Animal feed if healthy does it make it better to consume?

[RAINRA]

I hate the thought of any animal being eaten. People from my home country Spain keep claiming that eating pig fed with acorn is actually healthy. That is is not bad for your health. I had a discussion this holiday with my sis and she insisted that the claims of health were true.

 

I want to know if anyone out there knows anything about feeding animals or studies or whatever that proves or disproves this.

 

Regardless of the cruelty which is obviously the main picture but not everyone cares for animals. So I like to know my information and I know meat no matter what still has Saturated fat and cholesterol.

 

The claim is that this is like feeding animals omega 3's to animals stating that it makes it healthy fat. OR how people make claims about fish and fish oil

 

Your answers please!

[DV]

The information you got from your sister is true.

 

Grass-fed cows have a healthier fat profile than those fed by conventional/factory-farm methods (some grass, finished off for the last 6-9 months with corn). Those who are pasture raised have much more omega 3 fatty acids (from grass) and less omega 6 fatty acids (from corn) stored in their body fat. The same is true of chicken eggs. When you purchase "omega 3" chicken eggs this just means that the producers fed the chickens a diet that mimics the omega 3:6 fatty acid ratio of a natural diet. Sometimes they feed them fishmeal or flax. Unless you get eggs from a "traditional" farm where the chickens run around outside and eat whatever they can find - then the eggs are naturally high in omega 3s.

 

Farm-raised salmon can have a much less healthy omega fatty acid profile than wild salmon depending on what the farmers feed the fish. Salmon is a carnivorous fish and gets its ALA/EPA/DHA from the fat of the fish it eats. It all depends on what goes into the fish pellets.

 

If we ate humans, the average U.S. resident would not have a healthy fatty acid profile. It's even worse for the average vegetarian and even worse for the average vegan. Hopefully, with better education we'll see vegetarians, vegans and omnis eating in a way that brings their fatty acid profiles back in balance.

 

There are numerous threads on this forum which address how vegans can lower omega 6s, increase omega 3s and supplement with ALA, EPA and DHA.

[RAINRA]

What the FDA says on eggs with omega 3... as usual data may support but inconclusive.

 

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhceggs.html (FDA)

 

http://www.wifr.com/morningshow/headlines/8139232.html (FDA after critism) "just eat the white part"

 

I think though just cause you have omega 3s it probably won't erase the saturated fat and cholesterol from these foods. I would not bet my money on the health benefits. Avoiding Saturated fat and cholesterol is probably the best bet.

 

Again that is my feelings on it.

 

What do others think?