Quality meat, premium nutrition

by Lynn Haley

Alberta Beef – it tastes great and it packs a wallop on the nutrition meter.

These days, there’s a lot of discussion about the nutritional merits of red meat. Some people believe strongly that red meat should be avoided. Others think it’s a critical part of a healthy diet.

Consumers, meanwhile, are in a state of understandable confusion. Some don’t know what to believe, whom to believe and where to go for useful information. Meet Pat Scarlett – nutritionist at the Beef Information Centre. She thinks the fundamentals of good nutritional science are a good way to clear the fog.

Iron out misconceptions

“It’s a nutritional fact that beef provides energy plus 12 essential nutrients,” she says. “And it’s a great source of highly soluble iron and zinc. When it comes to iron, nothing compares to beef.”

Only some iron in food is absorbed well by the body, she explains. Heme iron, found in meat, poultry and fish is much better absorbed than the non-heme iron found in plant foods, eggs and iron supplements. That’s important information for children, teenagers and pregnant women who need iron to help build new body tissue. Moreover, teenage girls and women often need more iron than men to replace what is lost during menstruation.

Fat Watch

Is red meat off the menu for those who want to lose weight, or keep their cholesterol count under control? Absolutely not according to Scarlett. Recent research shows even people with high blood cholesterol levels can enjoy beef as part of a healthy, low-fat diet. In fact, lean beef can be as effective as chicken or fish as part of a lower-fat diet for lowering blood cholesterol levels in people with hypercholesterolemia.

And, as for fat – take another look. All trimmed beef cuts, with the exception of short ribs, meet Health Canada’s definition of “lean” meat. That means meat than contains no more than 10% fat. Many trimmed beef cuts even qualify as “extra lean” because they have 7.5% fat or less.

A recent University of British Columbia study compared the diets of health conscious vegetarian, past vegetarian and non-vegetarian women and found no difference in weight among the three groups. “It’s all a matter of healthy eating,” says Scarlett. “When you place beef in the context of a balanced diet and moderate exercise, it’s a powerful protein food that helps growth, fights infections, and builds healthy tissue and muscles.”

How much is enough? Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy eating recommends 2-3 servings of Meat and Alternatives each day. A serving is 50 – 100 grams. A serving of 50 – 100 grams of cooked, lean beef is about the same size as a deck of cards, a computer mouse or the palm of your hand.

Bonus of Beef

• Beef is nutrient dense – meaning it contains many nutrients in relationship to the size of a serving – an important consideration for the small appetites of the young and the elderly.
• A serving of beef provides 12 essential nutrients including complete protein, B vitamins, and highly available iron and zinc.
• Beef today is leaner and lower in calories and cholesterol than it was 20 years ago.
• All cuts of beef (except short ribs), when trimmed of all visible fats, and extra-lean and lean ground beef, qualify for Health CheckTM – A Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada program that identifies healthy food choices in Canadian food retail stores.

Web links

To learn more about the nutritional qualities of specific beef cuts, preparation methods and recipes, please see:

Alberta Beef Producers: www.albertabeef.org

The Canada Beef Information Centre: www.beefinfo.org

Health Check – Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation: www.healthcheck.ca