When choosing steak, the healthiest choices are lean cuts that minimize your intake of saturated fat. Ribeye steak, a cut from the rib section with the bones removed, can be one of the most coveted cuts as it is tender and flavorful. Ribeye, however, is also one of the fattier cuts, while flank steak is more fibrous. It comes from the back legs, a more active part of the cow and as a result has a lower fat content.
Calories and Macronutrients
A 100 g, or about 3.5 oz., serving of ribeye steak contains 247 calories – about 65 calories more than an equal serving of flank steak. While the flank steak contains 7 g of fat, 3 g of which are saturated, the ribeye offers 15 g of fat, with 6 g saturated. Eating too much saturated fat can raise your risk of developing heart disease. Both steaks contain 0 g of carbohydrates and almost the same amount of protein – 28 g for flank steak and 27 g for ribeye.
Vitamins
Flank steak has a slight edge over ribeye in terms of B vitamin content. B vitamins help regulate the function of your red blood cells, while assisting the body extract energy from food. Both types of steak offer similar amounts of niacin and B-6. The 3.5 oz-serving of flank steak provides .2 mg of riboflavin and 4 micrograms of vitamin B-12 compared to .1 mg of riboflavin and 1.6 micrograms of B-12 in ribeye.
Minerals
Flank steak also has a greater mineral concentration that ribeye. The 3.5 oz. serving of flank steak provides 3 mg of iron versus 1.8 mg in 3.5 oz. of ribeye. The flank steak also has slightly more phosphorus, zinc, potassium and selenium.
Considerations
You should cook ribeye with quick methods such as broiling, grilling or frying. Flank steak may benefit from a marinade, as it does not have the fat to add flavor and tenderness. You can broil or grill flank steak as well. London broil, which you cook in large pieces and slice very thin, comes from flank steak. Eating more than 18 oz. of red meat weekly could raise your risk of developing colon cancer, notes the Harvard School of Public Health.
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