Researchers say beef can help teens get iron

A University of Iowa researcher says teenagers — especially girls — can add lean beef to their diet to ensure they have enough iron in their blood. University of Iowa epidemiology professor Linda Snetselaar asked the teens who participated in her study to eat a well-balanced diet that included fruits, vegetables, grains and lean cuts of meat. Snetselaar says she hopes teens will see that they shouldn’t be cutting out one particular food group in order to reduce calories, but to realize that a balanced diet is best. Her study was financed by the National Cattlemen’s Association and the National Institutes of Health. Snetselaar says lean beef is one of the best sources of iron. Snetselaar says cuts of red meat contain the kind of iron that’s more readily absorbed into the body than the iron that’s in spinach. Eighty-six seventh and eighth graders ate the low-fat diet she devised, and Snetselaar found the kids who were eating more lean beef had higher levels of “ready to use” iron in their blood, and their cholesterol readings were lower. The kids who were eating just poultry and fish lowered their cholesterol levels, too, but didn’t have iron levels as high as the kid who were eating beef. Snetselaar says her study shows that eating lean cuts of red meat “can actually be very good for one’s diet.”