I wanted to take a minute and share something that most people don’t realize when it comes to how animals are fed before becoming food for your table.

You’ve heard the saying, “you are what you eat” right?

That’s true, but it may be more accurate to say “you are what you eat, ate.”

Let me explain.

It’s commonplace for chickens and pigs to get supplemental feed in the form of grain since they aren’t ruminants like cows. On farms like ours, they get a portion of their diet by foraging on pasture, but they still need grain to stay happy and grow to maturity.

But the type of grains the animals are fed can play a big part in the finished product you feed your family.

It turns out, factory farms and certified Organic farms alike often use a feed ration that is high in corn and soybean meal.

They do this because corn and soy are the cheapest and most fattening grains available today. Corn primarily for energy and soy for protein.

So what’s the big deal?

Remember what we said about “you are what you eat, ate”?

According to one researcher, corn and soybeans can have a thyroid suppressing effect that can pass on to those who consume animals that were raised on corn and soy:

“…corn and soybeans… cause the animals’ fat to be chemically equivalent to vegetable oil. In the late 1940s, chemical toxins were used to suppress the thyroid function of pigs, to make them get fatter while consuming less food. When that was found to be carcinogenic, it was then found that corn and soy beans had the same antithyroid effect, causing the animals to be fattened at a low cost. The animals’ fat becomes chemically similar to the fats in their food, causing it to be equally toxic, and equally fattening.” – Dr. Ray Peat

Did you catch that?

The type of grain that animals eat can affect the thyroid function causing toxins to pass into our own bodies and cause a similar effect in people.

In addition, soy has been shown to have phytoestrogens — plant hormones that mimic human estrogen — that can pass into the meat and eggs of poultry fed soy.

These phytoestrogens could potentially cause hormone disruption leading to fertility issues and much more.

Why are we mentioning this?

Consumers just like you are beginning to seek out meat, eggs and dairy products from animals raised without corn and soy in their diet.

As a result, we’ve taken care to ensure that all of the animals on our farm eat a diet that does NOT contain potential thyroid-suppressing corn or hormone-disrupting soy.

This means it takes longer to grow (10-12 weeks for broilers rather than 8, and longer for turkeys as well) but we believe the health of the animals is reflected in the quality and delicious taste of the meat.

What do you think? Have you heard this about corn- and soy-fed animal products?