By: rog wakefield
One of the western world's most popular meat products is beef, and long may it continue.
In recent times, we have heard no end of argument over whether beef is a nutritious food safe for everyone, or a major risk to health to be shunned whenever you can.
The truth of the matter is hard to pin down, even amongst nutritionists, opinions differ, but later in this article we will bring forward many useful factual tips on beef, dispel a few well-known fallacies and make sure that you get the relevant information needed to form your own opinion.
Before that, here is a really tasty beef recipe which you can easily prepare for your children or family.
This is a wonderful recipe for 'macaroni and beef chili'. It is quick and simple to prepare and is a simple and efficient meal a large group.
Ingredients:
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Macaroni - uncooked : 1 cup
Lean Minced Beef : 1/2 lb
Powdered garlic : 0.5 teaspoon
Chili Powder : 1 x tsp
Salt : 1 x pinch
Freshly ground pepper : 1 x pinch
Your favourite tomato soup : one Tin
Quality cheddar cheese : 1 oz. (finely grated)
Instructions:
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Bring a good sized pan of water to a rolling boil put the macaroni into the water, and cook for roughly 7 minutes.
Brown the beef in another good sized pan and carefully remove all the fat that has been produced.
Add the garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper and then stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
Turn the heat to low and stir fry gently for approximately five minutes.
Stir in the cooked macaroni and tomato soup, and turn up the heat a little.
Cook for a an additional few minutes until soup and macaroni are heated through.
Just before serving add the cheese, and heat briskly till it has melted.
Transfer into bowls and serve.
This is a useful recipe to prepare in volume as excess servings can be kept in the fridge and served the next day. You could also leave the cheese out and freeze portions for later. Simply add the cheese just before you finally serve the recipe.
Now you have a tasty beef recipe; here are a few detailed nutritional facts for you:
1. If you look at it objectively, lean beef is more or less as good as taking multi-vitamins as it is an incredible provider of protein, vitamin b12, zinc, iron, niacin and phosphorus.
2. Even a 80g offering of beef may deliver over 10% of ones necessary daily need of iron, niacin, phosphorus, vitamin b6, protein and vitamin b12.
3. Many people think that one must abstain from beef as it contains large amounts of saturated fat. Even though this may have been true in the past, quality beef in the stores today is noticeably healthier than it was in the past, and well over half of the fats present in modern lean beef are monounsaturated fats which are widely believed to be better for your health than other fats.
4. The zinc that is found in lean beef is essential for human growth, supports the immune response, has been proven to help remedy wounds, moderates hunger and even affects your ability to experience taste.
5. Some folks claim that if you are trying to lose weight, you should not buy beef. A real dietitian will tell you that this is not the case, in reality the 3 ounce portion of lean beef that most experts endorse as a correct daily consumption, is in actuality just ten percent of the ideal two thousand calories daily diet target.
6. Beef is a good source of Important 'b' vitamins, which are thought by many to help in reducing heart attacks and strokes and also help you to to produce erythrocytes.
7. If we measure the nutritional value of 100 grams of beef (raw weight), it has:
* approx. 200 kcal
* 53mg of Sodium.
* 20.71g of Protein.
* zero grams of Vitamin C.
* 16mg of Calcium.
* 3.8mg of Zinc.
I trust this essay has given you a better understanding of the good and bad aspects of eating beef, and also given you a delicious new addition to your cookbook.
