When I said in my About page that I was a Paleo pup it is also true in a sense that was kind of getting weaned and switched to eating real food. See, at the time when I decided to go Paleo and eat my first grass-fed steak I have not been handling meat for over 18 years. (The reasons why you should go for grass-fed meats you can read up here.)
Like I said before I was Pescotarian and the only reason why I did not become a full fledged vegetarian or even vegan was that my mum in all her Filipino straightforwardness threatened that she would sabotage me if I did not a keep at least one animal protein in my diet (eggs don't count).
Eighteen years later there I was, ready to unleash my born-again incisors and had no idea where to get that rich in omega 3 grass-fed beef, the difference of cuts and what other meat options I could also go for.
A quick trip to the organic counters of the usual Expat grocery stores like City Super and ThreeSixty was confusing and only lead me to the assumption that being a healthy meat eater might be more expensive than being a healthy vegetarian.
What confused me was that the labeling of the meat was just "organic". And like the little meat critic I used to be from my fish eating vegetarian days I knew that "organic" does not mean grass-fed. If the beef is labeled organic and comes from the US it only means that it the farmers had to follow USDA regulations which require the animals to be fed "100% organic feed, be vaccinated, have access to the outdoors and not be given growth hormones or antibiotics." But it does not mean grass-fed and it does not mean they were actually happily rummaging outdoors.
Funny enough I found the grass-fed label in a local Taste supermarket near my place. Judging from my stroll at the meat counter Hong Kong seems to import meat from following countries:
China, Japan, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil.
If you want grass-fed stick with meat from the last three countries on the list. The majority of cattle in New Zealand, Australia and Brazil is grass-fed. So even without any labeling, chances are high that meat from those countries will be a decent omega 3 source. I usually buy beef and lamb from NZ since it's currently on sale at Teste. (HKD 68.90/lbs for rib eye beef steak and HKD 49,9/lbs for lamb rack)
Speaking of inexpensive and omega 3. You can get a 10-pack of omega 3 enriched eggs at any supermarket which sells the Select brand (all stores belonging to the Park'n'Shop Group) for HKD 21.90. That is less than half the price you get for the 6-pack of omega 3 eggs from Singapore.
As for seafood I try to avoid local fish for obvious reasons. But will buy wild caught fish when on sale. Otherwise just stick to grass-fed meat which turns out to be cheaper.
Like I said before I was Pescotarian and the only reason why I did not become a full fledged vegetarian or even vegan was that my mum in all her Filipino straightforwardness threatened that she would sabotage me if I did not a keep at least one animal protein in my diet (eggs don't count).
Eighteen years later there I was, ready to unleash my born-again incisors and had no idea where to get that rich in omega 3 grass-fed beef, the difference of cuts and what other meat options I could also go for.
A quick trip to the organic counters of the usual Expat grocery stores like City Super and ThreeSixty was confusing and only lead me to the assumption that being a healthy meat eater might be more expensive than being a healthy vegetarian.
What confused me was that the labeling of the meat was just "organic". And like the little meat critic I used to be from my fish eating vegetarian days I knew that "organic" does not mean grass-fed. If the beef is labeled organic and comes from the US it only means that it the farmers had to follow USDA regulations which require the animals to be fed "100% organic feed, be vaccinated, have access to the outdoors and not be given growth hormones or antibiotics." But it does not mean grass-fed and it does not mean they were actually happily rummaging outdoors.
Funny enough I found the grass-fed label in a local Taste supermarket near my place. Judging from my stroll at the meat counter Hong Kong seems to import meat from following countries:
China, Japan, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil.
If you want grass-fed stick with meat from the last three countries on the list. The majority of cattle in New Zealand, Australia and Brazil is grass-fed. So even without any labeling, chances are high that meat from those countries will be a decent omega 3 source. I usually buy beef and lamb from NZ since it's currently on sale at Teste. (HKD 68.90/lbs for rib eye beef steak and HKD 49,9/lbs for lamb rack)
Speaking of inexpensive and omega 3. You can get a 10-pack of omega 3 enriched eggs at any supermarket which sells the Select brand (all stores belonging to the Park'n'Shop Group) for HKD 21.90. That is less than half the price you get for the 6-pack of omega 3 eggs from Singapore.
As for seafood I try to avoid local fish for obvious reasons. But will buy wild caught fish when on sale. Otherwise just stick to grass-fed meat which turns out to be cheaper.
