Sally Fallon's Books & Blogs

We recommend another author for you to read. Sally Fallon advocates returning to a traditional diet, advising that animal fats are not necessarily the enemy, as the "Diet Dictocrats" want us all to believe. She supports organic and biodynamic farming and pasture-feeding of livestock, as you can read in her blog entry, "Splendor From the Grass ."

Sally is co-author with Mary G. Enig of Eat Fat, Lose Fat and Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.

Book Review: The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

Alice Waters is likely more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way Americans eat, cook, and think about food. She was named the most influential figure in the past 30 years of the American kitchen by Gourmet magazine, and she has “single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate” according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.

With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons’ bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex. All of her beef recipes specify grass-fed beef.

She is the owner of Chez Panisse restaurant and the author of nine cookbooks.

Grass-Fed? Not Without Grass
An article from the Washington Post

Farmers trying to build a grass-fed cattle business are facing unprecedented drought conditions, especially in the southeast. The Washington Post reports, "Since 2000, the number of grass-fed beef producers has soared from 50 to more than 1,000 to meet growing consumer demand. But the Southeast's "exceptional" drought -- the kind that comes around only once or twice every 100 years -- and extreme weather elsewhere are crippling many in the new generation of cattle ranchers. Just when ranchers should be cashing in, weather conditions have delayed production, slashed profits and slowed grass-fed beef's move into the mainstream."

Read the article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101600385.html

New USDA Rules for Grass Fed Meat

An Oct. 19, 2007, article in the NY Times (by our friend Marian Burros) reports that the "Department of Agriculture has announced standards that would for the first time allow meat to be labeled as grass fed only if it came from animals that ate nothing but grass after being weaned."

That's the good news. The bad news is the standards allow the use of antibiotics and hormones and do not require grass-fed animals to live on pastures year round. Members of the American Grassfed Association are not at all happy, and these producers have decided to set up their own labeling standard. For more information, contact the American Grassfed Association, americangrassfed.org.

For additional information (and entertainment) read the thoughts of twice elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower, who asks, "What does grass fed mean?" His website is at www.jimhightower.com.

New Research on the Benefits of CLAs
by Ridge Shinn

The website FoodNavigator.com recently reported on research findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition on the use of CLA in milk which can cut body fat mass by 3%. This research has implications for food manufacturers to help create products for healthy fat loss featuring CLA additives.

Read the complete article here:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=80605-cognis-cla-weight-management-tonalin

What We Need to Know About GMOs
by Ridge Shinn

One of the advantages of 100% grass-fed and -finished beef is that it has no additives and no exposure to GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) being introduced to the food stream. There are new GMO grass varieties bedng developed. So far, they are in the experimental stages, but grass farmers need to be vigilant about their introduction to farms. Health-oriented consumers do not want GMOs in their food supply.

American consumers lag behind European consumers' awareness of the potential dangers of GMO products. The August 2007 newsletter of the Institute for Responsible Technology has a very interesting article about GMOs:

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/utility/showArticle/?objectID=1458

Consumers Demanding Cage-Free Eggs
by Ridge Shinn

It is exciting to see the consumers "pulling on the rope" and getting what they demand. Whenever I speak to consumer groups, I always remind them that they are the key to reviving the rural economy. As Wendell Berry says, "Eating is an Agricultural Act." Your food dollar votes definitely affect what gets raised for market and how it is raised.

I predict that 100% grass-finished beef will be one of the next very scarce products. Our challenge is that the ramp up time is 2.5 years for grass-fed beef, rather than a number of months, as for cage-free egg operations.

Read a recent New York Times article (from Aug. 12) about cage-free egg demand.