Nutrition > Ask Denise

A balanced diet

Red meat and nutrition

Red meat and iron

Ask Denise

Denise Spencer-Walker, Food Advisor at EBLEX is a font of knowledge on choosing and cooking beef and lamb cuts, nutritional facts, cooking tips – and she is happy to help with your questions and queries.

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Do all cuts of lean beef and lamb have the same amount of nutrients?

The nutrient values of protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins will vary, depending on the country of origin of the meat

My doctor has put me on a low fat diet. Can I still eat red meat?

Lean beef and lamb contributes to a balanced diet. The Food Standards Agency recommends that we should eat moderate amounts of meat, fish and alternatives. For low fat dishes:

• Buy the leanest meat possible to ensure less waste
• Choose trimmed, lean or extra lean varieties
• Grill, bake or microwave without the addition of fat
• Dry fry meat in a non-stick pan and discard any remaining fat prior to further cooking
• Skim gravies and sauces to remove any excess fat

Finally, to maintain a healthy weight eat a variety of foods and exercise regularly.

Is the meat we eat today the same as our parents were eating 30 years ago?

As a result of improved breeding, feeding and butchery practises, the fat in lean red meat has been greatly reduced over the past 30 years. Today, red meat contains less than 5% fat, compared to at least 25% for beef and 31% for lamb in the 1970s.

Recently, I’ve read that eating red meat causes bowel cancer, will I have to stop eating red meat altogether?

In a news statement released on the 14th June 2005 by The Medical Research Council (MRC) it pointed to a possible link between eating high levels of red and processed meat and the increased risk of bowel cancer. We, in Great Britain, on average eat approximately 90g of lean red and processed meat per day, one of the lowest in Europe, and well below the upper limits that the MRC is highlighting (160g per day). Lean red meat is an important part of a balanced and varied diet, and typically eaten with a variety of vegetables and sources of fibre, such as potatoes and wholegrain cereals and pulses, all of which are considered by scientists to have a protective effect against bowel cancer.

For inspirational and mouth-watering beef and lamb recipes go to the recipe page of the website.