Lean Meats

We always hear how GOOD lean meat is and that it usually entails chicken or fish. Well...pfft on that. I don't eat fish and I don't want to give up beef, but I want to be healthy too. Clearly, something has to change....and it won't be my eating habits on this one!

I pulled up an article from the Mayo Clinic on the issue. You can find the article here:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU00202 but I've highlighted some of the information that really pertained to finding “lean” meat without compromise.

• Lean cuts of beef include round, chuck, sirloin or tenderloin. Lean pork or lamb includes tenderloin, loin chops or leg. The leanest poultry is white meat from the breast with no skin.

See – THE Mayo Clinic says there are lean cuts of beef! There's even options! Pork is still around too! Hooray! Oh...you want ground meats? Keep reading:

• When buying ground beef, look for packages with the highest percentage of lean meat — 90 percent or higher. Ground poultry can have as much fat as ground beef has, or more, because it often includes dark meat and skin. To make the leanest choice, choose ground breast meat, or look for low-fat ground chicken or turkey.

Good to know, right? To go with the previous article on marinades...they also offered this:

• Marinades tenderize meat and keep it moist while cooking. They also can enhance flavor that may be lost when you trim fat. Choose low-fat marinades, such as mixtures of herbs or spices with wine, soy sauce or lemon juice.

And I wrote the marinade article before reading this one. Clearly, my psychic powers are growing. Wait...you're happy that you can choose the meat, but now you want to cook it too?

• Low-fat cooking methods include grilling, broiling, roasting, sauteing and baking. Cooking melts away much of the fat in meat and poultry.

And of course, the mantra of any health/food concern:

• Reducing your portion size reduces your fat and cholesterol intake. Don't exceed 3 ounces (85 grams) of meat. That's about the size of a deck of cards. Three ounces also equals half of a boneless, skinless chicken breast, or one skinless chicken leg with thigh or two thin slices of lean roast beef.

There you have it. Meat can be healthy, it can be lean, and it also offers great benefits like protein, iron, phosphorus and B12. So, what's for dinner at your place tonight?