Rich Source Of Iron From Red Meat

While it's unlikely that most families still sit down to a regular Sunday roast, Thailand, as a whole, enjoys their lamb, beef and other red meat. In fact, lamb consumption is at its highest for a generation. From beef strips in any Thai-style stir-fry, to skewered lamb fillets wrapped up as a souvlaki, there are so many lean ways to benefit from the essential nutrients in red meat. A new report on the health aspects of red meat is uncovering a lot more than just the benefits of iron. So, this week we've put together some top nutrition reasons to see a little red on your family's dinner plate.

Ready nutrients, most people know that red meat is an excellent source of iron and recognize that women have higher iron needs due to menstruation. At times, however, it's overlooked just how crucial it is to get into the red meat habit early on.

The new report has highlighted that a third of Thai children aged two to three do not get enough iron in their diets. Iron deficiency in children is worrying, as it can lead to retarded growth, impaired immune function and irreversible behavioral and mental development delays. Lean red meat is an excellent source of iron, along with vitamin B12 for a healthy nervous system and zinc for strong immunity. Red meat is particularly useful for toddlers (and the elderly) with small appetites, due to the bioavailable (readily absorbable) iron it contains.

Tip: Start early and serve up toddler-friendly spaghetti bolognaise or shepherd's pie, using lean mince.

Protein power, it's now recognized that higher protein diets are a valid potion for many people looking to lose weight. "There is clear evidence of a role for red meat in weight control diets. Not only is lean red meat nutrient dense, which helps to meet our requirements for key nutrients, even in low energy diets, it also helps to control appetite because it is more satiating [filling] than carbohydrate". Also, red meat has protein that is highly digestible, around 94 per cent, compared with the digestibility rate of 78 per cent in beans and 86 per cent in whole wheat.

Tip: Add some lean beef slices to a salad sandwich, to feel the fullness effect for around three hours and bypass that choc-chip muffin for afternoon tea.