Nutrition basics (19)
- Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet
- Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes
- Added sugar: Don't get sabotaged by sweeteners
- see all in Nutrition basics
Healthy diets (12)
- DASH diet: Tips for dining out
- DASH diet: Tips for shopping and cooking
- DASH diet: Healthy eating to lower your blood pressure
- see all in Healthy diets
Healthy cooking (14)
- Healthy chicken recipes
- Meatless meals: The benefits of eating less meat
- Healthy cooking for 1 or 2
- see all in Healthy cooking
Healthy menus and shopping strategies (13)
- Free range and other meat and poultry terms
- Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu
- Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options to grab at home
- see all in Healthy menus and shopping strategies
Nutritional supplements (3)
- Herbal supplements: What to know before you buy
- Calcium and calcium supplements: Achieving the right balance
- Supplements: Nutrition in a pill?
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Cuts of beef: A guide to the leanest selections
Preparing cuts of beef
Even the leanest cuts of beef can become high-fat diet-busters if you prepare them in unhealthy ways. Here are a few simple methods to control the fat:
- Trim it. Cut off any visible, solid fat from meat before preparing, and then remove any remaining visible fat before eating.
- Drain it. After cooking ground meat, put it into a strainer or colander and drain the fat. Then rinse the meat with hot water. Blot the meat with a paper towel to remove the water.
- Chill it. After cooking, chill beef juices so that you can skim off and discard the hardened fat. Then add the juice to stews, soups and gravy.
Everything in moderation
Even if you choose lean or extra-lean cuts of beef, don't go overboard. If you want to include beef in your diet, do so in moderation. The American Heart Association recommends that adults eat no more than a total of 6 ounces (170 grams) of cooked lean meat, fish, shellfish or skinless poultry a day — with less emphasis on beef. So except for special occasions, consider the beef in your diet as a side dish, not a main dish. And remember that beans and fish are generally healthier protein options than is beef.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- 21 Code of Federal Regulations 101.62 Nutrition Labeling of Food. National Archives and Records Administration; 2008:114. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2008/aprqtr/pdf/21cfr101.62.pdf. Accessed Oct. 4, 2010.
- Meat, poultry and fish. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4627. Accessed Oct. 4, 2010.
- Duyff RL. American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. 3rd edition. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons; 2006.
- The Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press; 2002.
- Beef: From farm to table. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/beef_from_farm_to_table/index.asp. Accessed Oct. 25, 2010.
- Twenty-nine ways to love lean beef. Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association. http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/leanbeef.aspx. Accessed Oct. 28, 2010.
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 1, 2010.
- Nelson JK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 1, 2010.
- Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 8, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on