains Omega 3s, an essential fatty acid. Your body needs it and we are happy to provide it!

 

www.BF-Farms.com

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Brian Sallee and filed under Healthy Living, Grass-Fed Beef and tagged grass-fed beef grass-fed grass-fed lamb marketing low fat fat free omega 3 labeling good fat quality fat.

The Well-Traveled Steak

Is Your Steak Well-Traveled?

In our area, a stocker calf operator buys small calves, 300 to 400 pounds, and grows them on grass or wheat pasture until they reach a weight of 700 to 800 pounds and ready for the feedlot – then they become well-traveled! Many of these calves come from Mississippi, about 500 miles away. Due to the long distance, these calves arrive stressed.

The calves are given antibiotics and growth steroids and are watched carefully for 30 days. Any that are sick will be given another round of antibiotics. Sometimes the calves will be given another round of growth steroids when they reach 500 – 600 pounds. These steroids add muscle. It’s just like an athlete who takes steroids to enhance their strength and performance.

When the calves reach that 700 – 800 pound marker, they are prepared for their second road trip, this time to a feedlot. In our area, most major feedlots are about 200 miles away. Once at the feedlot, the process starts all over. Due to the stress of travel, they are given another round of antibiotics along with more growth steroids. A ration of grain is introduced at the feedlot and is continued until they are ready to go to the processor. An average time at the feedlot and on this grain ration is approximately 150 days when the calves will be weighing 1,200 – 1,400 pounds.

There is yet another road trip in store for these calves. They are now loaded out of the feedlot and hauled to a processor who may be 100 to 200 miles away. Once the processor finishes the processing and the meat is cut into steaks, roasts, ground meat, etc., a food service company picks it up and distributes it to restaurants and grocery stores throughout the United States. Then the last trip is the one you make to the grocery store and take it home for your next meal.

It is entirely possible that the steak or hamburger you purchased at the store or ate at a restaurant has traveled more miles in the last year than you have! This is the society we live in. It is a way of life that most people have accepted – that is until now.

Purchasing your live animal directly from BF Farms, where it has lived its entire life, fed no grain, given no antibiotics or steroids, and where you have control over how that animal is processed for your family’s enjoyment, is a blessing. This is such a simple concept, but it is not new. This is exactly how the “Family Farm” operated years ago - before big industry took over. Our family believes in this simple, natural, healthy way of raising animals, and we want to share it with you!

 

www.BF-Farms.com

BF-Farms, LLC, Oklahoma's source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Jayne Benkendorf and filed under Grass-Fed Beef, Healthy Living and tagged BF Farms bf-farms grass-fed healthy beef Oklahoma traveled.

GMOs

Have GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms, Overtaken our Food Supply?

In many cases, GMOs have taken over our food supply. Unless a product is identified as “GMO Free” or is labeled Organic, there is a good chance it contains GMO ingredients. Some states have tried passing laws requiring food companies to identify products with GMOs, but that has been axed by a new federal law. This new law forbids states from passing laws requiring food companies to identify products containing GMOs.

Our position at BF Farms is very simple: We do NOT recommend the consumption of any foods containing ingredients derived from GMOs; however, we recommend that you do your own research and make this call for you and your family.

To get a feeling of how GMOs have taken over our food supply, let’s concentrate on just two products – corn and alfalfa. (There are many more!)

Corn is by far the most pervasive in our food supply as this GMO food is found in most processed foods such as; corn oil, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, modified corn starch, etc. But it doesn’t stop here! GMO corn is the number one ingredient used to feed cattle in our feedlots. The use of GMO feed, along with the use of antibiotics and steroids, is the #1 reason for the demand of grass-fed meats.

Alfalfa is a relative newcomer to the GMO parade. How does alfalfa get into our food supply? It is fed to cattle, and just like corn, we get the results of GMOs when we eat the meat.

The biggest users of alfalfa are dairies. Think about it, GMOs have now found their way into our milk supply along with other dairy products such as cheese, butter, cream, sour cream, etc. Dairies also feed corn, so these cows are getting a double whammy when it comes to GMOs – and so are we!

We encourage you to do your own research regarding GMOs, and we also want you to know that BF Farms’ cattle and sheep will never get any GMO products. We are GMO free!

 

BF-Farms, LLC

Oklahoma's #1 source for 100% grass-fed beef and lamb.

www.BF-Farms.com

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Jayne Benkendorf and filed under Grass-Fed Beef, Grass-Fed Lamb, Healthy Living and tagged Oklahoma grass-fed beef GMO corn alfalfa feedlots.