Research Commentary: Organic Meats, Milk Could Have More Good-for-you Fats, Study Finds (CNN Health)

I was interviewed by Carina Storrs for CNN Health about the research article published earlier this week in the British Journal of Nutrition, "Composition Differences Between Organic and Conventional Meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis." Click here to read the interview.

Photo credit: factcoexist.com

This study looked at studies conducted over the last 2 decades in Europe, Brazil and the US to try to determine if organic meat was more nutritious than conventional meat. There was not enough information to determine whether one was better than the other in terms of vitamins or minerals. 

The only component that there was enough information to compare was fat, and specifically omega-3 fatty acids. The study showed that there were higher levels of omega-3s in organic as compared to conventional meat, with this finding being driven mainly by beef. 

This makes sense policy- and biology-wise since organically raised cows must have access to the outdoors, whereas this is not true for conventionally raised cows. The omega-3s come from the diet, and diets high in foods eaten while grazing and foraging (namely green grass and other green plants) result in higher levels of omega-3s in the animals. 

The study did not make a distinction between grass-fed and non-grass-fed animals. It is reasonable to expect that non-organic, grass-fed animals would have similarly high levels of omega-3s as organic ones.

This particular study did not look at organic milk, which is reported in the same news article and, I assume, is from another source which I won't comment on here.

Want to know more about omega-3's?

The main omega-3 fatty acids in the diet are ALA, EPA and DHA. ALA is found mainly in nuts, seeds and leafy greens, whereas EPA and DHA are found more often in animal products like fatty fish, meat and dairy products. Seaweed also contains EPA and DHA (which is where the fish get it from). 

However, our bodies can convert ALA to EPA and DHA. This generally only occurs in significant amounts if our diets are lower in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6s are found mainly in vegetable oil, fried foods, processed foods, meat, dairy products, and poultry. This is because the enzyme that converts ALA to EPA and DHA also processes omega-6s to their downstream products.

(Click on image to enlarge) 

The downstream products of omega-6s include inflammatory arachidonic acid, prostaglandins and leukotrienes that contribute to diseases such as asthma, blood clots, arthritis, and atherosclerosis.

The downstream products of omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and are widely touted to have many health benefits.

My Take-home Messages:

Studies show that diets containing red and processed meats (e.g. sausage, bacon, hotdogs, etc.) put people at higher risk of some cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Even though organic and grass-fed beef may contain more omega-3s than conventional beef that is not grass-fed, it is better to get your omega-3s from plant and fish sources. 

If you do choose to eat red meat, try to save it for special occasions, cut down on your portion sizes, and limit it to 1 serving per week. Try to choose organic or grass-fed beef when possible to get more omega-3s and reduce the impact of meat production on the environment.

Substitutions to Make Holiday Recipes Vegan, Vegetarian or Dairy- and Egg-Free

Do you want to lighten-up your holiday dinner without sacrificing taste? 

Do you have a vegetarian, vegan, or someone with a dairy allergy/intolerance coming to dinner?

Try some of these tips to cut out dairy and other high saturated fat and cholesterol ingredients—essentially “vegan-ize” your meal.

Basic Tips:

• Eating vegan just means that one is not eating animal-based foods like meat, dairy, seafood, and eggs. Since all cholesterol comes from these products, vegans eat a zero cholesterol diet! 
• Vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, but no meat or seafood.
• What about those who don’t want to be vegan? No problem—everyone’s health can benefit by eating more plant-based, whole foods. Most of the recipes I post are aimed at getting people to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and other plant-based foods that we know improve health.
• If you are trying to vegan-ize recipes, the easiest recipes are those that only have one or two animal-based items and these items are not the key ingredients.
• For dishes that do have meat, dairy, seafood, or eggs as main ingredients, there generally are ways to vegan-ize them, but those methods are either more advanced or use a lot of heavily processed plant-based foods to replicate animal-based food. However, I have given some recommendations for these processed items, based purely on taste, for those who would like to use them. I have only included widely-available brands. There are a lot of faux meat and dairy products out there that either taste terrible or don’t work well in recipes (or both!). 

