Grain Fed Beef?

[FeedIndy]

At diagnosis, DD was also intolerant to dairy, soy and all meats. This makes getting protein and iron somewhat difficult. She can now handle everything except beef. Dh wondered allowed if this didn't have something to do with the "grain fed" part. Is there anyway for gluten to get into the beef this way or is it still a separate intolerance altogether?

[Lisa]

At diagnosis, DD was also intolerant to dairy, soy and all meats. This makes getting protein and iron somewhat difficult. She can now handle everything except beef. Dh wondered allowed if this didn't have something to do with the "grain fed" part. Is there anyway for gluten to get into the beef this way or is it still a separate intolerance altogether?

I have found that when my digestive system is compromised, it is difficult to digest beef. It's harder to break down than other foods. I suspect that it is an intolerance. Afer healing, perhaps you could reintroduce beef and see how it goes.

[happygirl]

There have been many discussions on this board about that and the answer is that no, meat does not contain gluten, even if it was grain fed.

[HawkFire]

There have been many discussions on this board about that and the answer is that no, meat does not contain gluten, even if it was grain fed.

Is there proof? I don't eat beef ever because it is not heathy to eat what we consider beef these days. It is full of antibiotics, fed a diet that is not healthy or natural to the animal, and not in living conditions that I want to promote. As to the question about beef being an intolerance or an allergy- Meat allergies are extremely rare. So rare that it is just the last thing I would consider. Now, feed a cow gluten and gluten and gluten and gluten... then eat the beef- why not look there first? I believe chicken that is fed gluten grains make my family sick. I believe this is due to a gluten diet for the bird. When we eat free range chicken, not fed a diet exclusively gluten grains, we do not get sick. We are nearing vegan these days anyway.

[Lisa]

delete.

[JennyC]

No meat should contain gluten. When an animal consumes gluten, its digestive enzymes break it down into short sequences of amino acids before it can be absorbed into the animal's bloodstream. (Which is also what happens in humans that are not intolerant to gluten or who do not have Celiac disease.) From there, the animal uses those amino acid to build the proteins specified by their genetic code. Many of these proteins are similar to those of humans, such as muscle proteins, ect. Beef may have a more dense protein concentration or have a higher fat content, or some other factor that makes it more difficult for your daughter to digest.

Hope this helps!

[HawkFire]

No meat should contain gluten. When an animal consumes gluten, its digestive enzymes break it down into short sequences of amino acids before it can be absorbed into the animal's bloodstream. (Which is also what happens in humans that are not intolerant to gluten or who do not have Celiac disease.) From there, the animal uses those amino acid to build the proteins specified by their genetic code. Many of these proteins are similar to those of humans, such as muscle proteins, ect. Beef may have a more dense protein concentration or have a higher fat content, or some other factor that makes it more difficult for your daughter to digest.

Hope this helps!

Does that mean an animal which is gluten intolerant will have gluten in it's flesh? Many dogs have celiac disease. Not that we eat dogs. The theory for this, I read, is the unnatural diet of grains we've been force feeding them. The only way to know if a cow does not have gluten in it's flesh would be to test it? Is that what it boils down to? Wondering.

[darlindeb25]

My mom always said that red meat sits in your tummy and rots. I believe her now. I do not feel that gluten fed animals have anything to do with our intolerance to gluten. I do however believe that some of us just can not digest beef, I know I can't.

I also believe that range raised animals still get some feed. In this country, there are very few areas where an animal could survive on grazing entirely. Our four seasons prevent that. Even in areas where it doesn't snow, there are still times when the grass dies off. My kids and I raised chickens and they had grass and weeds all the time for grazing, yet they still wanted their feed and they let us know, as did the goats.

I do agree that animals penned up in a small area, or kept in a stall where they can not move is cruel and unhealthy, yet I will never be convinced that these animal get no feed with wheat.

[happygirl]

Every nutritionist, Celiac expert, food person, etc. states that meat is gluten free.

