Grass fed beef is a lot leaner than grain feed beef. It is also supposed to have more omega-3.

Here is a blurb on grass fed beef- if a diet says that you can have beef, most likely you should still limit it due to the unhealthy fat.

A leaner choice. Because grass-fed cattle are typically leaner than cattle that are fed grain, almost all cuts have less fat than grain-finished beef.
A better fat ratio. Meat from animals that spend their entire lives grazing has a more favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
Starts with nature. For beef cattle, grazing provides the most natural diet. Their digestive systems readily convert grasses, legumes and herbaceous plants into protein.

I too try to eat healthy whole foods with fruits, veggies, grains and lean meats - I take a prenatal vitamin and vitamin D 5,000 IU - My vitamin D was low - which surprises me cause I am an outdoor lover with gardening and summer-time swimming. I can tell I'm not getting enough of something though cause I still have weak nails... and often feel leg spasm type aches - I read where a magnesium deficiency could cause leg spasms and tremors. I had moments where I noticed a head tremor - slight side to side shake. What else huh????
Anyone else have the leg spasms? Just wondering...

there is some research that suggests a link between vitamin D dificiency and IBD, but i wonder if it's the chicken or the egg, do people with IBD have a tendency toward vitamin D dificency by not processing it normally or does vit D difiency worsen IBD?

where does iron come from in the vegan diet? I think all the iron i get from the vast amounts of meat i eat is why i feel pretty good right now, even though i am flaring. at least i have some energy, which i attribute to eating so much iron rich meat. i think our ancecestry has something to do with how we respond to certain diets. for obvious reasons, people in the north traditionally ate a lot of meat especially during the winter, while people in the tropics had a tendency to eat lots of veggies and fruit all year round. mine are all from very northerlly climates, so i wonder if that is why i do well with a meat-rich diet.

like Ashley, i also believe in western medicine, but there are some holes in the care we receive. too many specialties, and a lack of doctors that treat the whole patient.

I'm a male over 50, so my iron needs are very low 8mg a day. I eat a lot of beans(nearly every day) and kale, so I've got my iron covered.

Also, I'd like to add that iron is better absorbed when eaten with foods with vitamin C.

You would have to eat more than 1700 calories of sirloin steak to get the same amount of iron as found in 100 calories of spinach. Typically, you can get more nutrition per calorie from a plant based diet than one that relies on meat.
As terrifico wrote earlier, the only concern in a vegan diet is B12.

Kale, romaine and broccoli have so much more vitamins and minerals that beef. When I learned that I was very suprised! The joke is that many of us can't have salad! And broccoli! That can be rough :)

As for V d.... I actually know a quite a bit about this subject from speaking to doctors about it. First unless you are close to the equator and wearing a bathing suit without sunblock, you aren't going to absorb the right amount if V d we should all test in the 60's. The say 30-40 is normal, but that's actually pretty low. I am glad most of us are supplementing with it because it can really help.