Beef is the second most-commonly consumed meat in the United States behind chicken, with Americans averaging a little over 50 pounds of beef per person annually. Beef is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, though many cuts are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The key to including beef in a healthy diet is to choose lean cuts, cook them with a low-fat method and eat no more than two 3-ounce servings weekly, says the Harvard School of Public Health.
Can the Acid in Lemon Cook Beef?
Lemons and lemon juice are high in citric acid. When beef is exposed to lemon juice such as in a marinade, the citric acid breaks down, or denatures, the proteins in the beef. Since the result of cooking beef with heat is also denatured protein, soaking beef in lemon juice can technically be described as another cooking method for beef. The beef will have a different texture and taste than if it is cooked on the stove or in the oven, but it will be safe to eat as long as you use high-quality, whole cuts of meat like steak and avoid contamination with pans or utensils that touched raw meat.
How Much Vitamin A Is in Beef?
Beef does not contain vitamin A, although eating beef with a food rich in vitamin A can increase your body's ability to absorb the vitamin. Vitamin A is fat-soluble and must be eaten with a source of dietary fat to promote absorption in the small intestines. Foods high in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach and kale. Try serving one or more of these as a side dish for grilled or roasted steak.
How Much Potassium Is in Beef?
Extra-lean cuts of beef like eye of round steak, tenderloin steak, top sirloin steak and bottom round roast contain between 180 and 280 milligrams of potassium in each 3-ounce cooked serving. This amount of potassium supplies approximately 4 to 6 percent of the recommended daily allowance of potassium for healthy adult men and women. Potassium helps keep bones strong, aids in muscle contraction and is required for impulse transmission among nerve cells. A diet rich in potassium may decrease your risk of stroke, hypertension, osteoporosis and kidney stones.
Does Beef or Tuna Have More Protein?
A 3-ounce serving of extra-lean beef such as beef tenderloin steak contains about 23 grams of protein. Other cuts, like eye of round roast, provide slightly more protein: 24.7 grams in every 3-ounce serving. A 3-ounce serving of cooked, fresh tuna contains a comparable amount of protein at 25.4 grams. While both are equally rich sources of protein, tuna does contain significantly less saturated fat and cholesterol than even the leanest cuts of beef. It also provides omega-3 fatty acids, heart-healthy fats that beef lacks.
How Much Vitamin B-12 Is in Ground Beef?
Ground beef is an excellent source of vitamin B-12, containing more than 100 percent of an adult's 2.4 microgram RDA of the vitamin in every 3 ounces of cooked meat. Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B-12 aids in energy metabolism and in the synthesis of red blood cells, DNA and RNA. People who eat plenty of foods rich in vitamin B-12 may be less likely to develop heart disease, certain types of cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
How Much Protein & Carbs Are in Ground Beef?
Each 3-ounce serving of cooked ground beef contains approximately 22 grams of protein, or 43 percent of the recommended daily intake of protein for adults. Protein makes up 38.8 percent of the total caloric content of ground beef. The protein provided by beef is complete, meaning that it contains all of the amino acids required by the body for protein synthesis. By contrast, ground beef does not contain any carbohydrates. It has no dietary fiber, sugars or starch.
How Much Fat Is in Ground Round Beef?
Ground round beef that is 90 percent lean meat and 10 percent fat contains 10 grams of total fat in every 3 cooked ounces. This is 16 percent of an adult's daily recommended intake of fat. Every serving of ground round contains 20 percent of the total amount of saturated fat that you should eat each day, as well as 25 percent of the cholesterol. Ground round beef is significantly lower in fat than ground beef not prepared from the round cut. According to the USDA, ground round beef that is 90 percent lean or more qualifies as a lean cut of beef.
What Does It Mean When Lean Ground Beef Is Red on the Outside & Brown on the Inside?
The outside surface of lean ground beef available at the grocery store often appears bright red because of a pigment in the meat known as oxymyoglobin, says Food Consumer.org. Oxymyoglobin turns red when it is exposed to the oxygen in air. Since the inside of a package of ground beef is not exposed to oxygen, it can stay brown or gray in color. At home, do not eat ground beef that is completely brown or gray with no trace of red and that gives off a sour odor. This may be a sign that the beef is spoiled.
Does Beef Have More Protein Than Tilapia?
A 3-ounce, 85-gram serving of cooked tilapia contains 22.2 grams of protein, about the same amount per serving as lean cuts of beef like tenderloin steak, top sirloin steak, 70-percent lean ground beef and bottom round roast. Tilapia has slightly less protein per serving when compared with 90-percent lean ground round beef and eye of round roast. While tilapia and beef are good protein sources, tilapia's protein is leaner, with a lower concentration of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Does Ground Beef Contain Sodium Nitrite?
