Every year, people in the United States alone spend more than $78 billion on the beef cattle production industry. Together, they support an industry that employs more than 898,000 people! That is just some indication of how much people value having beef in their diet.
Many people do not appreciate the health benefits of beef. They eat it because of its flavor without thinking they are necessarily doing something good for their health.
Fortunately, eating beef provides a variety of health benefits whether people realize it or not. So what exactly are these benefits?
Read on to learn all about the most important health benefits that beef can provide!
Eating Beef Can Help You Get Plenty of Protein in Your Diet
Many people struggle to get enough protein in their diet. Fortunately, many people find beef to be delicious, which means that getting protein by eating beef is easy. But what exactly are the health benefits of getting enough protein?
First, getting sufficient protein can help you maintain and build muscle. There is a reason that athletes eat so much protein. At the end of the day, your muscles are made out of proteins, and that protein needs to come from somewhere.
Protein is also important for your skin and hair. Some people suffer from lackluster skin or brittle hair because they do not get enough protein in their diet. The same basic problem applies to nails as well.
Many people would enjoy improved health benefits if they lost a little bit of weight. Unfortunately, trying to eat less frequently leads to chronic hunger pangs or cravings. In fact, these are probably the top things that make losing weight difficult.
Is there any way that eating beef can help people stave off hunger? Fortunately, the answer is yes.
Protein is the most satiating of the macronutrients. That means that compared to an equal number of calories from fat or carbohydrates, protein will fill you up and leave you feeling more satisfied.
Of course, beef also has a fair amount of fat in it. Fortunately, fat is the second most satiating of the macronutrients. The end result is a satisfied appetite and less desire to keep eating more food.
Beef Benefits Include Providing Iron
Unfortunately, anemia is surprisingly common. One of the top causes of anemia is a lack of sufficient iron in the diet.
People who have anemia tend to be chronically tired. They may also constantly feel like their hands and feet are cold. And some cases, it can even lead to pale yellow skin and irregular heartbeats.
Of course, anemia does not exist in a binary state. You can have degrees of anemia, and anybody who is deficient in iron could probably benefit from eating more of it in their diet.
Fortunately, beef is an excellent source of iron. It will help your red blood cells do the important job of carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout your body as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Getting enough dietary iron is especially important for certain groups of people. These include pregnant and menstruating women. They also include adolescent girls as well as high-performance athletes.
It is also true of young children of whichever gender. Even if you are not specifically in one of these groups, you still need to get sufficient iron in your diet.
One of the great things about eating beef is that the iron it provides is easier for your body to absorb than other kinds of iron. So, even if you get a fair amount of iron from plants in your diet, you might find that getting iron from beef is more effective.
Beef Is a Top Source of Zinc
Beef also provides a rich source of zinc. Just as with iron, the zinc in red meat is easier for your body to absorb than many other kinds of zinc.
Zinc is an important nutrient that helps your body maintain its immune system and reproductive functions. Along with getting enough protein in your diet, zinc is a powerful way to help your hair and skin stay as healthy as possible.
Beef Is a Great Way to Get Healthy Fat in Your Diet
Some kinds of fat are healthier than others. Most people struggle to get enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. Fortunately, beef contains plenty of these fatty acids, helping your brain and heart to function properly.
Beef Can Help You Get Certain Vitamins and Minerals
People who do not eat meat often struggle to get enough B vitamins in their diet. In particular, vitamin B12 is found in almost no plants at all.
Fortunately, beef is full of B12 and other vitamins. Just a small quantity of beef can provide enough B12 to correct any deficiencies in your diet.
On top of that, beef is a rich source of phosphorus and riboflavin.
The more that you know about different types of beef and the health benefits of eating beef, the more you might be interested in some of the best beef foods out there. Check out these catering options for some of the best beef dishes for providing both a delicious experience as well as health benefits.
Enjoy the Health Benefits of Beef
We hope learning about the health benefits of beef has been helpful for you. Many people have an imbalanced view of the effects that beef can have on their health. There are plenty of people who would enjoy an improvement in their nutrition if they made sure to get some more beef in their diet.
Learning about nutrition is an investment in your quality of life. To learn more about the latest information in health, nutrition, and more, take a look through our other articles!