Calorie and Nutritional Content of Beef
Beef is cow meat, and one of the most widely consumed types of red meat in the world. With the exception of India (where the cow is sacred in Hinduism) beef meat is especially popular in Western countries, where it even surpasses poultry consumption. Lean beef meat contains all the essential amino acids, and will easily supply all your protein needs. Some people consider beef a superior meat as opposed to chicken or pork.
Beef has always been a valued food for mankind dating back thousands of years. Many ancient cave paintings depict hunters and their prey, in some cases, showing early man hunting wild cattle, the ancestors of modern day cows. When humans learned how to domesticate and breed cattle, they soon became dependent on their cattle to provide meat, milk, and leather.
There are many types of beef cuts, which is a term used for beef meat cut from different parts of the cow, and many types of beef, like halal beef, kosher beef, and organic beef, just to name three. Beef prime cuts differ from country to country, with regards to their naming conventions, but when you’re digging into a juicy steak, you probably wouldn’t bother what type of cut your beef is! A few popular primal cuts you might have heard before include the rib, shank, loin, and brisket cuts.
Different beef cuts have slightly different nutritional values. Also, different types of cows have slightly different nutritional content in their meat, dependent on their genetics and what they graze on. While beef has been criticized for being high in cholesterol and saturated fat, the fact is, most of the fat in beef can easily be trimmed off. The fat in beef is largely concentrated in the visible, white selvedge; trimming this instantly removes most of the fat content. Beef that has its visible fat removed is called lean beef and this type of beef actually has less cholesterol than eggs or butter.
Beef provides good amounts of B vitamins, especially vitamin B12. The nutritional value of beef lies in its iron content which is the best form of iron that the body can absorb. Therefore, eating lots of beef can prevent iron deficiency conditions like anemia. Besides iron, beef also has useful amounts of zinc and potassium.
A 100g serving of cooked lean beef supplies on average, 33g protein, 7g fat, no fiber, no sugar, and about 195 calories. Cholesterol watchers might also want to know that 100g of lean beef has only about 60-100 mg of cholesterol.
