A farmer pondering his beef, his diet:
Perhaps not surprisingly, I think of my own ration in ways similar to that of my livestock. They need a balanced ration that includes energy foods in order to get the most benefit from their proteins and fats.
I even consider the time of day when moving them to fresh forage since the energy value of the forage varies: it’s sweeter in the late afternoon and early evening due to having spent the sunny day photosynthesizing sugars. They will graze a fresh, lush paddock at that time of day with gusto, and then have the cooler night time for digestion, which makes a lot of heat and can stress them in the heat of the day.