Sodium nitrite is a salt compound used to prevent meat from spoiling, to enhance color and flavor and to inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. Cured and processed meats like bacon, ham, hot dogs and lunch meat typically contain sodium nitrite, though the federal meat-inspection guidelines allow it also to be used for products containing chopped meat and meat byproducts. This can include frozen ground beef products like hamburger patties and meatballs. Sodium nitrite is not used on whole cuts of beef. If you're trying to avoid sodium nitrite, check for it on the labels of processed ground beef products or purchase cuts of beef and ask your butcher to grind them for you.
Does Grain Fed Beef Contain Gluten?
Grain-fed beef is fine for a person following a gluten-free diet to eat -- it does not contain any gluten. According to Dr. Jason Tye-Din, a gastroenterologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, the gluten-containing grain consumed by cattle is broken down into its most basic parts during digestion. The amino acids obtained from protein in the grain are used by the animal's body to synthesize the muscle tissue that you eat as grain-fed beef. Since the gluten is broken down during digestion, none remains in the tissue, though Tye-Din warns that processed beef products may incorporate ingredients that do contain gluten.
How Much Fat Is in a Mini Cheeseburger With Lean Ground Beef?
A typical mini cheeseburger recipe that uses 80-percent lean ground beef contains about 12 grams of total fat, 5 grams of saturated fat and 50 milligrams of cholesterol. For a mini cheeseburger with an even lower amount of fat, use 95-percent lean ground beef. Made with this leaner beef, a mini cheeseburger contains 8 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat and 44 milligrams of cholesterol.
Does Fish Have More Protein Than Beef?
Some of the most commonly consumed types of fish in the United States are Alaska pollock, tilapia, salmon, catfish, cod and canned tuna. Compared with a lean cut of beef like top sirloin steak, tilapia, salmon and canned tuna contain about the same amount of protein in a 3-ounce serving at 22 grams. Pollack, catfish and cod have a slightly lower concentration of protein per serving than lean beef. A 3-ounce serving of pollack or catfish contains 16 grams of protein, while 3 ounces of cod have 19 grams.
Does Beef Contain Trans Fat?
Lean beef contains a trace amount of trans fat. A 3-ounce serving of 90-percent lean ground round beef has 0.638 gram, and cuts like bottom round roast and top sirloin steak contain even less. A high intake of trans fats can raise your blood cholesterol levels and increase your risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends that you avoid trans fats as much as possible but points out that the naturally occurring trans fats in meat like beef may not be as harmful to your health as the industrially produced trans fats contained in products like crackers, pastries and shortening.
- NPR: A Nation of Meat Eaters -- See How it All Adds Up
- Harvard School of Public Health: Protein -- Moving Closer to Center Stage
- Kitchen Daily: Ask the Editors - Will Lemon Juice Cook Meat and Seafood?
- BBC News: Rare Steak 'Is Safe to Eat'
- United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service: Ground Beef and Food Safety
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 13918, Beef, Tenderloin, Steak, Separable Lean and Fat, Trimmed to 1/8" Fat, All Grades, Cooked, Broiled
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 13415, Beef, Round, Eye of Round, Roast, Separable Lean and Fat, Trimmed to 0" Fat, All Grades, Cooked, Roasted
- Diet.com: Vitamins, Fat-Soluble
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 13930, Beef, Top Sirloin, Steak, Separable Lean and Fat, Trimmed to 1/8" Fat, All Grades, Cooked, Broiled
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 13873, Beef, Round, Bottom Round, Roast, Separable Lean and Fat, Trimmed to 1/8" Fat, Choice, Cooked, Roasted
- Linus Pauling Institute: Potassium
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 15118, Fish, Tuna, Bluefin, Cooked, Dry Heat
- USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 13494, Beef, Ground, 70% Lean Meat/30% Fat, Crumbles, Cooked, Pan-Browned
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin)
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 23565, Beef, Ground, 90% Lean Meat/10% Fat, Crumbles, Cooked, Pan-Browned
- Beef.org: Health Benefits of Beef
- Mayo Clinic: Cuts of Beef -- A Guide to the Leanest Selections
- Food Consumer.org: Basics About Beef -- 2
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Nutrient Data for 15262, Fish, Tilapia, Cooked, Dry Heat
- MeatSafety.org: Frequently Asked Questions