[HawkFire]

My mom always said that red meat sits in your tummy and rots. I believe her now. I do not feel that gluten fed animals have anything to do with our intolerance to gluten. I do however believe that some of us just can not digest beef, I know I can't.

I also believe that range raised animals still get some feed. In this country, there are very few areas where an animal could survive on grazing entirely. Our four seasons prevent that. Even in areas where it doesn't snow, there are still times when the grass dies off. My kids and I raised chickens and they had grass and weeds all the time for grazing, yet they still wanted their feed and they let us know, as did the goats.

I do agree that animals penned up in a small area, or kept in a stall where they can not move is cruel and unhealthy, yet I will never be convinced that these animal get no feed with wheat.

I did not state that free range animals get no gluten. I meant that they do not stand caged with a trough of gluten grains being force fed to them exclusively. Sorry if you thought I meant that free range animals receive no gluten free grains at all. That would be unrealistic. However, I do not believe that manipulating an animals diet to be such an unnatural thing- leaves them in a normal condition. I do believe that animals force fed an unnatural diet of gluten grains, no exercise, more gluten grains, more and more and more to fatten them up and make a bigger profit... I do not believe that this practice leaves the animal in a normal condition-- processing out the gluten grains. I do believe this makes the flesh of the animal as sick as the animal is. Even to the point of having gluten in the flesh.

[HawkFire]

Every nutritionist, Celiac expert, food person, etc. states that meat is gluten free.

I believe they are correct. However, I believe in a system where animals are corrupted with antibiotics, hormones, tainted gluten grain food, their own species chopped up and fed to them... I do not believe this meat is the meat being referred to. This meat has been tampered with and there are consequences. Perhaps this meat DOES have gluten in the flesh.

[loraleena]

Organic grass fed beef is the best way to go for everyone's health.

[lovegrov]

While I cannot point you to a source for tests of beef, chicken etc, every single expert who's ever been questioned about this has said gluten is NOT in any animal's meat as a result of eating it. This includes everything from celiac experts to veterinarians to grain experts. No celiac organization has grain-fed meat on its list of things to avoid or be careful about. And the vast majority of people with celiac eat meat all the time with no probelm at all.

ALL the "evidence" we have at this point is overhelming -- grain-fed animals are gluten-free. There may be other issues with it, such antibodies and so on, but gluten simply does not appear to be an issue.

richard

[ginghamkim]

Hi!

I grew up raising beef cattle and represented the State of Ohio's Beef Industry in 1994. I can say from personal experience that cattle typically bloat when feed wheat and oats are very expensive to add to the feed mixture. We fed our herd corn and hay. This is typically what you will see in the feed mix. One, it is cheap and two, it causes less bloating problems. FYI, cattle can die from bloat so it is a very serious issue.

Another note, cattle do not digest corn properly. It passes through their digestive system (you can see whole kernel in the manure). In short, they were not meant to eat corn even though corn is feed directly to them. They will eat it for the taste but really plays havoc on their systems.

Another note, cattle won't eat straw, which is the stem, leaves and haul of wheat. Straw is used for bedding only. They don't like the texture and taste.

So, gluten entering into a beef's system is extremely low...it would only be by accident or through human manipulation (drugs, vitamins, etc).

Regarding digestion of meat. I have problems with fatty cuts of beef like ground beef, sirloin cuts, and chucks. Fat is visible through marbling. In addition, some commercial ground beef contains fillers that may contain gluten, but the FDA doesn't require the labeling. Also, someone can verify this, but grocery stores have been known to inject red dye into older meat to promote sale. This dye contain who knows what...salmon too (my problem).

Stick to fully cooked beef (well done) to remove the fat and avoid ground beef for a while and see if this helps. Less fatty cuts include round/rump cuts. Also, talk with the butcher or find a farmer who could sell you a quarter of half a beef. This way you know exactly what you are eating.

Sorry if this is a repeat, but I hope this sheds some light on the digestive system of bovine.

