Why Eat Beef? Why Not?
by Ramirose Attebury
WHY EAT BEEF? WHY NOT? Why eat beef? Every year millions of Americans choose to buy and consume beef products. Now if this many people are eating beef, they must have some pretty good reasons. Today I would like to tell you what I think some of the best reasons for buying beef are, and hopefully when you consider its nutrition, its role in the economy, beef in a healthy environment, and the convienence of beef, the only question you'll have left to ask is why not buy beef? Beef is packed with nutrition. One three ounce serving of beef has 42% of the recommended daily allowance for protein which can build, maintain and repair your body's tissues. Beef also has riboflavin which can prevent stunted growth and hair loss. Beef has niacin to be used in the treatment of pellagra, a skin disease characterized by nervous system malfunctions. Vitamin B-12, used in the function of the nervous system, is also found in beef. And beef is loaded with iron. One three ounce serving contains 80% of your RDA for iron which is needed to help red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body. There is also zinc in beef. Zinc helps the body to form enzymes and insulin. Plus, beriberi, a disease that causes pain and paralysis in the body's extremeties, can be prevented by the thiamin found in beef. Every year beef producers are coming up with leaner cuts of beef. Now there is a new ground beef. It has the same tender, juicy flavor as regular ground beef, but it is 90% fat free. When compared with ground chicken and turkey, this beef is almost perfect. It has only 149 calories per three ounce serving compared to 203 in ground chicken and 195 in ground turkey. There are only 64 fat calories and only 7 grams of fat. Ground chicken and ground turkey both have about 11.6 grams of fat per serving. There are only 5 more milligrams of cholesterol than ground turkey and 11 milligrams less than ground chicken. How do they do this? The fat in beef is replaced with natural familiar ingredients such as a solution of water and carrageenan or oat bran. Carrageenan is a plant based product found in things like yogurt. Beef plays a major role in America's economy. The United States has 10% of the world's cattle population, but produces 22% of the entire world's beef supply. The cattle business directly employs more than one million people, and creates an additional two million related jobs. Every year cattle sales produce about $40 billion, and the sale of fresh beef yields about $50 billion annually. So as you can see, buying beef means more money for Americans. Here are some facts about beef economics. The cattle business is the largest job provider in agriculture topping all other forms of meat production by a four to one margin. Every year consumers spend an average of $195 per person on beef, and each of those dollars generates an additional $5 - $6 of business activity. Plus 97% of cattle ranchers are family ranchers. A quote by Les Davis of Cimarron, New Mexico says this perfectly. "My grandfather bought our ranch back in 1873, and I think he would be proud to see the condition of the land we intend to pass on to our grandchildren." Which brings me to another topic. Cattlemen and women care about their land. Eighty-seven percent have areas that support wildlife population. Since 1980 these wildlife animals have increased on cattle lands: deer, 64%; coyote, 64%; quail, 36%; rabbits, 33%; pheasants, 41%; turkeys, 70%; racoons, 48%; fox, 43%, and duck, 32%. Plus, 17% of cattle ranchers set aside land specifically for wildlife use. A common misconception that people have about cattle grazing is that it takes up too much land that could be used for things like growing more crops to feed hungry people. This is not true. In fact, 92% of land in the United States classified as grazing land is not suitable for growing crops. If it weren't for the cattle on the land, it would have no food value whatsoever. Another myth about cattle grazing is that it takes too much land away from wildlife. Again this is not true; 90% of cattlemen say wildlife has either stayed the same or increased in the past 10 years. Besides, 61% of cattle producers provide feed for wildlife during the winter. Now these are great reasons for buying beef. But I have a feeling the most common reason people buy beef is for it's convienence. Beef is fast; beef is easy; and it tastes oh-so-good. The time it takes to cook a beef patty by broiling is only 8-9 minutes, on the stovetop only 7-8 minutes, on the grill only 8-10 minutes, and in the microwave only 3-3 1/2 minutes. So as you can see, making something such as a hamburger is as simple as cooking your meat in a matter of minutes, throwing it on a bun with some lettuce and tomatoes, and you've got a great tasting American meal in minutes. At the beginning I asked ,"Why eat beef?" Hopefully, when you consider it's nutrition, it's role in the ecomony, that it doesn't hurt the environment, and the convienence of beef, the only question you'll have left to ask is, "Why not eat beef?"
Ramirose is a 17 year old who was selected as the 1996-1997 Oregon Beef Ambassador based on the essay above. She gathered her data from a packet distributed by the National Cattle Women and the National Beef Board. You can e-mail Ramirose at rattebur@orednet.org or visit her web site at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/2310.
