I grew up on a cattle ranch in west Texas and eventually became an interventional cardiologist in Denver. A large portion of my practice involved the care of farmers and ranchers from the plains of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska who loved their beef. From my medical education, I learned that beef contained high ratios of saturated fats and wasn't a healthy choice for my patients with heart disease.

    Over the years, I began to realize that many people craved beef and with the exception of the high saturated fat content, beef was a highly nutritious food. Beef contained high levels of protein, vitamins, essential and non-essential amino acids, and minerals.

    Our ancestors had eaten red meat for thousands of years, choosing it over other forms of nutrition that did not require the energy expenditure and danger of chasing the meal on foot. What happened to beef to give it such a bad reputation as an unhealthy food?

    The answer lay not in the animal itself. Cattle didn't do anything wrong, but man sure did. Prior to the 1940s, the vast majority of cattle were raised on ranches from birth to time for processing.

    My father and his father raised cattle grazed on natural forage as they had for eons and with proper grazing methods treating the grasslands of the American west much like the buffalo before them.

    Ranchers that understood the need for intense grazing followed by a rest period for the range were able to sustain their grassland and raise healthy naturally fat cattle. Sometimes a short period of supplemental feed such as corn, prior to processing would add some additional flavor to the beef. but this was done on a small scale and for short periods of time.

    After WWII, corn was plentiful and relatively cheap, so cattle raisers embarked on the concept of feedlots as a way to fatten cattle more quickly. For over 50 years, the beef that you purchased had spent its final days in a feedlot eating corn or other grains. On the surface this doesn't sound bad, but when you look deeper the answer to what made red meat unhealthy appears.

    First of all, cattle that are taken from their home on the range and placed in large confined pens with many other animals get sick, so they need antibiotics to stay alive. They get exposed to pesticides and herbicides in the grain they're fed. Finally, we took a four stomach ruminant, the cow, and turned it into an animal that requires only one stomach and fattens quickly when eating mostly sugar (corn).

    The feedlot fattened animal now has a much higher level of saturated fat and a lower level of omega 3 fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid. Another little twist is the use of supplemental synthetic hormones to make the animal get even fatter.

    A group of ranchers have joined together to provide grass-fed, organic beef that returns beef to its rightful place as a healthy food choice. Mesquite Organic Beef cattle are raised without ever being exposed to agricultural chemicals, antibiotics or hormones, in a truly organic method of ranching.

    All ranchers adhere to a holistic approach to range management that mirrors closely the natural range. In every case the land is healthier and so are the animals. The cattle never see a feedlot and are never given supplemental grain. They remain under low stress levels never leaving their natural environment. With the right choice of cattle breeds, they produce a fine cut of beef with excellent flavor and tenderness.

- Dr. Steve Atchley