Why I Switched To Eating Quality Meat

Why I Switched to Eating Quality Meat

As a family of four who is very conscious of spending, I’ve trained myself to be budget-oriented.  Spending double the price on a pack of chicken just because it was supposed to be better quality was hard to wrap my head around.  Plus with quality meat you typically get a little less.  We became quantity meat buyers, not quality ones.  But I truly wanted to make the switch to eating quality meat, while remaining on a budget.  Today I am sharing how I was able to do this.

After feeling gross eating low-quality meats from the groceries stores, I began the experiment with eating quality meat

How Safe Is Store Bought Meat?

Think about this question seriously.  If you watch documentaries on food, you’re probably aware of the fillers they pump chicken breasts with.  This means the chicken is half of what it used to be.

The companies selling this know that people like my former self will buy it because it offers more for a better price.  However, the people doing this aren’t concerned at all about our health.  On the flip side, the ones providing quality meat to us, care SO much about our health.

Remember – We are what we eat!

What struck me odd this year is when I broke out in a skin rash.  This skin rash is known as Pityriasis Rosea.  The doctor told me no one has ever figured out WHY this happens, but he sees it once a month in patients. He prescribed medication for me to take for thirty days.  My rash was not getting any better and it was frustrating.

One of my friends suggested I take a break from store-bought meat for at least three days and see if anything changed.  He had a friend with the same problem and this trick worked!  To my surprise, a few days after avoiding the digestion of store-bought meat, my rash was substantially better.  This gave me affirmation that we truly are what we eat.  I am not saying that was solely what cured it. What we put into our bodies makes an impact.

Grass-Fed and Farm To Table Quality Meat

Soon after, I came across a local Vancouver company called Meatme and it changed my entire thinking of eating quality meat vs quantity meat.  Farm to table fresh meats and fish that include delivery services for your convenience.

What’s not to love! I interviewed with the company to help give you a better understanding of who they are and what they stand for.  I highly encourage you to read this interview.

Interview with MeatMe

1.) How long have you been in business?

Meatme will be 3 years old this coming March 2019!

2.) Why did you choose a delivery service over something like a store that people can go into any time and get what they need?

We chose an online marketplace over brick and mortar because of the convenience factor. People can order from Meatme.ca and have their meat shipped right to their doorstep! The only other way to access the meat from our network of local farmers and ranchers is to coordinate meeting up at a farmers’-market, and that isn’t always convenient for the farmer or the individual.

 3.) Can you explain what type of farms you’re getting your poultry and fish from?

All of our chicken comes from a family farm in Langley, B.C. called Central Park Farms. The farm is run by Kendall Ballantine who raises her free-range chickens without the use of hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, and with all the passion and love that only a small-scale farmer can provide! The chickens can roam and forage as they please and have the freedom of natural expression – not to be overlooked, as sadly most chickens do not have the space to be able to do this.

Our fish is sourced from the pristine and isolated waters of Haida Gwaii from a wild fishery called Haida Wild. This ocean-friendly operation is owned and operated by the Haida Nation and they use sustainable fishing methods to respect the fish and the environment. The fish is caught and processed within hours, and is honestly delicious!

4.) There is a lot of controversy around chicken farming, how do you combat this? Or what makes you different?

The practice upheld on Central Park farms is so far from any ideas you may have about “factory farming” or “commercial farming”  – the difference is astounding! Farmer Kendall raises her chickens with pride and passion, with the birds’well-being top of mind. Each chicken spends most of its life outdoors (it has a choice to be inside or out when it feels like it) with natural light.

On the contrary, most commercially raised chickens to live in a cramped barn with limited to no access to the outside with artificial light on almost all the time (when the lights are on, the chickens will continually eat and fatten up quickly).

 5.) As a company, what is your ultimate goal with Meatme?

Our goal is to empower farmers who employ ethical and responsible farming practices and empower consumers by providing a transparent farm to table experience. This way you’ll always know what you’re eating and enjoy it with confidence!

6.) Why should the general public choose you over other farm to table options?

Besides sourcing ethically-raised meat from local B.C. farms, we provide total food supply-chain transparency and that isn’t something you can get everywhere. For people who care about the meat they are eating or feeding their family, we will connect you to a farm or ranch that you can trust. Your meat will be ethically-raised, sustainably produced and top quality.

7.) Why do you think people should be less concerned about the price over the quality of the poultry or fish they are choosing?

Price is always a concern, and we get that. In the case of Meatme, you’re paying for a better quality of life for the animal you’re eating, and that is reflected in our prices.

Here’s an example: Our chickens have great space to roam, they also live longer than factory-farmed chicken so there are more food costs for our farmer – these things are reflected in the price of our chicken but it’s also reflected in the quality of the meat, and your peace of mind.

8.) What are some of the pros to grass-fed meat that people may be unaware of?

I love this topic! Did you know all the cows are grass-fed? What you need to be concerned about is if the animal is both grass-fed and grass-finished.

Here’s why: a cow’s natural diet is grass, and all cows start their lives eating it. In a lot (like a lot) of instances, cows are taken off grass and start eating grain instead. This practice started when it was realized that cows fatten up faster when they eat grain.

It’s cheaper to feed them grain and it’s faster to get the animal to market – that’s a win-win for the farmer, but not for the cow. The grain is harder on the cow’s system than grass and it often means the animal spends its final stage of life on a feedlot.

Our cows eat grass from birth to market, roaming the pastures of Empire Valley Ranch (no feedlots here). This means the cows thrive on their natural food source and the habitat around them. Grass-fed & finished beef also has some greater health benefits for us humans consuming it too – check out this blog!

9.) What farms in BC do you work with and is it strictly BC farms?

All of our farms, ranches, and fisheries are local to British Columbia, and every one of them has a profile on our website where you’re able to dig into the farming practices and get to know the people behind your food. This network includes our cattle ranchers at Empire Valley Ranch in Churn Creek, B.C. Our chicken farmer is located in Langley at Central Park Farms.

We have two amazing pork farmers, in Aldergrove we have Geisbrecht Farm and in Merritt is Blue Sky Ranch. We get our fish from Haida Wild in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia and our lamb comes from Harmony Farms which is part of Kootenay Natural Meats. We seasonally have pasture-raised turkey from K&M Farms based out of Abbotsford.

10.) Do you foresee expanding into the farm to table dairy products at all?

We’re open to it!

Now find out how you can still be on a budget while buying quality meats and feeding a family.

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Xo, Asia