Beef has a bad press - fattening, unhealthly and unsafe. But is the public missing out on an important source of nutrition which would lead to a healthier diet? Anne Dempsey gets her teeth into the bovine conundrum
Beef is more fattening than chicken - true or false? Many of us would say true, regarding beef is a high-energy food and seeing chicken as more lean cuisine, thus reducing our use of succulent sirloins or flavoursome fillets on the barbecue these summer days.
The statement, however, is false.
"One hundred grams of lean beef has only one more gram of fat than 100g of skinless chicken breast. In addition, beef has five times more zinc, five times more iron and eight times more B12 vitamin," says An Bord Bia's nutrition programme manager, Miriam Cummins.
"Zinc helps strengthen the immune system and fight infection. In a recent survey, one in seven women and one in six men were deficient in zinc.
"Iron carries oxygen round the body, and many people who feel tired put it down to a hectic lifestyle, but may actually be low in iron. B12 facilitates the formation of red blood cells and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Red meat is a power pack of nutrients," she says.
According to figures from Teagasc's National Food Centre, a typical piece of lean sirloin contains only 2.9 per cent fat, confirming the view that lean red meat is a low-fat food. So how come the fatty image?
"I think there was some misinformation in the past, a perception that beef contained large amount of saturated fats," says Cummins. (Saturated fats harden at room temperature, and, therefore harden inside our body, rendering them less desirable than unsaturated fats which remain liquid at room temperature).
"In fact, less than half the fat content of lean meat is saturated. Also, unlike foods such as pastries which have hidden fats, you can see most of the fat in red meat as a band around the edges or running through, allowing you to trim it away.
"Some new research is throwing new light on healthy fats found in beef. Preliminary studies show that beef contains conjugated linoleic acid, (CLA), a collective term for polyunsaturates, which offer protection against heart disease and cancers by boosting the immune system and aiding weight reduction. Grass-fed cattle, such as cattle reared in Ireland, are naturally high in CLA and cooking does not affect the CLA content."
However, in spite of such evidence, we still have a beef about beef. In a random poll of 15 twenty- to thirty-somethings, two were vegetarian, five considered red meat fattening, with three saying taste and protein benefits outweighed this, and six were committed carnivores. One person had particular reservations about the way meat is slaughtered, processed and packed, while many considered beef used in takeaways and fast food burgers to be fatty and unhealthy.
Prior to the 1996 BSE epidemic, we consumed 16.3kg of beef per head annually. In the intermediate aftermath, sales declined to 13kg , but, according to An Bord Bia, sales recovered to over 17kg per head, and this year increased by eight per cent to 19kg per head, with all cuts of beef selling well.
Consumer confidence has undoubtedly been boosted by industry moves to reassure. A quality assurance scheme monitored by An Bord Bia involves beef producers guaranteeing the animals they sell for consumption are ethically reared and free from disease, hormones or harmful bacteria.
Supermarkets have done their bit, with more rigorous traceability and better labelling. Superquinn was the first supermarket in the world to use TraceBack, initiated in 1998, which guarantees the origins of every piece of meat you buy from pasture to plate.
"It works by use of a DNA code, allowing us to trace a cow's parent, the farm it was reared on and the processes it goes through every step of the way. We also have a Superquinn Farm Assurance Scheme, in which our producer farms are regularly and independently monitored and inspected," says Breda Gavin, Superquinn's food and nutrition adviser.
However, while a slab of bloody sirloin on your plate has been restored as stereotypical male preserve, Irishwomen are not eating enough red meat.
"The North/South Food Consumption Survey carried out by the Irish University Nutritional Alliance (IUNA) found that almost one in two women aged 18-50 years have inadequate iron intakes, one in three have low iron stores, and one in 30 have iron deficiency anaemia," says Margot Brennanof the Irish Nutrition & Dietetics Institute (INDI).
"I think you can make a link between such low levels and red meat consumption. Many women seem to perceive red meat as fattening and cut it out if slimming.
"Women of reproductive age need 14 milligrams of iron a day - but iron is relatively finicky to absorb. Haem iron is provided and absorbed best by red meat, chicken, offal, oily fish. Non-haem iron is obtained from dark green leafy vegetables like cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, spinach and fortified cereal, but non-haem absorption is poor. It is helped by taking in combination with vitamin C, so an ideal breakfast is a glass of orange juice with fortified cereal.
"Having your haemogolobin checked by your GP will show the iron currently in your body, though not your iron stores, which may be depleted. A serum ferritin test - which the GP can also do - will check your iron stores and provide an early warning system. Taking the oral contraceptive can deplete iron stores, so if coming off the pill, consider having your haemoglobin checked."
• An Bord Bia has produced a leaflet, Slimming and Beef, in conjunction with Weight Watchers, plus a version for the general public. The Bord also has a nutritional lifestyle pack, and some lovely recipe ideas for summer days featured in: Great Beef for the Grill or Barbecue, telephone: 01-6142257 or see: www.bordbia.ie