• heme iron found in meat, fish and poultry
• non-heme iron found in eggs and plant foods like legumes, nuts and grains

Your body absorbs heme iron more easily than non-heme iron. Some plant foods also contain compounds (phytates) that inhibit iron absorption. So, even though cereal often has more total iron than beef, the amount of iron that can be absorbed from the meat is higher.

To meet your daily iron needs enjoy a variety of iron-rich foods from Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide.

Want to test your iron know-how? Take the Iron Challenge.

I read in a magazine that you should rinse ground beef after cooking. How does this affect the nutrients in Canadian beef?

Rinsing ground beef causes little difference in the amount of most nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins. The main difference is in terms of fat and calories.

New Canadian studies on ground beef show that rinsing regular ground beef crumbles after cooking and draining, can reduce the fat content by about 25% - to approximately the amount of fat in an equal serving of cooked lean ground beef crumbles.

Try these five easy steps to help lower the fat content of regular ground beef:

1. Pan fry regular ground beef crumbles until well done.
2. Drain well.
3. Pour crumbles into a colander or strainer while holding over the sink.
4. Using hot water, rinse crumbles well.
5. Shake colander to remove excess moisture.

The rinsed crumbles can be used in recipes such as pasta sauce, chili and taco filling.

The following grinds are great examples of lean beef:

• Lean Ground Beef
• Lean Ground Chuck
• Lean Ground Round
• Lean Ground Sirloin
• Extra Lean Ground Beef
• Extra Lean Ground Round
• Extra Lean Ground Sirloin

For more information download Canadianized Ground Beef Data.

Does cooking change the nutrients in Canadian beef?

A cut of Canadian beef will weigh less after it is cooked due to the loss of moisture. This does not affect the nutritional quality of the meat. Nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc and cholesterol are not significantly affected by heat therefore the amount of nutrients remain the same before and after cooking. The amount of B-vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B₆ and B₁₂) may be slightly decreased because they are more sensitive to heat.

If you are looking at the nutrient data for Canadian beef, it may seem like the amount of fat in some cuts increases after cooking. This is due to the moisture losses that lower the weight of the cut, and results in the same amount of fat in a smaller piece of meat.

Do all cuts of Canadian beef have the same amount of nutrients?

Nutrient values of protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins vary little from one cut to another. Canadian beef is nutrient dense, that is, it contains many nutrients in relationship to the size of the serving, an important consideration for the small appetites of the young and the elderly.

A serving of Canadian beef provides 14 essential nutrients including complete protein, B-vitamins and highly available iron and zinc. For nutrient information for a specific beef cut, see What's in Beef?.

I heard beef has vitamin D. Is this true?

All Canadian beef is a natural source of vitamin D. A 100 gram serving of cooked beef contains approximately 25 IU of vitamin D. Regular consumption of lean Canadian beef is a practical and natural way to help increase dietary intake of vitamin D.