Celebrations, special occasions and entertaining often bring us to dine out. Many times when we want to treat someone special, we take them for a nice steak. As a registered dietitian, I am often asked if steak is a "bad food". Quite the contrary, I say, "Let them Eat Steak!"
Last week, I was honored to speak on food safety in concert with the New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture at the joint meeting of the Dallas and North Texas Academies of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Fort Worth Dietetic Association. Jeff Witte came from a ranching background and yet, when I took him to my favorite place for steak, The Keg, he commented that it was the best steak he had in a long time. Even though Fort Worth has many other steakhouses in more recent years, something about The Keg just feels very Fort Worth to me.
Always providing great service, The Keg also only serves the finest cuts of steak aged for tenderness. A special blend of seasonings is added to lend unique flavor while still allowing the natural properties of the high quality, well-aged beef to be enjoyed to its fullest. This ensures that a tender, succulent, flavorful steak is guaranteed off the grill every time. I agree!
Steak is not only delicious but it is a great source of iron, a nutrient in which women are more likely to be deficient and zinc as well as B vitamins which help convert food energy into energy to fuel the body. In fact, beef made a recent list of 25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods. Knowing that there are actually 29 cuts of lean beef helps to make that selection part of a healthy, balanced diet that provides ample nutrients to fuel your day.
The key is portion size and choosing additional nutrient-rich foods to accompany your protein selection as depicted in the MyPlate graphic for food guidance. To moderate portion, try to find someone with whom you can split your entree’ and then eat only until you are full and satisfied. The more we let ourselves enjoy our food, the more likely we are to adhere to balance, variety and moderation.
The next time you are headed out to eat steak, enjoy your food in moderation rather than obsessing so much about what you are eating or binging because you have deprived yourself of foods you love, be able to enjoy the most important part, the people with whom you are dining!
Comments