The Sous-Sus Chef :: Lean Beef
The Sous-Sus Chef
All Natural Lean Beef: A Great Protein Choice
By Joy Held
Protein provides energy for active bodies, is a great brain food, reduces cravings, builds muscles, repairs damaged body tissue and improves mood. It helps regulate body fluids during activity and helps carry oxygen to cells which helps with repair and function. In her book Jump Into Jazz, (McGraw-Hill, 2005) Minda Goodman Kraines explains how important protein is to the body.
“Protein is made of basic building blocks called amino acids. Of the 22 amino acids in protein, eight are considered essential. These essential amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body and therefore must be supplied through the food we eat. The protein in animal food sources is called complete because it contains the eight essential amino acids. The animal food sources are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and milk products.”
Dancers eat food for energy, and recovery from fatigue and muscle deterioration caused by activity. Protein is available by eating animal food sources, as mentioned, and by eating plant proteins, but vegetarian diets are not able to provide all of the eight essential amino acids. It’s advisable to combine plant with animal proteins for optimum health. It’s possible to be a vegetarian and dance, however. Vegetarians who dance should have their weight and health monitored on a consistent and regular basis to ward off complications, such as Female Athlete Triad Syndrome (FATS) where eating disorders, menstrual problems and early onset osteoporosis are possible.
Lean meat proteins provide the iron needed by active women, but many people are hesitant to eat meat because of hormones, antibiotics and other additives given to the animals. The news is always announcing another meat recall by companies, so some might think it best to avoid meat all together. It takes research and perhaps a little bit more cost, but there are several healthy alternatives available as far as meat. The problem with eating beef is usually the fat content. High levels of fat are not required for beef to taste good. When shopping for lean red meat, look for labels that say “all natural” and “no antibiotics.” It’s even better to find producers who do not use pesticides on their farms.
This recipe for soup made in the slow cooker is a perfect all-around meal when you add a small fresh salad and a slice of whole wheat or spelt bread.
Lean Beef and Vegetable Soup
_ cup olive oil
1 pound lean chuck or round roast cubed
_ cup chopped white onion
_ cup chopped green pepper
_ cup diced parsnip
_ cup diced carrots
2 tsp. minced garlic
_ cup chopped celery
_ cup finely chopped cabbage (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beans of choice (kidney, adzuki, etc.)
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Rinse the canned beans under cold water. Place in a sauce pan with clean water. Boil on high for 8 minutes, rinse again under cold water and put into warm slow cooker.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat then add to the cooker. After taking out the meat, deglaze the pan with a small amount of water on high for a few seconds scraping the bits off the bottom. Add this to the cooker.
Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Add the chopped cabbage for the last half hour of cooking. Note: fresh herbs will work even better than dried!
Serves 4