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r Beef
Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate
Protein: High
Fat: Moderate
Saturated fat: High
Cholesterol: Moderate
Carbohydrates: None
Fiber: None
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins
Major mineral contribution: Iron, phosphorus, zincAbout the Nutrients in This Food
Like fish, pork, poultry, milk, and eggs, beef has high-quality proteins,
with sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids. Beef fat is slightly
more highly saturated than pork fat, but less saturated than lamb fat. All
have about the same amount of cholesterol per serving.
Beef is an excellent source of B vitamins, including niacin, vitamin
B 6 , and vitamin B 12 , which is found only in animal foods. Lean beef pro-
vides heme iron, the organic iron that is about five times more useful to the
body than nonheme iron, the inorganic form of iron found in plant foods.
Beef is also an excellent source of zinc.
One four-ounce serving of lean broiled sirloin steak has nine grams
fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 101 mg cholesterol, 34 g protein, and 3.81 mg iron
(21 percent of the RDA for a woman, 46 percent of the RDA for a man).
One four-ounce serving of lean roast beef has 16 g fat (6.6 g saturated fat),
92 mg cholesterol, and 2.96 mg iron (16 percent of the RDA for a woman,
37 percent of the RDA for a man).The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
With a food rich in vitamin C. Ascorbic acid increases the absorption of
iron from meat.* These values apply to lean cooked beef.