Celebrate May is Beef Month by firing up the grill to
enjoy your favorite beef product, packed with nutrients and offered in a
variety of lean cuts.
Posted on
May 14, 2015 by
Julie Thelen, Michigan State University Extension
Celebrate May is Beef Month with your favorite beef cut. Photo credit: Michigan Beef Industry Commission
Warm May weather brings out beautiful flowers and every type
of grill. Enjoy the warm weather and help celebrate May is Beef Month
while enjoying your favorite cut of beef. Beef is packed with nutrients
and is offered in a variety of lean cuts.
What is the value of beef?
While you may already know that beef is packed full of nutrients and tastes good, consuming beef also helps you reach your
Daily Value (DV) for way more than protein. Just a 3 ounce serving of beef provides the nutrients to help you throughout your day.
Beef’s Big 10 essential nutrients allow for a satisfying meal packed with nutrients:
- Protein = 48 percent DV (For a 2,000 calorie diet)
- Vitamin B12 = 44 percent DV
- Selenium = 40 percent DV
- Zinc = 36 percent DV
- Niacin = 26 percent DV
- Vitamin B6 = 22 percent DV
- Phosphorus = 19 percent DV
- Chlorine = 16 percent DV
- Iron = 12 percent DV
- Riboflavin = 10 percent DV
Wondering more about the nutrition of your beef?
According to the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the
Food and Drug Administration guidelines include at least
29 cuts of beef that are considered
lean or extra lean.
Examples include round steak, sirloin, top loin, tenderloin, 95 percent
lean ground beef and many more. The guidelines state that “lean” is
less than 10 grams (g) total fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat and less
than 95 mg cholesterol per 3.5 ounce serving. “Extra lean” is described
as less than 5 g total fat, less than 2 g saturated fat and less than 95
mg cholesterol per 3.5 ounce serving. The important part to note is
that the serving size noted is 3.5 ounces. Often, the serving size
consumed or served may be larger than 3.5 ounces. You can easily compare
this size to the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.
What are popular beef cuts to grill?
Grilling season is full of opportunities when it comes to beef. The following steaks are the
most popular grilling beef cuts thus far in the 2015 grilling season:
- Strip steak boneless
- Ribeye steak boneless
- Top sirloin steak boneless
- Ribeye steak bone in
- T-bone steak bone in
- Chuck center steak
- Petite sirloin steak
- Strip steak bone in
- Tenderloin steak
- Porterhouse steak
Find great recipes for
grilling beef on the
Beef It’s What’s For Dinner website.
I want to learn more about beef!
Michigan State University Extension
provides nutrition education programs to youth and adults that discuss
options for lean protein consumption. To find a class or additional
educational materials, please visit
MSU Extension Food and Health. Visit the
Michigan 4-H and the
4-H Beef Management websites for more information on these programs, or consider downloading
Animal Science Anywhere lessons to learn more through hands-on activities. For more information about beef in general, visit
Beef.org.
