Thursday, March 29, 2007

More on Beef


Here is a question that was posted in the comments section of my previous entry on beef

Q: This is interesting info, but I'm a little confused. What would you recommend that the package should read when buying meat in a supermarket? Anything with a "select" label?

Do you have to pay attention to the cut of meat or just the grade?

Also, how much red meat do you think is an acceptable part of a healthy diet?


A: I do recommend that you purchase SELECT grade beef whenever possible but this can be a problem as depending on where you shop SELECT is hard to find. In fact the supermarket where I shop every week, Wegmans, only carries CHOICE. They actually boast with signs and labels saying that they only carry best beef grade - CHOICE. Best for who? If you were going to go for taste then PRIME would be the best as it is the fattiest and if you were going to go for lean protein then SELECT would be the optimal choice.

It is important to pay attention to both the cut and grade. I am far from a beef expert. After my meeting with the beef guy my beef I.Q. increased about 300%. but Top Round, Eye of Round, and Bottom Round are all good lean choices. Most of the time you can just look at the beef. I always aim to select the cuts with less marbling (or visible fat within the meat)to reduce the fat content (I'm not anti-fat but with red meat it can add up quick!).

How much red meat to include in your diet isn't a predetermined number. You shouldn't restrict your consumption of lean red meat but for variety sake (taste and fatty acids) I wouldn't eat meat exclusively. I normally have red meat at least 4 times a week. It really depends what is on sale at the market that week.


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