Nutrients

I suggest my clients rinse ground beef after cooking to reduce fat. Does rinsing affect any of the other nutrients?

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.

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.

The following grinds are lean or extra lean:

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

Check out this list of lean beef cuts - all contain no more than 10% fat:

  • Eye of Round
  • Inside Round
  • Sirloin Tip
  • Top Sirloin
  • Strip Loin
  • Flank
  • Cross Rib
  • Outside Round

For more information on ground beef download Canadianized Ground Beef Data (PDF 340KB).


How 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 on 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, vitamin D and highly available iron and zinc. For nutrient information for a specific beef cut, see What’s in Beef?.