Organic, Grass-fed, Pastured, Free Range, Hormone-free, Antibiotic-free Meat in Winnipeg?

First of all, wow - there is a whole world of meat options out there that I had no idea about 6 months ago. Frankly, I had no idea that I should even think about getting anything other than the standard meat products at all the major grocery stores. I thought I was buying premium meat by shopping at Safeway instead of Giant Tiger. Yes - I am that cheap.

But the more I wade into this clean eating business the more I learn and the more I learn the more I realize I need to change. But its hard to teach an old dog new tricks, I have been thinking about this for months but couldn't ever seem to get myself to actually follow-through and do something about it. But today I finally did it...........I ordered grass fed beef and pastured pork and chicken through a group of local farmers. All of it organic, hormone and antibiotic free. Yes - I am proud of myself.

I ordered from Harvest Moon - a local Winnipeg group of farmers. 

So why did I go and do that?

If you are following my blog you will know that I'm on a low-carb diet because of my blood sugar problems. And because I am fighting a case of adrenal fatigue I need to have protein regularly. What it comes down to is that because most vegetarian sources of protein are not low-carb I end up eating a fair amount of meat. So - if its one of the staples of my diet I better make sure I'm putting some quality fuel into my body. If you don't eat a lot of meat it might not be as big of an issue for you - organic produce might be where you want to spend your shopping budget.

In Canada, conventional beef may be given growth hormones and conventional beef, pork and poultry may be given antibiotics. Because of concerns over the toxicity of growth hormones in the body and the general antibiotic resistance us humans are developing, I have decided to try and limit my exposure to these by choosing hormone and antibiotic free beef and antibiotic free pork and chicken when I can. It is not widely available in the major grocery stores and where it is available, at some major retailers and health food stores, it is quite expensive. I noticed Super Store just started carrying a "free" brand of beef and pork - good for them for providing us consumers with an accessible option. But its quite expensive and given how much we go through in a month I needed to find a more affordable alternative.

And I still wanted grass fed beef. Grass fed beef has a significantly better ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6, is loaded with several other minerals and vitamins and is a great source of linoleic acid, a fat that reduces the risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes and a number of immune disorders as compared to the conventional grain fed beef you will find at the supermarket.

Finally, I am more than happy to support local farmers that are trying to use sustainable farming practices, ethically treat the animals and provide safe organic products. Its good for the economy, the environment and my health.

And I really didn't have to look too hard - there are actually lots of options - you just need a computer, a search engine and the motivation to actually go through with it. And you probably need a freezer to order enough to last for a while since they generally only deliver once a month. Now I just have to wait for my delivery date, meet a truck at some community center to pick up my food and hope it tastes good. And they show up. I'll be sure to provide an update on how it all goes down................