beef in a plant-based diet

what is a plant-based diet?

Plant-based eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, and beans. This eating pattern can actually be visualized by thinking of USDA’s MyPlate, which recommends half of your plate includes fruits and vegetables, a quarter grains, a quarter foods rich in protein (both animal and plant sources), and a serving of low-fat dairy.

A plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, but rather that you are proportionally choosing foods to meet dietary guideline recommendations by filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits, a quarter of your plate with whole grains, a quarter of your plate with protein-rich foods, like lean beef, and rounding out your meal with low-fat dairy. Vegetarian diets completely cut out meat and vegan diets cut out all animal products and by-products. Because these diets eliminate a number of foods that contain essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron and zinc, planning needs to happen when following these diets to meet the recommendations of certain nutrients. Beef has been shown to help close many of those nutritional gaps:

Protein

A 3 oz portion of beef provides approximately half your Daily Value (DV)  of protein (25 grams). This helps build and strengthen muscle, keeps you satisfied longer and helps maintain a healthy body weight.^[1]

Iron

Iron is something that is hard to obtain from plants, and our bodies absorb the heme iron, like that available from beef, much easier. Iron helps transport oxygen from your lungs to every cell in your body. A 3 oz serving of beef provides approximately 14% of your daily value for iron.⁹

Zinc

Zinc is an important mineral for the brain and helps support a healthy immune system.  A 3 oz serving of lean beef provides approximately 39% of your DV of zinc.¹

Selenium

Selenium is an essential component in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, and protection from oxidative damage and infection.  A 3 oz serving of beef provides approximately 38% of your DV.¹

Other nutrients 

Other nutrients provided by beef are vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, choline, and phosphorus. Avoiding or severely restricting meat consumption may compromise the delivery of the above nutrients, especially in adolescents and other vulnerable populations such as pregnant women or the aging population.¹⁰

SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT BEEF NUTRITION AND HEART HEALTH

One common question about beef in the diet is, “What effect does consuming beef have on heart-health?” Research consistently shows a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle including lean beef, even daily, can reduce risk factors for heart disease such as blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.^3-6 A recent study found that following a Mediterranean-style eating pattern that includes up to 18 ounces of cooked, fresh lean red meat per week – along with other protein sources – is just as effective at improving certain heart disease risk factors (such as blood pressure and total and LDL cholesterol) as a Mediterranean-style eating pattern that limits red meat.²

Another common misperception about beef is related to the fat content beef provides in our diet. Many people are surprised to learn that half of the fatty acids in beef are monounsaturated – the same heart-healthy type of fat found in olive oil.⁷ Furthermore, approximately one-third of beef’s total saturated fat is stearic acid, which has been shown to be neutral in its effects on blood cholesterol levels in humans.⁸

With research studies consistently showing beef’s role in a balance and healthy diet, it’s not surprising that four ounces of lean beef as part of a healthy diet can improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. This includes having lean beef as part of a plant-based diet.