Beef Lovers Rejoice! Study Finds Beef in a Mediterranean-style Diet may Support Heart Health

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US News and World report announced the Mediterranean diet as the best diet of 2019.  It is often characterized by relatively high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, nuts/seeds and olive oil and lower consumption in sweets, sodium and red meat. Interestingly, many Mediterranean countries eat about the same amount of red meat or more than the United States. The difference being, those countries pair red meat with more fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and healthy oils.1

The good news is, a new study by Purdue University found that following a Mediterranean-style diet that includes up to 18 ounces of cooked, fresh lean beef and pork per week – along with poultry and fish – is just as effective at improving certain heart disease risk factors (like blood pressure, and total and LDL cholesterol) as a Mediterranean-style eating pattern that limits red meat.2

What does that mean for you as a beef lover?  It is easier to start and stick to a healthy eating plan when it is satisfying and enjoyable – and includes different foods and flavors.3  If a Mediterranean-style eating pattern sounds like something you can do, then you can feel confident incorporating up to 18 ounces per week of lean beef. Get started with these great Mediterranean recipes.

Mediterranean-Style Steak Quinoa Bowl

Mediterranean Beef and Salad Pita

Mediterranean Braised Beef

 

Looking for more Mediterranean-style recipes? Check out 5 Easy Mediterranean-style recipes with beef.

  1. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015. Available at https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/PDFs/Scientific-Report-of-the-2015-Dietary-Guidelines-Advisory-Committee.pdf

  2. O’Connor LE, et al. A Mediterranean-style eating pattern with lean, unprocessed red meat has cardiometabolic benefits for adults who are overweight or obese in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2018, nqy075. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqy075/5036105

  3. Wycherley TP, et al. Self-reported facilitators of, and impediments to maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviours following a supervised research-based lifestyle intervention programme in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabet Med 2012;29:632-9

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