Dr. Anthony Gustin sat down with Dr. Stephan van Vliet to discuss his work on the nutrient density differences between pasture-raised grass-fed meats versus conventional grain-fed meats.

Dr. van Vliet’s research goes beyond just the omega fatty acid level differences and dives into other important nutrients that we don’t often focus enough attention on.

Dr. van Vliet also chats about what the soil health has to do with the health of the animal and how this affects those who eat it, how plant-based meats compare, how grass-fed meat is comparable to endurance athletes, and so much more.

You’ll also learn about Dr. van Vliet’s background and how he found himself studying nutrient density differences in protein sources.

If you’re not familiar with Dr. Stephan van Vliet, he earned his PhD in Kinesiology and Community Health and his Master’s degree in Nutrition Science.

He’s also a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute within the Duke University School of Medicine and he’s currently an assistant professor and researcher at Utah State University.

Dr. van Vliet’s work has also been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology.

When you tune into this episode, you’ll hear about the following topics:

Dr. Stephan van Vliet’s background and how he found himself in this space
Dr. Stephan’s research on comparing the protein in whole eggs versus egg whites
The results from studying grain-fed versus pasture-raised beef
How close to 400 compounds differed in grass-fed versus grain-fed meat
The fatty acid difference in grass-fed versus grain-fed meat
How the fatty acid profile in meat impacts people who eat it
Comparing grass-fed meat to endurance athletes
Dr. van Vliet’s Beef Nutrient Density project
How the risk of heart disease changes with grass-fed versus grain-fed meats
What happens when animals consume more phytochemicals in plants and how this affects us
The anti-inflammatory effects of pasture-raised food
How these other key nutrients differ in grass-fed versus grain-fed meats
Comparing saturated fat levels in meats
How soil health effects the nutrient profile in meat
What happened to the nutrient profile of bison when they had a choice of what to eat

Resources mention in this episode:

Dr. Stephan van Vliet’s Google Scholar page
Dr. Stephan van Vliet’s Twitter
Dr. Stephan’s Beef Nutrient Density Project
The research slides mentioned in the episode
Stephan’s analysis of plant-based meats versus grass-fed meats

Additional resources:

The Natural State Podcast Episode 150: Richard Perkins - Creating Regenerative Agriculture Ecosystems
The Natural State Podcast Episode 139: Eric Perner - Optimizing Regenerative Agriculture for a Better Future for Our Planet
The Natural State Podcast Episode 122: Ed Byrne - Making Regenerative Agriculture Mainstream
The Natural State Podcast Episode 109: Anya Fernald - Why Regenerative Farming is the Future of Meat

158: Dr. Stephan van Vliet - Comparing the Nutrient Density of Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Meat

The Natural State with Dr. Anthony Gustin