You Hormonal Cow!

Oi! Sorry mate, not insulting the Wendy Whinger from this morning, just talkin’ bout my meat!

Just gettin excited because there’s been rumours spreading that COLES will be aggressively selling HORMONE FREE beef! Which is amazing because that means less chemicals being pumped into our bodies, and because we’re an AWARD WINNING Steak maker, so not to pat ourselves on the back but… we like to know everything about our meat! We some times give it knicknames, bring it to footy games… you know, really make it feel important and sexy.
“The industry is abuzz with rumours that the supermarket is already buying cattle that haven’t been treated with hormonal growth promotants (or HGPs) and will agressively market that beef to its customers.
HGPs are widely used by beef producers to boost weight gains in cattle under approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

“David Inall, from the Cattle Council of Australia, says while they respect Coles right to make commercial decisions about marketing, they are keen to be part of any discussions on HGPs.”
ABC Rural.com

I don’t care what anyone says, Aussie meat is still the best meat ever! At least that’s what my Canadian girlfriend said last night! (Just joking) In all seriousness the leanness of Australian Beef has been toted as one of the most healthiest in the beef industry. No mad cows here!

In Australia, cattle are predominantly pasture-fed, producing beef that is leaner and containing healthier types of fat including Omega 3! See most people think that Fish is the only source for Omega 3’s but Lamb, and Beef are also alternatives, man meat! The kind you throw on a BBQ, so if you’re bird tells you to switch it up to fish or chicken, show her this Blog! Seriously. Do it. Then write me back and tell me what happened! ha!

The cool thing I heard is that from a recent survey on Australian Beef found that a lot of consumers have been asking for lean meat from butchers and grocery stores, so now there is a greater range of lean red cuts available to choose from in stores. Good On ya!

The average fat content of these popular cuts were:

Lean beef 4g of fat/100g
Lean lamb 6g of fat/100g
Lean veal 2g of fat/100g
Australian Beef

Not unlike my very manly svelty waist line – when Australian beef is “Lean” or trimmed of visible fat, it is also relatively low in unhealthy saturated fats, and is a valuable source of healthy unsaturated fats including long chain Omega 3 fatty acids. Almost two thirds of the fat in lean beef is unsaturated fat. Couldn’t really tell ya the difference between the two – BUT I hear saturated fats are the bad ones that coat your tummy and make it crampy in the intestines.

Australian lean beef is an important source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and is more nutrient dense than poultry, pork or fish. It provides more iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

Did you know that 68% of Australians still believe that too much beef can cause high cholesterol or heart problems? Probably all the poor buggers that tried out that Atkins diet. Just reaching out.

But I hear this is because of the perception that beef is high in total fat and saturated fat which are two key factors that are known to raise blood cholesterol levels. But it’s mainly how you cook it. If you slather sauces on it, pan-fry it, or marinate it in unhealthy things such as: Beer, Mayonnaise, BBQ Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce, Butter, Lard, Salt, Old Bacon Grease, more then 2 eggs… etc. OR eat your beef with: Potato Salads, Chips, Mashed Potato and gravy, or au jus, a case of beer, a magnum of bundy… etc. (You know all the good stuff)

In fact, with Australian beef becoming leaner, beef is not the main contributor to total fat and saturated fat in the Australian diet. Rather it is fast foods, snacks foods, oils, spreads, processed foods and the visible fat on meat. Therefore, lean beef can be consumed as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet.

Final Thought: If you’re old enough to be reading/interested in this blog, then chances are your Mum isn’t telling you what to eat anymore. So start reading the labels on food packaging that’s the best way to avoid the secret fat monster.