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Posts Tagged ‘beef’

We are constantly being told what we shouldn’t eat, what we should eat or how often we should or should not eat it and with the hundreds of diet regimes (backed by celebrities with amazing figures) it’s a wonder how we mere mortals know how to feed ourselves at all!

A confusing topic that comes up quite often is eating beef and other red meats. It might be that we struggle with this one because it’s just so tasty and there aren’t many people who won’t salivate at the mention of a juicy beef steak. But the conflicting recommendations available on the Internet, in magazines and on TV about eating beef means it has become a guilty pleasure with the health conscious to the ordinary families may choose to cross it off the food list altogether or spend hours working it off at the gym.

“Eating beef on a daily basis is bad for you and it sits in your stomach rotting long after you have eaten it. Red meat contributes to heart disease and is full of unhealthy fats.”

Sound familiar?

Let me suggest to you that eating red meat can be a healthy option and you could actually eat a nice steak daily if you like. You see, the key to a healthy diet is simply about moderation and getting the right balance. Eating red meat is not so much a problem; it is what else is on your dinner plate and the quality of the beef.

Avoid: Red meats that are processed and contain additives E.g. Burgers, frozen meats, SPAM (yuk!), etc
Instead: Choose fresh cuts of organic beef from cattle that is pasture-raised

Avoid: Eating bread with beef For example, Hamburgers
Instead: Serve fresh salad and vegetables with beef. These contain enzymes which break down fatty deposits.

Preparing a healthy Steak meal is simple:

1. Purchase some fresh organic beef from a trusted retailer
2. Grill or fry in own juices to however you like it
3. Add a good portion of any of the following fat busting foods: Asparagus, Beets/Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Garlic Lettuce, Radish, Horseradish, Tomato.

If you want to keep it healthy but add more flavor to your steak? During cooking, just add crushed or chopped garlic, crushed peppercorns, rosemary, mixed herbs or other herbs and spices. Alternatively, marinade the steak beforehand cooking using your own mix of herbs and natural yoghurt. Delicious!

Other Resources:

Beef Choices (PDF at beeffoodservice.com)

Technorati Tags: beef, cooking, recipe, red meat, steak

There can be little doubt that beef is one of the most popular meats in the world, and this is not likely to change any time soon.

In times of late, there has been ample argument on the question of whether beef is a safe food to be enjoyed by all, or a dangerous ‘bad’ food to be shunned at all costs.

So what are we to believe?Just a 80 gram offering of quality beef may supply more than 10% of the consumers essential daily requirement of vitamin b6, protein, vitamin b12, zinc, iron, niacin and phosphorus.

However, before we do so, here is a really tasty beef recipe that you can cook for your children or family.

This is a really tasty recipe for ‘macaroni and beef chili’. It is quick to make and is a good meal for a crowd.

Ingredients:
—————-
Macaroni – uncooked : one c
Lean Minced Beef : half a pound
Garlic powder : 0.5 tsp
Hot cayenne or chili Powder : one tsp
Salt : 1 x pinch
Freshly ground black peppercorns : 1 x sm. pinch
Tomato soup : 1 Tin
Quality cheddar cheese : 1 x oz. (finely grated)

Instructions:
—————-
Bring a good sized saucepan of water to the boil and cook the macaroni about 7 minutes.
Fry the meat until browned in another good sized pan and very carefully drain off any fat that has been produced.
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper and then stir until well mixed.
Reduce the heat and fry gently for approximately 5 mins.
Stir in the cooked macaroni and tomato soup, and bring to a rolling boil.
Cook for a few more minutes until soup and macaroni are heated through.

Before you serve, add the cheese, and heat briskly till it melts.

Ladle into bowls and serve your guests.

This is a great beef recipe to cook in volume as left overs can be kept in the fridge and served the next day.
If you have cooked very large quantities, you can leave the cheese out and freeze portions for later. Once it is ready add the cheese, and heat briskly till it has melted.

Now you have a good beef recipe here are a few definitive nutrition facts:

1/. The zinc that is in quality beef is imperative for normal growth, strengthens the immune system, has been proven to help heal cuts and grazes, controls hunger and appetitie and can improve your ability to experience taste.

2/. Many folk think that you must stay away from beef as thinking it includes increased levels of saturated fat. Although this may once have been the case, lean beef sold nowadays is much healthier than it was in the past, and due to modern farming methods well over half the fats found in today’s quality beef are monounsaturated fats which are thought by experts to be more ‘heart friendly’ than other fats.

3/. Some folk claim that people on a diet must not eat beef. If they did any research, they would soon see that this is plain wrong, in reality the 80 gram portion of beef that real experts prescribe as a sensible daily limit, is really just 10% of the regular two thousand calories per day diet.

4/. If you think about it on paper, beef is nearly as beneficial for you as expensive multivitamins as it is a first-rate provider of iron, niacin, phosphorus, vitamin b6, protein and vitamin b12.

5/. Even a 3 ounce serving of lean beef can deliver more than ten percent of ones required daily requirement of phosphorus, vitamin b6, protein, vitamin b12, zinc, iron, and niacin.

6/. Lean beef is a good source of Vitamin b12 and vitamin b6, which are believed by nutritionalists to help in reducing strokes and heart attacks and also assist the body to make erythrocytes.

7/. Taking the uncooked weight,, 100 grams of beef provides:

* approximately 200 kcal
* 12.15g of fat.
* 319mg of Potassium.
* 3.8mg of Zinc.
* 20.71g of Protein.

If this beef recipe is not for you, why not try something completely different? By searching online, you can easily find a good selection of chicken recipes or fish recipes that should satisfy those who don’t like beef, and if you have any non-meat eaters in you family, there are just as many vegetarian recipes to enjoy.

I trust this has left you with a better understanding of both the pros and cons of consuming beef, and also given you a wonderful new addition to your cookbook.

Technorati Tags: beef, cook, cooking, diet, eating, food, nutrition, recipes