Kim

[angelbender]

I feel like a bit of an idiot right now. I know the topic is "grain fed beef," but the last poster mentioned STRAW and that got me to thinking and wondering, what most straw if made of. So I googled it and it can be from any grain, including wheat, barley, oats, rice, etc......I hope that I'm not taking this topic too off thread but does anybody know where most straw usually orginates from? Such as that used in decorations or making a scarecrow etc.? And I thought that I'd had all my bases covered, what with my food, body products, etc and making sure to wash my hands even more often after touching anything in public. Yikes! It's always something, isn't it?

[Lisa]

Stepping in,

No scientific facts here, but Dr. Oz (who I think is cool) said that a steak can sit in your stomach for up to 7 days before it breaks down.

Quietly stepping out.

[ginghamkim]

I feel like a bit of an idiot right now. I know the topic is "grain fed beef," but the last poster mentioned STRAW and that got me to thinking and wondering, what most straw if made of. So I googled it and it can be from any grain, including wheat, barley, oats, rice, etc......I hope that I'm not taking this topic too off thread but does anybody know where most straw usually orginates from? Such as that used in decorations or making a scarecrow etc.? And I thought that I'd had all my bases covered, what with my food, body products, etc and making sure to wash my hands even more often after touching anything in public. Yikes! It's always something, isn't it?

Angelbender,

Most people don't know the difference between straw and hay unless you farmed. Straw is the stem, leaves and haul of wheat. After wheat grain is stripped from the plant, the farm machinery called a combine, spits the stem, leaves and haul back on the ground. This is called straw. Then a bailer will take the stem, leaves and haul and pact it really tight into bales that can be used for livestock bedding, yards and such. Animals don't eat straw, this includes, horses, sheep, cattle and hogs. They can, but they would rather eat feed and sleep on straw. In the US, straw is primarily made from wheat. The stem, leaves, and haul of oats are used as hay (which is another primary source of cattle feed) but it is expensive to plant and to feed.

Most beef that you find in the grocery store were raised in feed lots where there are thousands of head of cattle and they are feed corn only, no hay. Hay would be to expensive to feed out. They stand on concrete all day with no grass or hay. When you think about what you buy in the grocery store, you have ask yourself "what is the cheapest way to produce this in mass quantity".

I hope this answers your question. I like these questions b/c there is alot of misperception about the farming community.

Kim

[chatycady]

I'm from Iowa and most the beef and dairy cattle here graze on pasture, are fed alfalfa hay and feed made with ground up corn. We don't grow wheat here, but oats. Most of the oats in my area is not harvested as grain, but as hay or oatlage.

Horses like oats, but it makes them frisky and fat!

If cattle were allowed to graze only, on "native" grasses, they would be skinny and their meat tough as leather! There is nothing better than a juicy Iowa corn fed beef T-bone steak with a glass of wine!

[ginghamkim]

At diagnosis, DD was also intolerant to dairy, soy and all meats. This makes getting protein and iron somewhat difficult. She can now handle everything except beef. Dh wondered allowed if this didn't have something to do with the "grain fed" part. Is there anyway for gluten to get into the beef this way or is it still a separate intolerance altogether?

Hi...I know this is an older post, but I wanted to tell you about my experience over the weekend. I had to purchase steak from the grocery store (starts with W and is all over the nation) for the first time since going gluten-free (we have freezer full of beef from my uncle's farm and I've not had to buy it), and I believe I was glutened by it. It must be the dye...it has to be the dye that is injected. I only had a couple of pieces of steak and I am in pain still from it.

Make sure to talk to the butcher, assuming they are knowlegable. We talked to a fish monger at another grocery store chain (starts with M) about the trout. I asked if the sea trout had any artificial color in it and he said "[the company] says that it doesn't, but I say it does." He then compared it to some lake trout and there was a definate color difference. He said that fish is not that pink when you fillet it and people won't buy it if it is its normal color. Scary to think.

Anyway, thought I would share.

Kim