Lean Vs Regular Ground Beef: Clearing Up Cholesterol Confusion
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QUESTION: Does extra-lean ground beef have less cholesterol than lean or regular ground beef? There was an animated discussion at a restaurant the other night where it was put forth that the cholesterol is in the muscle cells , not the fat, and this would mean that the uncooked extra lean has the most cholesterol.
The discussion then proceeded to cover whether, after you cook the meat and let the fat drip out, similar servings of regular beef would end up just as healthy as the lean one, and that spending the money for the extra-lean was a waste.
M.E., Detroit, Mich.
ANSWER: A few things come into play to arrive at our answer. First is that cholesterol is present predominantly in the muscle tissue, but it is also present in the fat. The higher percentage of fat in regular beef contributes cholesterol to the total. The next thing to consider is that the muscle in meat is not all protein it is mostly water by weight. The final factor is shrinkage.
Lets compare two types of meat before and after cooking. Regular ground beef is about 70 percent lean. I have gathered my data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site , where we find that a quarter pound of 70 percent lean ground beef contains 34 grams of fat, 88 milligrams of cholesterol, 16 grams of protein and 61 grams of water.
Cholesterol Control: Chicken Vs Beef
Chicken and beef are both staples of many diet, and they can be prepared and seasoned in thousands of different ways.
Unfortunately, these common animal proteins are also sources of the type of fat that can elevate your risk for high cholesterol, heart disease, and cardiovascular problems.
LDL cholesterol contributes to plaque that can clog and narrow your arteries, which can break off as clots. This narrowing and these clots can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Since your body produces all of the LDL cholesterol it needs, eating foods that are high in saturated fats, like fatty meats, can increase the amount of LDL cholesterol that your body makes.
But that in no way means fried chicken with the skin on is a better choice than a grilled sirloin steak at least if youre talking about heart health.
What Protein Has No Cholesterol
Nuts and legumes are among the most nutritious foods available. Beans, peas, and lentils, among other legumes, are a good source of protein. They have no cholesterol and a substantial amount of fat in comparison to meat. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, a cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat per serving.
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Breaking Down Ground Beef
When it comes to comparison, taste is completely subjective. If were the judges, a lean ground turkey burger going up against an 80/20 beef burger in a taste competition is probably going to have a tough time.
Objectively speaking, beef has its higher amount of fat content to thank for its juiciness and powerful flavor profile.
While a hot-off-the-grill burger is probably its most popular use, ground beef is also excellent in tacos, meat sauces such as bolognese, meatballs, meatloaf, chili, baked pasta dishes , stuffed peppers, and Shepherds pie.
How To Cook Ground Beef
Ground beef is very simple to make, and it cooks fairly quickly. You just need a skillet and a stovetop.
Place the meat in the skilletalong with any seasoningsand wait for all the pieces to brown, stirring occasionally. When they’re no more pink meat, that’s how you know the meat is done. You can keep browning it in the pan for as long as you like to get that desired level of crispness. According to the USDA, you should cook ground beef within two days of purchasing it, unless you freeze the meat.
We consulted Chef Will Savarese, executive chef at Robert’s Steakhouse in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to get some more insight on everything you need to know about cooking with ground beef, too, and his tips for perfectly browning prove just how simple cooking with ground beef is.
“Make sure you start with a hot pan with oil. Cook in small batches to get even color on it, and don’t overcrowd it,” he says. “When forming meatballs, patties, or working with ground beef, dip hands in cold water so doesn’t stick to your hands.”
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Can You Cook Fat Out Of Meat
One challenge frequently faced by health-conscious cooks is that the tastiest cuts of meat are often high in fat. Much of that fat can be rendered out through cooking, especially in long-cooked dishes that boil or braise the meat. You wont eliminate fat completely, but you can reduce it significantly.
How Much Ground Beef Should You Eat
I listed nutrition facts for lean and regular beef. Both of these are rich in vitamins, sodium, fiber, potassium, calcium, and more.
You should consult a nutritionist to calculate your calorie needs and how much total fat and protein you should consume. Each persons needs are different, but you can consume between 50 to 175g of ground beef protein a day.
If youre looking for healthy beef options, make sure to buy meat from reputable sources. I order mine from ButcherBox, whose high-quality meats are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, without any added hormones and antibiotics.
