Low fat/cal beef

[BoyWithSpoon]

hello everyone,
I've been looking for nutritional information regarding beef products (e.g. hotdog, hamburger, steak, etc.) but I haven't found anything (or anything understandable).
I want to eat meat once in awhile, but since I'm trying to lose weight and such, I'm looking to eat at least healthier meat. (for example, perhaps hotdogs are much less healthy than steak. I have no idea.)

can someone please help me
BoyWithSpoon

[Andy M.]

The USDA provides this comprhensive listing of information on many foods. You can look items up oin line or download the database to your computer.

[jkath]

What's really nice is that if you're buying hamburger meat, there are so many options, as far as fat goes. I like to purchse the one with only 7% for most recipes. Another thought - Buffalo or Bison is the healthiest of red meats, from what I understand. It is really tasty!

[mish]

Originally Posted by BoyWithSpoon

hello everyone,
I've been looking for nutritional information regarding beef products (e.g. hotdog, hamburger, steak, etc.) but I haven't found anything (or anything understandable).
I want to eat meat once in awhile, but since I'm trying to lose weight and such, I'm looking to eat at least healthier meat. (for example, perhaps hotdogs are much less healthy than steak. I have no idea.)

can someone please help me
BoyWithSpoon

Welcome to DC, BWS.

Fat content is on the top of the list when I cook/shop for ingredients. Re meat, hot dogs etc, reading the labels will tell you exactly what's in it. Ground turkey as another option, or even pork - but again read the labels. Trimming the fat from roasts, steak etc. helps as well. You can still eat meat and lose weight & have a healthy balanced diet. Cut down on oil and fat by sauteing in less butter oil etc. Try stir-frying thinly sliced meat and raw veggies -- wok-style.

A trick I learned for ground beef to cut the fat - after sauteing ground beef, drain the fat, put it in a colander, and run water over it to drain more fat out. You do need a certain amount of fat to maintain a healthy diet. Try making over recipes using lower fat ingredients, herbs and spices. Fresh fruit and veggies are always a plus. Try a steak salad. Again, reading the labels will really give you an idea of what's in the product.

[Lady C]

Lean proteins are chicken, turkey and fish. There is nothing wrong with a steak or hamburger once in a while. The biggest difference between red meats and poultry is they are higher in saturated fats. The fatty fishes contain the best fats (omega 3, 6).

[ironchef]

Basically, the leanier the cut of beef, the less fat it will have. The cheapest, and leanest cut of beef that you can probably buy will be the sirloin. Venison, buffalo, etc. are leaner than beef in general but are pricier too.

[BreezyCooking]

Actually, if you're going to go thru that colander-rinsing bit, you might as well just go vegetarian - lol - as that will literally rinse out any last vestiges of flavor from the meat. If you want to have ground beef - have it & enjoy it. Frankly, I never buy it anymore. Prefer to use ground turkey.

Keep this in mind - ALL THINGS IN MODERATION!!! Buy nice cuts of beef, but eat moderate portions & limit your red-meat dining. Use olive & canola oils for cooking, & eat more poultry & seafood than red meats - even lean ones.

[mudbug]

Hold on, Breezy. Personally, I prefer the texture of ground beef to that of ground turkey. Surely there's room for personal tastes and preferences.

[BreezyCooking]

Mudbug - I eat both, & while I've found differences in taste & fat content, texture in ground beef & turkey has always been the same. But that's just my own experience.

However, I'd still rather have either without having them rinsed in a colander with hot water. Yuck. Either eat less or cook something else; don't reduce food to tasteless styrofoam.

[mish]

Originally Posted by BreezyCooking

Mudbug - I eat both, & while I've found differences in taste & fat content, texture in ground beef & turkey has always been the same. But that's just my own experience.

However, I'd still rather have either without having them rinsed in a colander with hot water. Yuck. Either eat less or cook something else; don't reduce food to tasteless styrofoam.

Different strokes, for Different folks -- as the saying goes.