Beef: It Can Still be for Dinner!

Beef: It's What's for Dinner. Oh the memories I have of hearing that commercial on the radio! I'm sure if I looked hard enough, I could even find the old magnet that featured this Beef Checkoff sponsored campaign. 

When I was younger, beef was usually what was for dinner. Nowadays, chicken graces the table most often since we raise 50 or so broilers twice a year. Even so, I enjoy being able to eat a nice juicy steak or succulent pot roast when the occasion arises. 

I think most of us can agree beef is tasty, but it often gets a bad rap as being unhealthy and something to avoid.

Rachelle Hochgraber, a registered dietitian who helps consumers at a Kansas City area Hy-Vee make healthy food choices, was a part of a forum I once had the opportunity to listen to. One thing I remember her being very adamant about was that beef is not bad. It's all about making the right choices about portion size, cut of meat and preparation style, not the type of meat.

What is the source of this beef avoidance? High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, both linked to heart disease. 

Never fear because lean cuts are near! There are 29 cuts of beef that are considered lean, which means they have less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per three-ounce serving. Yes, it's still more fat than a skinless chicken breast, but it's less than a chicken thigh, which though poultry is still high in fat. 

So beef can be a part of a regular healthy diet, but what about for those who need an especially heart-healthy diet? A recent study done by Pennsylvania State University researchers, funded by the Beef Checkoff, has found that adding lean beef as the primary protein source to a heart-healthy diet can be just as effective as using other sources.

The Beef in Optimal Lean Diet study, known as BOLD, broke participating adults with moderately elevated levels of cholesterol into four groups each following different diets:

1. Healthy American Diet (HAD)- followed patterns of a typical healthy American’s diet
2. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)- the typical heart-healthy diet
3. Beef in Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD)- similar to DASH but replaced white meat and plant sources with lean beef as primary protein source (4 oz/day)
4. Beef in Optimal Lean Diet Plus (BOLD-PLUS)- similar to BOLD but with higher protein and lean beef (5.4 oz/day)

The findings?

The percent decrease in LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in the DASH, BOLD, and BOLD+ diets compared to the HAD diet were very similar, with only 1.1% difference.

So, I guess you could stick to the traditional heart-healthy diet of turkey burgers and chicken, or you could just as effectively spice it up with some beef. Remember, the key is balance and portion control!

Check out the complete findings of the BOLD study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for yourself!

To learn more about beef- from what to know when buying to tips and recipes on preparing, click here.

And, last but not least, for a slightly humorous, but factual, take on the chicken vs. beef misconception, check out this podcast by the Nutrition Diva.