Nutritional values of meat

In order to study the nutritional composition of meat, a program of analyzes was recently conducted by INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research), in collaboration with ANSES (National Agency for Sanitary Safety, formerly AFSSA) on 30 pieces beef, veal, lamb and horse meat.

Zoom on the main results:

1-A constant richness in proteins, with 17 to 23 g / 100 g according to the pieces and proteins of high biological value (balance in essential amino acids close to the needs of the Man and a high digestive absorption).
2- 2 / 3 pieces with less than 8% fat (lipids):
The lipid content depends mainly on the piece: some are very lean with less than 3% fat (eg slice tendon, veal, etc.) and the vast majority provides between 3% and 8% fat. For the boldest (steak, ribs of lamb or veal, etc.), simply remove the "fat" clearly visible on his plate, to divide by two or three their fat content.
Fats with a varied composition with:
- As many monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) as saturated fatty acids (AGS) and a few polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
- Very moderate levels of trans fatty acids (TFA) (0.2 g / 100 g on average for beef, for example); trans fatty acids of essentially natural origin for which, according to AFSSA's opinion (1), "no association is observed with coronary risk at the levels at which they can be consumed, in Western populations".
One of the best dietary sources of iron with a high proportion of heme iron - the iron form best absorbed by the body.
A rich vitamin B12 and an interesting contribution of other essential nutrients: zinc, selenium, vitamins B3 and B6.