Steak means red meat and that is a dirty term in the realm of nutrition for many people. In fact, nothing is inherently wrong with adding the many cuts of meat that make up steak to your diet as long as it is done in moderation. The key thing to remember when examining the nutritional data about steaks is that the United States Department of Agriculture guidelines refer to a serving size significantly smaller than the size of the average steak sold in restaurants or supermarkets. Keep in mind that the steak you actually eat may contain as many as three or four official “serving sizes.”
Filet Mignon
At the top of the steak ladder in terms of expense, tenderness and reputation is filet mignon. A 6 oz. cooked filet mignon provides more than 300 calories with nearly half those calories coming from fat. This high fat content means high enough levels of cholesterol to keep it off the menu of diets restricting fat and cholesterol levels. The fat content of filet mignon is so substantial that it likely outweighs the blood pressure lowering benefits of the equally high levels of potassium and magnesium. The biggest nutritional advantages of filet mignon are the 30 to 90 mg of protein, depending on the size, and the fact that even a 3 oz. cut provides an entire day’s supply of vitamin B-12, according to “Prevention Magazine’s Nutrition Advisor.”
Ribeye
The popular 8 oz. ribeye steak provides more than a third of an entire day’s recommended supply of iron and an excess of the recommended daily allowance of zinc. Recommended amounts of iron and zinc are vital to maintaining an efficient immune system, according to “Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing.” Even a 3 oz ribeye steak provides a healthy 335 mg of potassium. The benefits of potassium include regulating the heartbeat, reducing the risk of high blood pressure, facilitating muscle contraction and helping to maintain the water balance in tissues and cells.
Sirloin Steak
Sirloin steak provides fewer calories than filet mignon or ribeye, as well as less fat while providing roughly the same high amount of vitamin B-12. While all that B-12 means sirloin can help to keep you from becoming anemic or developing nerve problems, you still must weigh the appreciable levels of cholesterol and sodium into question. A 3 oz. cut of sirloin contains about one-fifth of an entire day’s recommended niacin, which helps to build red blood cells. Sirloin contains almost as much iron as filet mignon, including generous supplies of heme iron, which is the most efficiently absorbed type of iron, according to ironrichfood.org.
Top Round Steak
A leaner alternative to the richer cuts of meat is the top round steak. Broiled top round steak will provide you with less saturated fat per ounce than fried chicken. While other steaks compromise their high protein content with equally high amounts of fat, you benefit substantially more from 27 g of protein found in a 3 oz cut of top round that has less than half the total fat of a ribeye or filet mignon. Top round steak also contains more folate, which assists the immune system by ensuring that white blood cells are adequately formed and functioning.
References
- Ironrichfood.org: Iron Content of Steak
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing;" Phyllis Balch and James F. Balch; 2000
- "Prevention Magazine's Nutrition Advisor;" Mark Bricklin; 1993
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