There's more to meat than meets the eye!

23 September 2010

Meat

For many of us, tucking into a perfectly cooked steak is an indulgence. However, you may not have considered that lean red meat can help in maintaining a healthy body weight and the prevention of obesity, a major risk factor for heart disease.

From quality lamb to beef and pork, there are a wide variety of cuts to choose from, all of which can provide delicious and low fat meals for the whole family.

New butchery techniques provide cuts of meat that are really lean and ideal for quick healthy cooking methods such as stir frying, dry frying and grilling.

Red meat is an excellent source of iron, protein and B vitamins, which help give your body energy. This is especially important for young children and teenagers as they are more in need of essential vitamins and minerals.

It can even help you fit into that dress or those favourite pair of jeans. That’s because lean red meat can help with satiety (the feeling of fullness after eating) which means it can potentially play a part in preventing over-eating or snacking between meals.

So what better reason to start cooking up a storm in the kitchen using meat as the basis for the meal?

In order to celebrate World Heart Day, MeatMATTERS has launched a campaign to highlight the role that lean red meat can play in a balanced diet to achieve a healthy heart and to challenge the misconceptions surrounding red meat. In our live webTV show actress Lynda Bellingham and nutritionist Nigel Denby explain how you can get the most from meat and share some mouth-watering, heart-healthy red meat recipes.