The Role of Beef in the American Diet - International Meat Secretariat

The Role of Beef in the American Diet
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U.S. (21). The term “lean” means that meat, poultry, or seafood contains
less than 10 g of total fat, 4.5 g or less of saturated fat, and less than 95
mg of cholesterol per serving (usually, 3 oz.) and per 100 g (about 3.5
oz.). * Table 3 gives some examples of lean meat and poultry.
Producers of beef and other meats have responded to consumers’
concerns about fat and cholesterol by raising leaner animals, trimming
more outer fat from retail cuts of meat, and producing lower-fat ground
and processed meat products (23). Lean beef and other lean red meats
are now readily available to American consumers.
Because of changes in production methods, combined with changes
in consumers’ food choices, the proportions of total fat and saturated fat
in the U.S. food supply contributed by meat/poultry/seafood decreased
from 35 to 25% and from 37 to 26%, respectively, between 1970 and
1994, even though total consumption of meat/poultry/seafood actually
increased slightly during the same period of time (23).
Several studies in people with high blood cholesterol levels have
shown that a cholesterol-lowering diet that includes lean red meat is just
as effective in reducing blood cholesterol levels as a similar diet that
includes only lean “white” meats (poultry or fish) (24–28). The results
of these studies make sense because the cholesterol-raising saturated
fatty acids in meat are found primarily in the fatty portion of the meat.
Since lean meats — of whatever color — contain relatively little fat,
they would be expected to raise cholesterol levels less than higher-fat
meats do.
Of course, this does not mean that it is acceptable to eat unlimited
quantities of meat. As the data in Table 3 show, meats do contain saturated
fat and cholesterol, and a person who eats these foods in excessive
quantities could exceed the maximum intake levels of these food components
called for by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the
Food Guide Pyramid. In general, though, people don’t eat too much
meat. The Food Guide Pyramid calls for 2–3 servings per day from the
Meat Group, for a total of 5–7 ounces of meat or its equivalent. A comparison
of the Pyramid recommendations with national dietary survey
findings from 1994–98 indicated that men eat an average of 6.7 ounces
* Ground beef is an exception. At the time of this writing, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture had not yet established rules for the use of terms such as "lean" and "extra
lean" on ground beef, although a proposed rule is currently in process (22). Until a final
ruling is made, different supermarkets may choose to label these products in diff e r e n t
ways. Consumers who are looking for the leanest ground beef should select products on
the basis of the lean/fat percentages that appear on the label. For example, a product
labeled 95% lean (5% fat) is preferable to one labeled 85% lean (15% fat). These percentages
refer to the percent of fat or lean by weight, not the percent of calories.