Fat & Cholesterol

Which beef cuts are the leanest?

Trimmed of fat – before or after cooking – beef is lean. This means, it contains no more than 10% fat. In fact, many trimmed beef cuts qualify as “extra lean”, with 7.5% fat or less. Cuts from the hip, such as round steak/roasts, sirloin tip, are usually the leanest choices.

Visit What’s in Beef? for information on the fat content in specific beef cuts.

You can feel confident encouraging clients to choose any of the following cuts of beef as lean choices:

  • Eye of round
  • Inside round
  • Sirloin tip
  • Top sirloin
  • Flank
  • Strip loin
  • Cross rib
  • Outside round

How does the fat content of ground pork, chicken and turkey compare to ground beef?

If labelled “lean”, whether it’s ground pork, chicken, turkey or beef, the fat content cannot exceed 17%.

The following grinds are lean (or extra lean) based on this criteria:

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

For more comparisons of beef nutrients with chicken and fish click here.


Can I recommend eating beef to clients on low cholesterol diets?

Research has shown that lean beef can be included in effective cholesterol-lowering diets. Studies suggest that lower fat diets that include lean beef are just as effective in lowering total blood cholesterol as lower fat diets that include chicken or fish.1

In addition, stearic acid, one of the primary saturated fats in lean beef, has little effect on blood cholesterol levels.2

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide recommends 1 to 3 servings of Meat and Alternatives, like beef, each day. Lean beef is a healthy choice; and with so many lean and extra lean cuts and grinds available, you can feel confident encouraging your clients to enjoy lean beef.

For healthy recipes for your clients download Lean Beef: Healthy Recipes, Healthy Living (PDF 1.2MB) and order additional copies for your practice.

1 Davidson MH, et al. Arch Internal Med. 1999; 159: 1331-1338.

2 Bonanome, A. & Gruncy, S.M. New England Journal of Medicine, 1988; 118: 1244-1248.


What are the health implications of trans fat in Canadian beef?

There is a small amount of trans fats found naturally in beef (and dairy products). Trans fatty acids are found naturally in ruminant animals as the result of biohydrogenation by ruminant bacteria.

Natural trans fats in beef are different from the manufactured trans fats found in processed foods like cookies and salty snacks. Most of the trans fat in the Canadian diet comes from commercially made baked goods and snack foods, for example chips, crackers, cookies. These trans fats have been linked to increased risk of heart disease.

Research is finding that natural trans fats does not appear to be associated with health problems.1 In fact, preliminary studies indicate that the small amount of trans fats in beef may be beneficial for human health. For example, CLA (a type of trans fat) has been shown to fight cancer cells.2,3 This research, while in its early stages, is promising.

For more information, download Anticancer Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) (PDF 312KB). This resource includes a reproducible fact sheet for your clients. Also, visit the CLA Network and download the brochure Natural Power.

1 CLA Network www.clanetwork.com

2 Kemp MQ et al. J Nutr, 2003; 133: 3670-77.

3 Hubbard NE, et al. Cancer Lett, 2003; 190: 13-19.


How does trimming visible fat impact the fat content of beef?

Trimming visible fat has a major impact on the fat content of both raw and uncooked cuts. The total fat content of a cut can be reduced by 34-35%.