Different Types of Meat & Their Benefits
Beef
When most people think of red meat, they probably imagine beef. There are many different beef products and cuts of beef, ranging from hamburgers to rib eye steaks. While mainstream health advice often dictates selecting the leanest cuts of red meat, fatty cuts of beef are perfectly healthy.
Benefits:
Despite fearmongering over the fat content of beef, the main fatty acid in beef is none other than oleic acid. If you haven’t heard of it before, then it’s the main fat in olive oil (and known as “heart healthy”)
Beef contains a wide variety of beneficial compounds that include creatine, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and glutathione.
Concerns:
Excessive beef consumption can increase circulating iron to unhealthy levels in some individuals. These high levels can increase the risk of various cancers and cardiovascular disease. This risk is especially the case in those with a genetic mutation called hemochromatosis, which causes over-absorption of heme iron
Overcooking beef (burning) can lead to the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Both of these compounds are carcinogens, but we can minimize their risks by sensibly cooking meat
Chicken
Alongside beef and lamb, chicken is one of the ‘big three’ popularity-wise.However, chicken is a different classification of meat and comes under the poultry category.
People commonly refer to as ‘white meat’ rather than red. As one of the most popular foods in the world, there are all sorts of chicken-based foods. These range from fried and roasted chicken to chicken soup and even chicken popcorn. For health purposes, it is better to avoid the more processed of these options.
Benefits:
For those who are trying to consume less fat/calories, chicken offers a smaller amount than other meats but with the same protein content.
Chicken stock/broth offers a significant source of gelatin. As chicken bones have a lower density than other meats, the collagen and gelatin are far easier to extract.
Chicken provides a decent source of necessary vitamins and minerals, particularly selenium, potassium, phosphorus and B vitamins.
Concerns:
Due to commercial chicken feed—and similar to pork—chicken contains an excessive amount of omega-6. Whether this is problematic or not likely depends on the overall diet.
Bacterial contamination with strains such as E. coli and salmonella is too common in chicken. As a result, strict hygiene procedures are necessary when handling the raw meat
Lamb
Lamb contains a broad range of health-protective nutrients, especially zinc, selenium and B vitamins.
Here at Healthy Halal we're committed to sourcing the best quality halal meat online uk, delivered direct to your door nationwide UK. With a vast range of halal organic chicken, halal free range chicken, halal lamb and halal beef with farm to fork traceability.