Here are some quick tips on replacing some dairy and other animal-based foods in recipes:

Eggs: In baked items, an egg can be replaced with 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons hot water. Alternatively, you can use a product called “Egg Replacer” as directed on the package. Both methods only work for recipes with 1-2 eggs in them. Basically, don’t try this with angel food cake, which is mostly made of eggs.

Cream (aka. heavy cream): In items where cream is an ingredient, blend equal amounts of raw cashews and water together until completely smooth. Use as you would cream. This works for everything except whipped cream.

Milk: Silk Unsweetened SoyMilk yields the best results when substituted for milk in my experience, but you can use any unsweetened non-dairy milk (rice, almond, coconut, etc.). Beware that “plain” non-dairy milks often contain sweetener and are terrible in mashed potatoes or savory food. Make sure to find unsweetened. Plain versions are fine for using in dishes that you don’t mind being sweet.

Meat: it really depends on the recipe. If your recipe calls for a bit of bacon or sausage to flavor vegetables, just leave out and use a bit of olive oil instead to add the fat that you’d miss without the bacon/sausage. If you really want the smoky flavor, add a few drops of liquid smoke, though I won’t vouch for it’s health benefits or lack thereof. For items that are made up almost entirely of meat, you can find non-meat versions of sausage (both breakfast and link), turkey, lunchmeat, meatloaf, chicken breast, hamburger, cube steak, meatballs, and burgers on the market that taste great (but, are obviously very processed). Most are quite processed, but if you want recommendations on which taste the best, Field Roast and Gardein brands are generally good (I am not vouching for the taste of their other products). I have not found fake seafood products to be very tasty and would suggest you avoid them.

Butter: I use the EarthBalanceOriginal (the non-whipped version) or the Vegan Buttery Sticks. These have more salt than unsalted butter (the type often used in baking), so you generally have to leave salt out of your recipe if using more than a tablespoon or two.

Shortening/Lard: vegetable shortening is actually vegan but is often full of the most unhealthy thing you can eat—trans fat. I generally substitute either “butter” (as above) or unrefined coconut oil if a solid fat is needed. If liquid oil would work, I use canola, safflower, or grapeseed oils (all oils with little of their own flavor).

Cheese: Most cheese eaters will be disappointed with vegan alternatives. The exception I’ve found for eating straight out of the package is Field Roast brand Chao Cheese, which comes in three flavors (all good and not as heavily processed as many others). For shredded cheese that you cook in/on a dish, I recommend FollowYour Heart Vegan Gourmet Shreds; a runner-up is Daiya brand cheeses. Both of the shredded types are quite processed and are not passable for the real thing, but the best-tasting options widely available.

Cream Cheese: There are many on the market of varying quality, but the best-tasting is Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. If you can find the one with the yellow label it is made without hydrogenated oils and is much better for you than the white label one which does contain hydrogenated oils (trans fat). Again, this is quite processed.

Ice Cream: Try my recipe for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! Otherwise, look for options that are not fat-free as these tend not to taste very good and be made up nearly entirely of sugar. Don’t be fooled by those ice “creams” that claim to have no sugar—they generally mean they have no white sugar, but can still be filled with other types of sugar. Cashew-based (and some coconut milk-based) ice “creams” tend to be less processed than soy, almond, and rice milk-based varieties.

Evaporated Milk: My pumpkin pie recipe uses Mori-Nu Firm or Extra-Firm Silken Tofu (this type is sold on the shelf in an aseptic package, unrefrigerated) in place of both the evaporated milk and eggs generally found in pumpkin pie recipes. This substitution doesn't work in all recipes using evaporated milk and/or eggs.

For full vegan holiday recipes, check out the following posts:

Vegan-Vegetarian Holiday Menu

Thanksgiving Sides & Desserts

**I am not paid to endorse products, nor do I received free products, from any of the companies mentioned above. I am simply recommending what works based on my experience.