We've been in the same situation. I'd be interested in hearing others views as well. All beef is grass fed until they are put in the feedlots, where they are fed grain and who knows what else. When we eat "industrial" beef, we just make sure to cut off the fat (where the toxins tend to accumulate) and take some fish oil (High O-6). It's still better to eat meat than not.

The only bad thing about grain-fed meat is the micronutrient contents and the Omega-3 / Omega-6 ratios.

That's it. If you are already taking supplements (multivitamin? fish oil?) then you're completely fine with grain fed meat. If you're eating only grassfed, then you probably won't need the supplements.

That said, it's VERY important to "vote with your fork" and try to change the modern farming practices. Even if you're not buying grassfed beef all the time, try to buy from local farmers, not the big industrial CAFOs

IMO, @Jeannie did a pretty good job of summing up what Dr. Cordain's view would be. It would be better to avoid the Omega 6's off the bat as opposed to taking in a lot of them and compensating with Omega 3 supplements. If money is the issue, the cost of the fish oil will eat into your "savings" by getting grain fed meat as opposed to grass fed.

With that said, I can only get grass fed ground beef from Trader Joe's, so when using grain fed cuts, I stick with the leaner pieces of meat and get my fat from salmon, tuna, sardines, and walnuts to help even out the O6-O3 ratio.

Grass-fed ground beef and stew beef chunks are not expensive. Try to find a farmer to buy meat from directly - buying in a store is way more expensive. eatwild.com and localharvest.com are two sites that can help you find farmers and farmer's markets. If you don't have someone in your area, take a drive and stock up. You might not be able to eat grass-fed steak every night, but there's nothing wrong with good ol' burger.

I'm in your situation. I'm a college student and cannot afford grass-fed meat, and I really don't have access to it, as the only grocery store around here is King Soopers.

Since I have to go with grain-fed meats, I just go with the lean cuts. I do a lot of ground turkey. To get my fat in, I supplement with coconut oil, avocado, and a handful of nuts here and there. Works well for me.

I'm a little surprised no one has suggested buying a freezer and purchasing halves or quarters of grassfed beef and whole lamb. A freezer will pay for itself very quickly with the money you save by buying in larger quantity, especially if you eat meat regularly. Do the math for your case. Another benefit of buying a freezer--mine is 9 cubic feet and can hold a whole lamb, quarter beef, 10 whole chickens as well as frozen fruit and vegetables--is that when you buy beef, butchers or farmers, at least in my experience, will always throw in the bones free of charge. Use the bones to make the best soup or roast the marrow, also delicious. Make sure you give the butcher cutting instructions before picking up your meat. Do you want more or less ground beef, do you prefer roasts and what size? It makes a big difference depending on how many people you are feeding and how big your crock pot is. Another thing regarding cutting instructions: butchers trim way too much fat off the cuts; not only is there great flavor in the fat, but with grassfed/pastured animals the fat is healthy. You might as well get what you pay for.

If you're that concerned, eat canned wild-caught salmon. Very healthy, cheaper than grassfed beef (though not cheaper than supermarket beef), and no Omega 6 at all.

Whole Foods just sent an email that they are doing $3.99/lb. GRASS-FINISHED (woo!) ground beef on Friday, September 03, 2010 only.

http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/08/sale-on-grass-fed-ground-beef-93-only/

Jump on it!

Robb Wolf's post concerning money issue and paleo:

http://robbwolf.com/2011/09/21/paleo-is-expensive/

"Eating very little meat" I can't see that being an option! You don't say where you live so it's hard to recommend where you might go. If all you can get is grain fed you can correct the high omega-6/3 ratio by increasing your omega-3 consumption via fish oil, cod liver oil or krill supplements.

If its REAL grass fed- it is totally worth it. Lower your intake of Omega 6s and its deadly estrogen production in the body is worth any cost. One of the KEY things Paelo/Low Carb/IF lifestyle has given me besides better health is that I eat a whole lot less and buy nearly no supps anymore- a huge cost savings. Buying better food still saves me money inthe long run and I'm healthier for it.

When people say grassfed beef is too expensive, I think they're forgetting that a serving of protein should be in the range of 4-5 oz pre-cooked weight. Grassfed ground beef can be bought for $5-6/pound. That's $1.25-$1.50 per serving. Sirloin is usually under $10/lb. That's $2.50 per serving. The biggest problem is people at too much. There is no nutritional NEED to eat an 8-10 oz steak...it's just that that's what we're all used to.

If grassfed is unavailable, I'd go with lean cuts of meat and supplement a little extra fish oil with those meals.

Great question - I'd explore your options. If you have a local co-op or organic store, ask them for options. Your local Farmer's Market may have grass=fed beef where it's much cheaper. Check with a meat locker as well to see if they have any grass fed options. Visit http://eatwild.com and see if that helps as well.

I'm with Paleotron - eating regular beef and supplementing with omega 3's does nothing to diminish the offset of omega-6's you're already getting. Stats suggest the normal SAD has a 30:1 ratio of omega6/omega 3's. Way off kilter which impacts inflammation and many conditions/syndromes.

Is it worth it? I think the answer is yes. Look at your healthcare costs. IF they are higher than normal, then you have your answer in that scenario as well. Let's hope they aren't too high, but you get what I'm saying.

IF grass-fed is still not an option - everyone else has said what I'd also recommend - low fat cuts since the toxins animals ingest go to the fat areas.

Elk - if you want to eat a red meat that's not necessarily fed just grass, elk is where it's at. Seriously!

To be honest though... other than elk... I wouldn't touch any other red meat that was fed grain! Yikes.

In the past year we have seen rapid growth of farms converted to grass fed, pesticide/antibiotic free and organic-only farms. Consequently the cost of grass fed has dropped with increased demand. Even the Wegmans store is carrying organic beef-all cuts.

Yesterday I picked up T-bone steaks for $8 lb.The same price Wegmans charges fro grain-fed commercial beef. Organic free range chicken is $3/lb and delicious.

We do not live in a trendy area (western NY) so maybe this is the sign of better things to come.

I'm with Richard: http://freetheanimal.com/2010/08/so-you-think-you-cant-cook.html

Long story short: The "risks" of grain-fed meats may well be overstated by paleo folk. Read the comments for a lively discussion of both sides.