Among the benefits of beef or veal are its delicious taste and the supply of iron, vitamins, minerals and protein, characteristics that make it an essential food in the diet.
Many nutritionists believe that beef provides great benefits to the body if consumed in the right amount. One way to know the benefits of this consumption is to consider nutritional needs according to age.
Here are the benefits of beef and veal, depending on the different stages of your life:
From the age of 7 months
In the first months of life, babies get all the nutritional benefits they need from breast milk. However, after the age of 7 months, this food no longer covers the protein and iron needs of the child.
Protein, the fundamental axis for the proper development and functioning of muscles, represents one of the greatest benefits of beef and veal consumption, as it represents 26-27% of the complete food, a figure that is difficult to find in other foods.
Iron, which is responsible for distributing oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, is vital for growing babies. A deficiency of this nutrient can lead to lack of appetite, learning difficulties or diseases such as anemia. Remember that for every 100 g of beef, you get between 1.4 and 2.4 mg of iron.
In practice…
Beef or veal is one of the first animal foods your baby will try, so it should be introduced gently, gradually, and seeing how he tolerates it.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), babies aged 7 to 12 months should consume 1.6 (g/kg)/day, which is 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Of these, it is recommended that 65% of the protein they consume be of animal origin.
At Children
The benefits of beef or veal are numerous, especially during the growth stages when energy expenditure increases.
Children run, play and spend most of their time in motion; for these reasons, among the benefits of beef are promoting the correct development of their entire muscular system. Consequently, as children grow, this also allows them to increase their cognitive potential.
Alanine, one of the amino acids responsible for the formation of proteins in living beings, is most useful for children, because it provides the body with the energy it needs for everyday life. People who are low in alanine tend to tire much faster.
In general, a child should eat this food every day, regardless of which of the 3 meals it is.
It should be stated that overweight children should eat beef or veal, but avoid processed meat as much as possible because of the excess fat it contains.
In young adults
Like other living beings, all humans have processes of birth, growth, development, reproduction and death. For adults who are in the reproductive phase, the consumption and benefits of beef are very important to maintain the full load of sperm and eggs that both the male and female reproductive systems need to function properly.
In addition, beef is an important source of vitamin B12, which is only present in animal proteins and is essential for the formation of red blood cells and the proper development of the central nervous system. The absence of this vitamin can lead to cardiovascular and renal disorders.
According to the WHO, it is recommended to eat 500 grams of red meat per week: beef, veal, mutton, pork, etc.
Make sure you are giving yourself and your family a whole food that provides all these benefits.
In older adults
For the elderly, the benefits of beef or veal are present in a preventive role. Because the purpose of eating this food is that the nutrients prevent the muscles from wasting away and causing serious injury.
People over the age of 55 should get enough beef or foaled, because the amount of essential iron and protein in this food is not found in other foods such as milk or eggs. In addition, beef proteins are more easily absorbed than plant proteins, between 90 and 99%. This means that the greater the absorption, the greater the availability for tissue regeneration, a vital process for maintaining body health.
Note that in some cases, people gain weight not because they eat too much, but because they have stopped consuming the necessary amount of protein, and as a result, the muscle, which needs to be supplied with the necessary protein, begins to consume itself.
Replacing the benefits of beef is not so simple
Although many nutritionists have said that eating rice and beans is the same as eating a portion of beef or veal, it is not. It is clear that beans have protein, and if it is supplemented with rice, the amount of amino acids will be similar to that of meat. However, these foods do not have the same biochemical structures and will never have the same biomolecules as meat, which react differently in the body.
Meat is unmatched, and in terms of protein, vitamin and mineral content, no other food is comparable. That is why it is so important for growth and development processes at all stages of human life.
It is important to emphasize that the data presented in this article are indicative and do not replace the consultation of a healthcare professional.
