Beef: More than just Meat
If you know me personally, you know that I love cows. But not just cows, I LOVE BEEF! My favorite food is a big, juicy burger! Don’t get me wrong, I love a good steak but burgers steal my heart every time!
I love beef for many reasons. Like the title of my post said, beef is so much more than just meat. It is an amazing source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. When compared to other foods it is quite superior in more ways than one. One of my favorite sources to go to for information and recipes on is the “Beef: It’s what’s for dinner website.
PROTEIN!!
When looking at an average 3-oz serving of beef (But really…who only eats 3oz?!), there are 25 grams of protein. That is half of the daily value of protein! That’s AMAZING! Plus that 3-oz serving is only about 173 calories! Other protein choices may include peanut butter, quinoa, black beans, or edamame. At 25 g of total protein, you would have to eat: 6.5 tbsp of peanut butter which is 613 calories OR 3 cups of quinoa at 666 calories OR 1 2/3 cups of black beans at 379 calories OR 1 1/3 cup of edamame at 249 calories. I don’t know about you but I would pick 3-oz of beef over 3 cups of quinoa every day of the week.
Vitamins and Minerals!
Remember when I said there were vitamins and minerals too… YEP! The minerals in beef are calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc. As you can see, beef is pretty densely packed with minerals.
The macro minerals from beef are Ca, K, P, & Mg. As we all know, calcium (Ca) is important for healthy bones and teeth. Potassium (K) is needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. Phosphorus (P) is also important to bones and teeth and is found inside of every cell. Finally, Magnesium (Mg) is found in our bones and needed to make proteins which help with muscle contraction.
The trace minerals or micro minerals are Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, & Zn. Copper, Manganese, and Zinc are in many enzymes. Zinc also is needed in protein synthesis and is used in genetic material (plus a lot more!). Iron is part of a molecule called hemoglobin in your red blood cells. These cells carry oxygen throughout the body. And lastly… Selenium is an antioxidant that protects the body from damage by harmful molecules.
The vitamins include B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, and smaller amounts of vitamins E and K. In a 6-oz portion of beef, the amount of Vitamin B12 is 82% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). B12 or Cobalamin is an essential nutrient AND it is most commonly in animal products. B2 (Riboflavin) works with red blood cell production which supports cell function giving you more energy. B3 (Niacin) helps your entire body perform properly. It is most commonly found in meat and since it is a water-soluble vitamin…it should be consumed daily. B3 can help lower your cholesterol, ease arthritis, boost brain function, etc. Pantothenic acid or B5 is extremely important in human nutrition because it makes blood cells and converts your food into energy! Last of the beefy B vitamins is B6 or Pyridoxine which is helps create red blood cells AND neurotransmitters.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps reduce the damage caused by free radicals that weaken healthy cells. Vitamin K works with blood clotting, calcium metabolism and the overall health of your heart.
I know that was a lot of information and if you made it through those few paragraphs then THANK YOU! I know its a lot to take in but look at all the fun things you know about BEEF and its relation to vitamins and minerals.
Beef for All
Lastly… one of my favorite things about beef is that it is good for everyone. Your whole family can eat it! Everyone from grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, younger siblings, and babies over 6-months old! There are so many health benefits from eating beef and all of the vitamins, minerals, and of course the amazing source of protein!
For more information (or to double check my facts), go to the Beef it’s what’s for Dinner website. If you want to know more about beef nutrition there are multiple articles to read through. There are recipes galore and even beef production information.
Another site to visit is Chuck Knows Beef which is relatively new. “Chuck” is the beef version of Siri or Cortana (which in my opinion makes Chuck even cooler!!). Chuck is an easy to use, interactive, knows-it-all about beef. He will even hook you up with new recipes and cooking tips.
Thanks for hanging in there with me through the rush of new information! But as you can tell BEEF IS AMAZING! Also…nothing makes your mouth water like beef… (where are the heart eye emojis when you need them!?!?!?!?!)
