There’s a story being told. A story in which eating meat is linked to poor human health, the mistreatment of animals and the destruction of our environment. And the answer? According to this story? Eat less meat. Better yet, eat no meat.

There’s just one problem with this story. It’s not true.

It’s Not The Cow, It’s The How

We know that grassfed and pasture-based farming and ranching is good for us, good for our communities and good for the environment.

• Research shows that grassfed meat is lean, contains a high percentage of good fats – Omega 3s and CLA — and beneficial antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

• Small family farms provide jobs and strong economies in rural communities and create sustainable businesses for succeeding generations.

• Cattle, goats, sheep, and bison evolved to eat grass. Feeding them a diet of cereal grains creates an acidic environment in their digestive systems and can lead to disease and the need for treatment with antibiotics.

• Grassfed and pasture-based farming maintains and restores natural ecosystems and wildlife habitat, reduces reliance on petrochemicals, improves the soil with organic matter, and reduces greenhouse gasses, especially carbon dioxide.

A better path to improved health, animal welfare and environmental sustainability is to replace the meat from animal factories in your diet with meat from America’s family farms and ranches.

Start With #MindfulMeatMonday

Here are some simple things you can do right now:

• Look for the American Grassfed seal wherever you shop.

• If you can’t find it there, find a local farm or ranch here or here and order direct, then ask your grocer to stock meat from AGA-certified producers.

• Follow American Grassfed on Instagram to learn more about our members.

• Share pictures of your grassfed and pasture-raised purchases and what you made on social media using the hashtag #MindfulMeatMonday.

We know change is hard. So take it one day at a time, one meal at a time starting with #MindfulMeatMonday.