While beef isn't necessarily unhealthy, eating it too often might not be healthy. If you enjoy beef, work with a nutritionist to design a diet that includes the healthiest cuts of beef, as well as some suitable substitutes. For example, if you enjoy hamburgers, you can decrease your beef intake by occasionally opting for burgers made from ground chicken or turkey instead.
Calories
Fatty cuts of beef are often the tastiest. This presents a problem for beef lovers, especially those who are watching their weight. Fat provides 9 calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrates, by comparison, provide only 4 calories. That's why foods high in fat are often high in calories. Consequently, eating beef often might make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight.
Fat
Eating too much fat also can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels, which can lead to poor cardiovascular health. Cholesterol can clog your blood vessels, forcing your heart to pump harder to maintain proper blood flow through the narrowing passages. Eventually, this strains your heart, increasing the risk of stroke, heart disease and heart failure. Your body needs some fat, so you probably don't need to avoid beef entirely unless you already have cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure. Discuss your dietary needs with your doctor to determine how much fat you can have safely in your diet.
Solution
If you choose only the leanest cuts of beef, you will lower your fat intake, which helps lower your calorie intake and puts less strain on your cardiovascular system. Extra-lean cuts of beef contain less than 5 g of total fat, 2 g of saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 3.5 oz. serving, according to MayoClinic.com. Lean cuts contain less than 10 g of total fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol.
Shopping
Cuts that meet lean and extra-lean guidelines include sirloin-tip side steak, eye-of-round roast and steak, bottom-round roast and steak, top-round roast and steak, and top sirloin steak, according to MayoClinic.com. Note that the names of beef cuts might vary in different stores and restaurants, so the safest approach is to ask for the leanest cut of beef possible from a high-quality butcher or restaurant. . You can also examine beef cuts for marbling, or streaks of whitish fat. Lean beef has little marbling and typically is labeled as "choice" or "select." Heavily marbled cuts are labeled "prime" -- their high-fat content makes them more valuable, though relatively less healthy. Trim away any excess fat to lower your intake further.
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