We see them everywhere. Slapped on labels, sprinkled across menus, quoted on health blogs like a badge of purity:
Grass-fed. Regenerative. Organic. Pasture-raised. Biodynamic.
But what do they really mean, and what difference do they make to your plate, your health, or the soil beneath it? More importantly: can we trust them?
Here’s the truth: many of these words, once rooted in real agricultural care, have been stretched thin by marketing. They sound good. But often, they mean very little unless you know how to read between the lines.
This is your no-fluff, cut-through-the-greenwashing guide to decoding what matters when sourcing animal foods: for your hormones, your microbiome, and the land that feeds them both.
Because when it comes to feeding yourself and your family, clarity is power.
Grass-Fed vs. Grass-Finished
"Grass-fed” on a label doesn’t guarantee much. Legally, animals only need to have had access to pasture, or been fed a partially grass-based diet at some point in their lives. They might’ve eaten a bit of grass... then spent their final months on a grain-heavy, soy-padded, indoor diet, and still qualify.
"Grass-finished", on the other hand, means the animal lived on grass, start to finish.
No grain “finishing.” No GM corn. No protein pellets to fatten them up fast. Just what ruminants were designed to eat: fresh pasture, hay in winter, and forage.
Why it matters: Animals fed a 100% grass-based diet produce meat with higher omega-3s, more vitamin E, and better CLA (a fat linked to immune and metabolic support). It also reflects a life closer to their natural rhythm, and that matters to your body.
Organic
Organic is a decent starting point, but not a gold standard.
It guarantees a few things: no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, no GMOs, no routine antibiotics, and fewer synthetic additives in feed. But beyond that? It doesn’t promise much.
Organic doesn’t mean the animals were raised outdoors. It doesn’t mean they grazed on pasture, lived slowly, or were part of any kind of ecological balance. Organic meat can still come from animals raised indoors, in confined spaces, eating organic grain. It can still come from high-volume farms that prioritise yield over soil.
It says nothing about whether the animals grazed on pasture, felt the sun on their backs, or moved freely. Clean feed doesn’t equal a clean conscience.
There’s also no guarantee of how the land is managed. Organic doesn’t mean regenerative. And organic doesn’t mean nutrient-dense.
Pasture-raised
Here, the nuance is in the eggs.
For meat, "pasture-raised" isn’t a regulated term. It doesn’t guarantee the animal was grass-finished, well-fed, or raised in regenerative systems. An animal might have touched grass once and still earn the label.
But with eggs, "pasture raised" carries more weight, and there’s a clear difference you can crack open.
When hens are truly pasture-raised, they’re outdoors daily, moving across fresh grass, pecking through soil, hunting for bugs, and soaking up sunlight. They live like birds were meant to live. And their eggs reflect that freedom.
Yolks turn deep amber. Whites get firmer. And the nutrition climbs: more omega-3s, more vitamin D, more choline, all critical for hormonal balance, brain function, and cellular repair.
Look for: Hens rotated on pasture. Farmers who welcome questions. And yolks that don’t need filters.
Regenerative
You can’t have nutrient-dense food without nutrient-dense soil. And you can’t restore soil without regeneration.
Regenerative farming is a farming approach that sees the land as a co-creator, not a commodity. It’s a web of relationships: between ruminants and microbes, fungi and pasture, carbon and rain. Farmers rotate animals intentionally, plant diverse cover crops, let roots rest and recover, and trust biology to lead.
And the result?
Food that works with your biology. Meat that supports fertility. Milk that nourishes the nervous system. Vegetables with real taste, texture, and trace minerals, not just water and fibre.
These farms aren’t sterile. They’re wildly alive. You’ll find buzzing pollinators,birds and bugs, microbe-rich compost, soil that holds wateer like a sponge. Cattle moving across pasture, grazing like they were made to. Because they were.
Regenerative farming is a remembering. Of how animals, plants, and microbes evolved together, each playing their part in building resilience, fertility, and abundance. Healthy animals on these farms aren’t a coincidence, they’re a consequence. Of clean soil, clean pasture, and systems designed around co-existence.
For us, depleted soil = depleted food = depleted bodies. When nutrients like zinc, selenium, B12, and magnesium are missing from our plate, hormonal chaos follows. Blood sugar wobbles. Energy dips. Fertility falters. But when you eat food from regenerative systems, you’re getting more than calories, you’re getting co-factors, enzymes, and minerals that nourish on a cellular level.
Biodynamic
You may have also heard "biodynamic", a term that sounds almost mythical, and in many ways, it is.
At their core, biodynamic and regenerative farming share the same heartbeat: soil-first, closed-loop systems that nourish the land as much as they nourish us. Both reject chemical inputs. Both rotate animals with intention. Both understand that life below ground is just as important as what grows above it.
What makes it different?
Biodynamic farming follows a specific set of principles first laid out by philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. It includes things like timing planting and harvesting to lunar cycles, and using homeopathic-style compost preparations made with herbs and minerals. It’s a system that weaves together practical land stewardship with more spiritual or energetic beliefs.
If you're curious, visiting a biodynamic farm can feel like stepping back into a more reverent time, where food, farming and the cosmos moved in rhythm. It’s a living glimpse into how our ancestors once listened to the land.
A word on greenwashing
Supermarkets are masters of marketing. A green label doesn’t mean green practices. “Farm fresh,” “natural,” “wholesome,” “happy cows”, none of these are regulated. What matters is traceability, transparency, and direct connection to the people growing your food
And then there's Hill Farm...
Last week, we visited this extraordinary family run farm, where the Aidley family have been stewarding the land since 1938. From the moment we stepped foot on their soil, everything clicked: this is what all those words are trying to describe.
At Hill Farm:
- Their cows are 100% grass-fed, finished and Pasture for Life certified
- The milk is A2, raw, unhomogenised and organic
- They treat animals with homeopathy and herbs, never antibiotics
- Their land is managed for biodiversity, pollinators, and microbial life
- Their kefir, ghee and tallow are alll made by hand, on-site, by the same family who raises the animals and tends the land.
You can find them on the Organised app, where we’re mapping farms across the UK and USA rooted in real nourishment and radical transparency. So you can build your meals on more than buzzwords.
Because food isn’t just about what’s on your plate.
It’s about how it got there, and what it leaves behind.
Want to come along with us on our visit to Hill Farm? Watch here.
Or to order from Hill Farm (they deliver across the whole of the UK).
