Friday, September 28, 2012

The Beef i Love is Good For You!

This is my short and sweet Beef Presentation.


I am not going to lie; I am a fan of beef.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and supper.  I love beef.  There’s no doubt about it.  Everywhere I turn, the media is telling me to eat more chicken and fish.  They say “Stay away from beef”.   I decided that I was going to do some research and find out for myself, the truth about beef.   What I found is shocking.

Hello my name is Kalynn Hardegree; I am a Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and I am also a member of the Mitchell County 4-H Club.   Which would you rather eat 3 ounces of steak or 6 ½ cups of raw spinach.  That's how much spinach you would have to eat to equal the amount of Vitamin B6 found in just three ounces of cooked lean beef.  You would have to eat 3 cups of raw spinach to equal the amount of iron. To equal the amount of Vitamin B 12 in your 3 ounce serving of beef you would have to eat seven skinless chicken breasts.  The list goes on and on.   A 3 oz serving of lean beef has 154 calories and contributes less than 10% of calories to a 2,000 calorie diet, yet it supplies more than 10% of the daily values for 10 essential nutrients.   Those include protein, zinc, Vitamin B 12, selenium, and phosphorus.  Other important nutrients found in beef include niacin, Vitamin B6, iron, and riboflavin.  These help you grow up strong and healthy by developing muscles, producing energy, and helping keep you from getting sick.

Proteins build and repair all body tissue.  Without Zinc you would have trouble healing everyday wounds. Vitamin B12 helps to maintain nerve tissue and normal blood formation.   Vitamin B6 is important in your body because it helps you to use the energy from other foods that you eat.  Beef provides people with a special kind of iron called heme iron.  This type is easily absorbed into the body, and even helps smaller amounts of iron to be absorbed from vegetables and grains! Getting enough iron is especially important for young people because it aids in brain development.   An Iron deficiency, called anemia causes developmental challenges, and research has shown that even short-term iron deficiency negatively affects academic performance.  Have you heard that eating beef or red meat will make you fat?  The studies show, beef does the opposite! The protein in beef contributes to building healthy muscles with fewer calories, and beef helps zap fat! Eating beef and other protein-rich foods helps everyone feel fuller, and therefore consume fewer calories when eaten in moderation.

 
It takes a lot of many other foods- and a lot more calories-to balance your diet, but, to get you the same amount of these important nutrients. Beef’s competitive advantage is that it packs a lot of goodness into a small package!

 
There is nothing like a freshly cooked Rib eye, Medium rare coming off the grill.   Beef is the best tasting vitamin.   Did you know you would have to eat 11 2/3 servings of tuna to get the same amount of zinc found in your 3 oz. serving?  With all this being said it is important to eat other proteins also.   Next time you are eating steak or other beef products enjoy yourself knowing you are nourishing your body with important nutrients.

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