Buying from reputable sources ensures that you get the most health benefits from the meat you cook so you know exactly what to expect when it comes to your daily intake of calories, proteins, and vitamins.
References:
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What Kind Of Meat Has The Most Cholesterol
Some meals contain cholesterol, but they have no effect on the cholesterol levels in your blood.
Thats because, in comparison to the amount of saturated fat we consume, most of us consume less than 300mg of cholesterol per day.
Cholesterol is mostly produced in the liver. Animal foods, such as eggs, seafood, meat, and dairy products, also contain it.
Nutrients In 85% Lean Ground Beef
Related Articles
Ground beef has received a bad rap over the years because of its high saturated fat content. But ground beef has a number of beneficial nutrients your body requires, so you should not necessarily cut it out of your diet altogether. Leaner cuts of beef are easily found at your local supermarket. Just look for ground beef with less than 15 percent fat content, and eat it in moderation.
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Ground Beef Nutrition Facts And Health Benefits
Ground beef is a convenient way to include protein in your diet, and it contains important vitamins and minerals. It is the primary ingredient in many favorite foods from hamburgers to meatballs. But ground beef can be high in calories and saturated fat, and a high intake of red meat can come with health risks. The key to including it in your diet is moderation and managing portion size.
Is Filet Mignon Low In Cholesterol
Despite the fact that the filet mignon has a little less total fat and a little more cholesterol than the filet mignon, it has the same amount of total fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 79 milligrams of cholesterol. While it is critical to reduce your consumption of cholesterol from meals, it is saturated fat that is the source of the majority of health concerns.
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How Much Mass Does Ground Beef Lose Cooked
As a general rule of thumb, on average meat will lose about 25% of its weight when cooked. You still have to weigh out your meat in bulk when its raw, but you dont need to re-weigh it cooked and figure out the math, just multiple the total raw weight by . 75 and thats what your 1 oz logged will actually weigh.
How Much Cholesterol Is In Ground Beef
While a small amount of cholesterol in your diet is acceptable, a large amount of saturated fat is not. High-saturated-fat diets have been related to higher blood cholesterol and a higher risk of heart disease.
Limit or avoid the following unhealthy high-cholesterol foods that are also rich in saturated fat, according to experts:
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Beef List Cholesterol Content Per 100g
Nutritional Value : 15 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 piece, cooked and excluding refuse :Other serving sizes 3 oz : Nutritional Value : 16 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 oz :Other serving sizes 4 oz : Nutritional Value : 14 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 piece, cooked and excluding refuse :Other serving sizes 3 oz : Nutritional Value : 15 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 3 oz :Nutritional Value : 19 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 oz :Other serving sizes 4 oz : Nutritional Value : 18 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 slice :Nutritional Value : 19 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Typical Serving size of 1 slice :Nutritional Value : 18 / 100Profile for a 100g serving :Other serving sizes 3 oz : Nutritional Value : 14 / 100
Making A Case For Ground Beef
Generally, if youre looking to make a recipe that will really benefit from a meats fat content and flavor such as classic Italian meatballs or a juicy summer burger opt for ground beef.
Additionally, if youre looking to add more protein, zinc, or iron to your diet, beef outshines turkey by a bit. Ground beef also contains fewer calories and less cholesterol.
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Minerals And Vitamin Content
Ground beef contains a number of mineral and vitamins that are beneficial for you. A 3-ounce serving of 85 percent lean ground beef is a rich source of selenium, iron and phosphorus. It provides 32.5 percent, 29.5 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively, of your daily requirements for these minerals. Additional minerals in a single serving include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper and manganese. Ninety-two percent of your daily B12 intake and 25 percent of your daily B6 intake is also present in a single serving. Additional B vitamins include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Minor amounts of vitamins E and K are also present.
How Often Can I Eat Red Meat If I Have High Cholesterol
How frequently should you consume red meat? Try to keep your red meat consumption to 1 to 2 servings per week, which is 6 ounces or fewer per week, as much as possible. You should limit your intake of red meat to less than or equal to 3 ounces per week if you have heart disease or high cholesterol, according to medical advice.
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What Is The Unhealthiest Meat
Avoid processed meats Finally, health experts say to stay away from processed meats, which are generally considered to be unhealthy. These include any meat that has been smoked, salted, cured, dried, or canned. Compared to fresh meat, processed meats are high in sodium and can have double the amount of nitrates.
