A recent study shows that beef can be part of a cholesterol-lowering diet. For years, you've been getting mixed messages about beef. The other group ate lean white meat for the same time period. A heart-healthy diet containing up to 6 ounces of lean red meat lowered the risk of heart disease in the study participants by positively impacting blood cholesterol levels. The results of this study are not surprising when you consider that many cuts of beef have less fat and cholesterol than chicken.
Many people still have the misperception that all beef is high in fat.
That simply isn't true. For example, the food guide pyramid recommends 2 to 3 servings from the meat group each day, for a total of 5 to 7 ounces. And interestingly, the researchers found that they complied to the diet more easily than the participants eating just lean white meat. Most foods in the Meat and Dairy Groups contain saturated fat, but the predominant fat in beef is actually monounsaturated fat - the type found in olive oil. Monounsaturated fat is championed by health experts due to its positive coronary heart risk-reduction abilities.