Ground beef: Some tips for smart consumption – Due to high saturated fat content, the American Heart Association advises people to control their beef intake to avoid the risk of heart-related medical conditions. But don’t feel disappointed by this. Some studies suggest that you can consume up to 5 ounces of lean beef daily to keep your heart healthy because of its low cholesterol levels.
So, instead of giving up on your beef diet, make it a part of your menu smartly. Here are a few tips for inspiration.
Be careful how you cook
How you cook red meat can be critical to avoid the risks of cancer. Experts recommend that you should avoid cooking it on high temperature or direct flame as these methods can cause cancer risks. That means you should stay away from frying or oven-broiling. An ideal alternative to this is marinating. Make it tender and flavorful, and don’t overcook it. If the pieces get burnt, remove them.
Choose vegetarian-fed beef
Choosing beef that comes from cattle that eats a vegetarian diet, such as grass and grains, is the safest option. Their meat is rich in a few vitamins and Omega-3. For that, you can check the label of the packaging. If it indicates 100% vegetarian, then only opt for it.
Mix and match your recipe
Beef must be your favorite diet. But you cannot take the risk with your health and money. So instead of making a stand-alone dish of ground beef, throw in some more ingredients to raise the level of nutrition and indulge. For example, you can add beans, lean turkey meat, lentils, and others in the recipe to enhance its taste and fill up yourself. This preparation can go well with many options, including meatloaf, tacos, meatballs, burgers, and so on.
Control your love for burgers
Hot dogs and bacon and beef burgers may tickle your taste buds. But these fatty meals are not suitable for you. At least, make sure that you don’t dig in them more than twice monthly. According to studies, one should eat only 18 ounces or less per week. However, you should try to bring it down to 4 or 5 servings in a week. When you go to a restaurant, inquire about its size. Generally, their burgers tend to be huge, and hence, they contain more than 6 to 10 ounces of it.
If it looks like an uphill task, you can go the home-cooked way. Prepare a palm-sized burger and use lean ground beef that is 96% lean. You can quickly get this in online and offline grocery shops. At the time of cooking, don’t cook your patties too much. Otherwise, you may not get to enjoy its juicy flavor. You can add onions, red peppers, and other ingredients in the burger to make it tastier.
So, if you love your beef, then go ahead and have it. But make sure you don’t go overboard with the consumption. If you consume 2000 calories in a day, you should not go beyond four-ounce serving. When you combine it with cheese, mayo sauce, and fries in a bun, your calorie intake already shoots up to more than 1000 mark.