What’s The Difference Between Minced Beef And Ground Beef
When you’re cooking with beef and following along with a recipe, you might see “minced beef” or “ground beef” listed. But have no fear, it’s the same type of meat, just chopped up differently.
“Minced is usually done by hand and diced small, and ground beef is ground using a grinder with different sized dies,” Chef Savarese says.
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What Is The Best Meat For Cholesterol
Consume animal flesh in moderation, and avoid overindulging. Look for deli meats that are labeled as lean and low in fat content. If you have a choice between white meat and dark meat when it comes to chicken, choose white meat wherever possible. Experiment with different meat replacements. If in doubt, look at the label first.
Are Steaks Bad For You
Eating an excessive amount of red meat might be harmful to your health.Steaks on the grill and juicy burgers on the grill are staples in many peoples diets.However, research has shown that consuming red meat and processed meat on a daily basis can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies, including colon cancer, as well as other diseases.
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A Word About Eating Liver
The liver is a low-fat, high-cholesterol meat. Its high in vitamins and minerals like iron, copper, zinc, and vitamins A, B, and D, and its low in saturated fat.
Its a generally healthy food, but because of its high vitamin A content, its better not to consume too much of it. For some people, eating liver on a regular basis may cause vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to health problems.
The government advises that you eat no more than one portion of liver or liver pate each week. If you do consume liver, stay away from any supplements that also include retinol, a form of vitamin A.
If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, avoid any liver, liver pate, and retinol-containing supplements.
Women who have gone through menopause should only consume liver once a week.
Is It True That Avoiding Red Meat Lowers Cholesterol
Fresh pork, beef, lamb, and veal, as well as meats that have been smoked, cured, or preserved in any way, are all examples of red and processed meat . These meats are commonly heavy in saturated fatty acids, which raise LDL cholesterol levels. This is the bad cholesterol that builds up in blood vessel walls, causing blockages and increasing the risk of a heart attack.
As people become more aware of the dangers of eating red and processed meat, a growing number of individuals are turning to vegetarian and vegan diets, which eliminate meat entirely. Researchers at the University of Nottingham intended to see if lowering the amount of red meat consumed, rather than eliminating it entirely, would improve the health of the participants.
The findings, which were published today in the journal Food & Function, revealed that the most significant change was a decrease in the quantity of LDL cholesterol in the blood, with those who had the highest levels at the start experiencing the greatest decrease. The average reduction in LDL cholesterol was about 10%, with males seeing the most improvement.
For this 12-week intervention experiment, 46 persons agreed to reduce their red meat intake by substituting white meat, fish, or meat substitutes, or by reducing the size of their red meat portions. During the trial, they kept a food diary and were given blood tests at the start and at regular intervals.
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What Makes Some Think Pork Is Bad
1)Some are referring to processed pork , such as sausages, bacon or salami, while talking about it.
Many processed forms may really be dangerous for health but we are not discussing them now and are talking about lean pork such as tenderloin, sirloin chops or top loin chops.
2) Does pork contain more viruses toxins or parasites?
As we all know they all die if you cook them with high enough temperature. For that USDA has defined its recommended temperatures for cooking various types of meat.
More importantly the recommended temperature is the same for both foods. Its 145 °F for both, and 160°F for ground meat. So whatever viruses these types of red meat have, they all die at the same temperature according to scientists.
3) Pig is a dirty animal and eats whatever it wants.
This partially depends on how the cow, the pig or the chicken are handled on what they are being fed. Grass fed beef really differs from not grass fed one which is a topic for a future article. We should always think of how the animal was fed regardless of the type of meat. And finally, after cooking with USDA recommended temperature we kill all the viruses and parasites as covered in the previous headline.
What Are The Nutrition Facts For Impossible Beef Made From Plants
Here for the headlines? Every 4 oz. serving of Impossible Beef contains:
- 19g of protein — the same as 80/20 ground beef
- 0mg cholesterol
- 25% the daily value of iron
- No antibiotics or animal hormones
Looking for just the facts? The nutrition facts panel for our current recipe is below.
Keep in mind that this nutrition facts panel is just for Impossible Beef, and it doesnt account for any of the other tasty add-ons it may be served with.
Please note that the nutrition facts above reflect our updated recipe for Impossible Beef, which has just started rolling out in US stores. Not all stores will have the latest recipe on shelves right away, so the nutrition facts may vary slightly in your local store.
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