Beef

Beef – this is the meat of cattle /bulls, heifers, calves, oxen and cows/. The quality of their meat depends on the age, type of food, content and sex of the animal.

The rearing of the animal, i.e. the maturation process of the meat, as well as the stress experienced by the cattle before slaughter, also largely determine the quality of the meat.

Beef meat is divided into 3 types – with the highest grade and price is the back, breast, fillet, thigh.

The most prized is the beef obtained from local breeds of cattle and especially the more tender, obtained from young bulls and heifers.

Meat quality – the beef should be juicy red in color, with a pleasant smell of fresh meat, and also a slightly fibrous, marble-like structure.

The fatty part of the meat must be soft and have a whitish-cream color. When pressed and cut, it should be sufficiently elastic.

At the place of the cut, the beef should be shiny, and the finger should be able to sink into it quite easily when pressed.

Meat from old animals is distinguished by having a dark red hue and appearing too limp, its fatty tissue yellowish and stringy.

Caloric content

Beef is the lowest-calorie type of meat, as its fat content is minimal. It is important to remember that the percentage of fat varies in different parts of the animal’s body, but on average it is from 150 to 500 kilocalories.

100 grams of raw beef contains 187 kilocalories, boiled – 153, and roasted – 180. The consumption of this type of meat in moderate quantities is recommended for everyone, even those who suffer from obesity.

Nutritional value in 100 grams

• Proteins – 17 grams;
• Fats – 17.4 grams;
• Carbohydrates – 0 grams;
• Water – 65 grams ;
• Calorie content – ​​150-180 kilocalories;

Beef contains 315-334 mg of potassium, 60-65 mg of sodium, 9-10 mg of calcium, 21-26 mg of magnesium, 198-210 mg of phosphorus, 2.6-2.8 mg of iron, vitamins from group In, RR. Proteins important for the construction of connective tissue in beef are 2.6 mg. or 2.6%.

Beef – useful properties

100 grams of beef liver contains vitamin A /8.2 mg/, E /1 mg/, C /33 mg/, B6/60 mg/, PP / 9 mg/, B2 /2.19 mg/, B1/0.3 mg/, etc. Beef is also a very good source of mineral salts – sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc and cobalt.

The largest amount of iron is found in beef liver and in 100 grams of it, the valuable mineral is 8.4 mg.
Beef is one of the most important sources of complete proteins for humans.

When cooked, it loses 40% of the water, 2% of the proteins and 1% of the fat that it contains when raw. Proteins that are taken in through food are used by the body practically completely. The trimmings – the softest part of the carcass from the animal – are considered the most valuable source of proteins.

Vitamin B12 – thanks to the fact that the cattle lived on green grass, participates in the process of iron absorption in our body.

Beef meat successfully helps to cope with fatigue, it is useful for iron-deficiency anemia.

And British doctors recommend that men with high levels of “bad” cholesterol consume up to 200 grams per day of lean beef. They found that following this diet, a cholesterol reduction of approximately 20% was observed.