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Nutrition > Red meat & nutrition
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Beef and lamb contributes
to a balanced diet and
contains vital nutrients for good health and well-being. As well
as tasting great and being a versatile meal solution, lean beef
are lamb contain important sources of:
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 Iron – is
required for the formation of red blood cells. Lean beef and lamb
are a valuable source of iron in the diet.
Iron exists in two main
forms: Haem iron
and Non-Haem iron
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| Lean red meat is a good rich source of essential
minerals such as iron and
zinc. |
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 B
vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and
B12) – These
are required for the release of energy and other metabolic functions
in the body. Vitamin B12 is found only in foods of animal origin
like lean beef and lamb, fish, milk, and eggs is required for
the formation of red blood cells
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| Lean red meat provides important vitamins
such as B vitamins and vitamin D. |
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 Zinc – Meat
provides about a quarter of zinc in the diet and assists with the body’s
immune system to fight infection and diseases. Zinc is also involved
in maintaining fertility. Lean beef and lamb are important sources
of easily absorbed zinc.
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| Over the past 15 years the fat content of
lean red meat has been significantly reduced. |
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 Protein – is
required for growth and repair of body tissues. Lean meat provides
about a quarter of the protein in the diet. Protein is especially
important for growing children and teenagers, those who are ill and
those with
a very active lifestyle. Proteins are made up of building blocks
called amino acids. Lean beef and lamb contain all the essential
amino acids
required for growth and repair
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| Lean uncooked fully trimmed beef contains
4% fat and lean uncooked fully trimmed lamb contains 8% fat. |
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 Vitamin D – assists
with the absorption of calcium. Research shows that lean red meat
is a valuable source of vitamin D and the vitamin D in red meat is
in
a highly absorbable form. Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight
on the skin and most of us rely on the vitamin D produced in this
way. However, those who are housebound or do not expose their skin
rely
on food sources of this vitamin.
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Omega-3 fatty acids -
Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to offer cardio protective
benefits. Although more commonly
associated with oil-rich fish, lean beef and lamb can make
a significant contribution to intake of these fatty acids.
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 Certain groups of people may be more at risk of developing
deficiencies of some important nutrients found in lean red meat.
These include:
- Children under five years
- Teenagers
- Women of child-bearing age
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Red Meat and Fat
- Excess
dietary fat is one of several risk factors associated with coronary
heart disease.
- The
greater proportion of the fat in lean beef and lamb is in the monounsaturated form,
which is the type associated with a healthy Mediterranean type
of diet. In
lean lamb over a third of the fat is in the monounsaturated form.
- The
leanest form of beef and lamb today contains less than
5% fat, compared to at least 25% for beef
and 31% for lamb in the 1970s.
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