For the past couple of years, Newsweek and other publications have reported on an intriguing phenomenon. Vegetarians becoming flexitarians--meaning they occasionally eat meat. Driving this trend is the increasing availability of humanely raised livestock, easing the guilt created by stories of horrific conditions for animals raised on factory farms.

For Jo Robinson, "humanely raised" equals pasture raised. Since 2001, the investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author has been the principal researcher and writer for Eatwild, a website extolling the benefits of pasture raising the animals we rely on for meat and dairy products.

To make finding grass-fed meat, dairy and eggs easier, Eatwild offers links to sources in all 50 states and the District of Columbia--more than 2,000 farms, ranches and dairies are listed, as well as restaurants, stores and markets.

The benefits of pasture raising for animals are pretty clear. As Robinsons puts it, "Cattle graze, lie down, chew their cud, graze--a soothing cycle, repeated day after day--and chickens hunt for seeds and bugs as their ancestors have for eons." Benefits for consumers, farmers and the environment are less obvious, but just as important.

"Grass-fed meat and dairy products have less fat and more vitamin E, beta carotene and two to four times more cancer-fighting omega-3 fatty acids than factory-farm products," Robinson says. And eggs from pastured chickens are significantly higher in vitamin D, vitamin B12 and folic acid.

Factory farmers are routinely exposed to farm chemicals that can lead to a whole host of health risks. By comparison, pasture-raised animals provide their own fertilizer and do their own harvesting--not only eliminating the need for chemicals, but reducing the fossil fuel needed. This provides economic benefits to farmers as well as health benefits. It's better for the planet too.

Pasture raising is gaining some serious momentum. Sales of grass-fed beef are growing about 20% every year and seem to be recession-proof. You can find it at Whole Foods, of course, but it's also turning up in some unlikely places. In a pilot program, fast food chain Arby's is serving grass-fed beef in 19 stores in Richmond, Virginia. And Eatwild just logged its 6 millionth visitor and is now getting up to 50,000 hits a day. This suits the Character Approved Robinson just fine. "What was once a quaint idea--eating food from animals that are raised in a natural setting on their native diet--has gone mainstream."

[Images: Weatherbury Farm, Jo Robinson]