Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle, particularly skeletal muscle. Humans have been eating beef since prehistoric times. Beef is a source of high-quality protein and nutrients.
Most beef skeletal muscle meat can be used as is by merely cutting into certain parts, such as roasts, short ribs or steak (filet mignon, sirloin steak, rump steak, rib steak, rib eye steak, hanger steak, etc.), while other cuts are processed (corned beef or beef jerky). Trimmings, on the other hand, are usually mixed with meat from older, leaner (therefore tougher) cattle, are ground, minced or used in sausages. The blood is used in some varieties called blood sausage. Other parts that are eaten include other muscles and offal, such as the oxtail, liver, tongue, tripe from the reticulum or rumen, glands (particularly the pancreas and thymus, referred to as sweetbread), the heart, the brain (although forbidden where there is a danger of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, commonly referred to as mad cow disease), the kidneys, and the tender testicles of the bull (known in the United States as calf fries, prairie oysters, or Rocky Mountain oysters). Some intestines are cooked and eaten as is, but are more often cleaned and used as natural sausage casings. The bones are used for making beef stock.
Beef from steers and heifers is similar. Depending on economics, the number of heifers kept for breeding varies. The meat from older bulls, because it is usually tougher, is frequently used for mince (known as ground beef in the United States). Cattle raised for beef may be allowed to roam free on grasslands, or may be confined at some stage in pens as part of a large feeding operation called a feedlot (or concentrated animal feeding operation), where they are usually fed a ration of grain, protein, roughage and a vitamin/mineral preblend.
Beef Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits
The composition of beef is 66.09% water, 0% carbohydrates, 20.3% protein, 0% dietary fiber, and 12.71% fat. One ounce of beef supplies you with 5.755 grams of protein, which is 12.51 percent of the minimum of 46 grams of fiber you should have daily if you are female and 10.28 percent of the minimum of 56 grams if you are male. That same it has an energy value of 842 kJ (201 Calories) in a 100 g (3.5 Oz) amount and is a natural source of Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), and Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) (43.75%, 42.76%, and 42.62% of the Daily Value, respectively). So if your diet contains beef, it helps your body to form DNA, create energy by breaking down carbohydrates, form RBCs and it is effective against proliferation of the smooth vascular muscles which can block blood vessels, Alzheimer’s disease or dementia as it is responsible for metabolism in neurotransmitters and Parkinson's disease. Furthermore it contains a large amount of Zinc, Selenium and Phosphorus attaining 44.38%, 41.64% and 26.71% of the Daily Value in a 100 g (3.5 Oz), respectively.
