Meat contains a high amount of high biological value proteins. Along with fish and eggs, it is classified in a protein food group because it provides significant amounts of essential amino acids. Not only. Meat also returns vitamins and minerals to our body – such as iron, zinc, selenium – and B vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and folate .
Meat is the best source of “heme iron,” which is a type of iron that is two to three times more bioavailable than non-heme iron and is 15-35% absorbed versus 2-8% of all iron. iron it contains, while in white meats such as chicken, the iron volumes are poorer. Pork has moderate importance in comparison with chicken and beef. In addition to these basic nutritional components, studies have revealed that meat contains many bioactive compounds, such as conjugated linoleic acid, carnosine and carnitine, which are involved in the protection against various chronic diseases and in the improvement of sports performance.
Furthermore, compared to the past, the meats have a lower fat content. Today, in fact, thanks to modern farming methods and the selection of farmed species and carefully formulated feed, meats with decidedly lower fat levels were obtained. By comparing the 1996 and 2005 data contained in the food composition tables, CREA – Council for agricultural research and agricultural economic analysis – demonstrates that the fat content of beef fillet has gone from 5% to 2.2%, those of the loin from 5.2% to 1.3%. A reduction that has affected all cuts of beef, but also pork and cured meats.
HOW TO COOK RED MEAT?
Cooking meat on the grill or in a pan certainly has its advantages because it actually causes changes in the chemical structure of proteins, increasing their digestibility and nutritional potential. For a perfectly cooked steak, consider 55° if you want to taste it rare , 60° for medium cooking and 70° for a well done steak. Frying on high should be prevented, because it produces different types of carcinogenic chemical substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic amines. But this phenomenon is independent of the type of food and also concerns the carbonization of other foods such as fish, vegetables, pizza, etc.
