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The Benefits of Making Beef Part of a Healthy Diet, Healthy Lifestyle

Deb Roeber, Ph.D.
Meat Quality and Safety Specialist
University of Minnesota

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been released, but what does that mean for the beef industry? First of all, we need to acknowledge that the main issue in the 20005 Guidelines is addressing obesity because two-thirds of the American population is overweight or obese. So, the Guidelines ask Americans to 1) get the most nutrition out of your calories, 2) find a balance between food and physical activity, 3) make smart choices from every food group, and 4) play it safe with food.

From time to time, consumers have a tendency to think that the Guidelines may tell them to stay away from a certain classes of food, such as beef. But, nowhere in the Guidelines does it tell Americans to stay away meat, rather they indicate that consumers should choose nutrient dense foods, including lean meats and poultry.

A common misperception is that vegetarian diets are lower in fat than meat containing diets. However, a study by Broughton and Barr (1999, Can. J. Diet. Pract. & Res.) indicated that no differences in fat, energy, carbohydrate intake or relative body weight were identified when comparing vegetarian and meat containing diets. In fact, there are several benefits to making meat part of a healthy diet. Beef is a major contributor of Vitamin B, specifically B-12, iron, zinc and protein in most American diets.

Vitamin B. The red meats (beef, pork and lamb) account for 60.6% of vitamin B-12 in the U.S. food supply, 19.9% of vitamin B-6, 15.6% of niacin, 11.2% of riboflavin, and 13.7% of thiamin. Poultry and fish add an additional 13.2%, 13.3%, 17.6%, 4.3%, and 1.9% of B-12, b-6, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin, respectively.

Zinc (Z). Animal foods such as meat, poultry and fish are major sources of bioavailable zinc. A 35% reduction in the total amount of zinc absorbed has been observed in vegetarian women as compared to a non-vegetarian diet. Zinc intake will also vary among the animal foods consumed as beef, for example, is the number one source of zinc in the American diet. When added to the diet, beef provides as much zinc as 11 3-ounce servings of tuna.

Iron (I). Iron deficiency is among the most common nutritional deficiencies in the U.S. Iron in food is present in two forms – heme iron in meat, poultry and fish, and nonheme iron present in a variety of plant and other animal foods. The absorption of heme iron is much greater than nonheme iron; however, absorption of nonheme iron can be increased by consumer meat in the same meal. Beef, when added to the diet, provides as much iron as three cups of raw spinach.

Protein (P). Meat and other animal foods provide complete protein, while some plant proteins are incomplete or lack sufficient amounts of one or more essential amino acids.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) intake per capita is 173.4 mg/d. Meat, a major source of CLA, accounts for over 97% of CLA consumed, 36% of which is provided by beef. CLA is a derivative of the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, which may potentially protect against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and may enhance immune function and reduce body fat.

Eliminating meat from the diet increases an individual’s risk for vitamin B, iron, and zinc deficiencies. The key to a healthy diet is to consume foods to meet the dietary recommendations. So, next time you are trying to consider whether or not to include meat as part of your meal, look at the benefits that can come from meat – get your ZIP.

As you get your ZIP, you may also want to consider the following facts: cattle are raised in over 800,000 family farms in the USA . Their product, feeder calves, graze over lands that cannot be utilized for crop production, and help maintain a delicate balance in grasslands necessary for environmental protection and wildlife habitat. Thus, when a feeder calf is finished at 1250 lb, over 30% of its meat yield accumulated during foraging and grazing periods of its life, making beef one of the most family farm and environmentally friendly farm animals.

If you would like more information on nutrient-dense beef, visit www.beefnutrition.org.