MEAT

SOURCE OF PROTEIN

For all of you meat lovers, here is some very useful information about the different types of meat available in our stores and the leanest cuts you can find.

A few words about meat consumption

Meat is healthy and nutritious food but the meat that comes from the heavily industrialised farms isn’t necessarily healthy. Meat production is the most terrible industry which not only uses different cruel methods when handling animals but it is also extremely eco-unfriendly. Our society consumes way more meat than it should, simply because it’s always available. No one is saying you have to give it up but how about consuming more plant-based protein and having meat-free days or even weeks more often? The quality of the meat you are buying is also very important, read below what is the best meat you can buy.

WHICH MEAT IS THE HEALTHIEST?

LOCAL

check the country of origin, most of the meat in our supermarkets is produced in UK farms anyway but always make sure to check the label. Local meat means that the meat hasn’t travelled for a very long time to get to your supermarket.

FRESH

check and compare the expiration date. Usually fresh meat has to be used by 5 – 7 days and often retailers put a mixture of older batches and newer batches on the shelf. If you have a look you will often find that the packages further behind on the shelf are fresher.
Also if the product’s expiration period is too long that means that the meat has been processed with chemicals and preservatives to have a longer shelf life, definitely stay away from those. For the same reasons never buy any frozen and pre-cooked products, such as breaded chicken wings and fish fingers.

ORGANIC

try to always buy organic & free-range meat, if possible even grass-fed. Unfortunately organic meat often comes at a much higher price and sometimes we are just not able to spend that much money on organic products. The packs labelled with the premium supermarket brand like ‘Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference’ or ‘Tesco Finest’ is a good alternative. The meat from these brands isn’t necessarily organic but has a better quality as the farms have higher animal welfare standards and it’s often free-range.
Organic means that no hormones or drugs are given to the animals and this is crucial for your health. Eating non-organic meat daily can really have an impact on your body in time as it is less nutritious and has been produced using a number of chemicals. Eating organic meat can really make a difference to you and to the environment!

Where to find organic meat from?
First check your local supermarket and butcher shop. If you are determined to make a change to your meat but it is difficult to find organic in your area, here are some links to UK farms that produce organic and grass-fed meat. They can deliver to your
home and you can freeze and cook whenever you like. I haven’t tried all of them but the quality sounds good. Make sure to post a comment below if you have ordered from them or know other farms that deliver organic meat.

Abel & Cole
Eversfield organic farm
Green pasture farms

THE LEANEST MEAT CUTS

Below you can read about the leanest cuts from the different types of meat and poultry. This doesn’t mean that you need to ignore the rest of the meat as it is often more nutritious than the leaner parts.

Chicken and turkey meat is high in protein and low in fat and it’s the preferred meat for all people watching their weight. However unless you are sure you are eating organic chicken that hasn’t been injected with any bulking agents you really need to avoid it and especially the chicken wings. This is the most popular meat and the UK and EU farmers are using terrifying methods to bulk up the birds.

Which cuts of the meat are the leanest?
The fillet (breasts), also known as the white meat is the lowest in fat. The dark meat (legs) is higher in calories and fat but it is considered to be more nutritious due to the fact that it is high in myoglobin, which is contained in the muscle cells.
Whichever part you prefer, chicken and turkey is a naturally healthy food. It’s always best to grill it or bake it and avoid deep-frying it as it turns into an unhealthy meal.

What’s in our stores?

Tesco Organic 2 Chicken Fillets
Sainsbury’s British Chicken Breast Fillets, So Organic

Which fish?
It’s all good! White fish (cod, haddock) is leaner and it’s a source of low-fat protein but oily (dark meat) fish like salmon and tuna is very nutritious and it has the highest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for your metabolism.

What’s in out stores?
If you are buying salmon, try to find wild salmon as it is much more nutritious than the farmed salmon available in most of the supermarkets.
Sainsbury’s Salmon Fillet, Taste the Difference
Tesco Organic 2 Salmon Fillets

Beef is very nutritious, it’s a source of high-quality protein and also provides many important nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins.

Which cuts of the meat are the leanest?
Beef meat has a higher fat content, although not all fats are necessarily bad, you may want to choose leaner cuts of beef. The leanest beef cuts are from the sirloin.
Sirloin meat is low in fat and high in vitamin B12. Rump and fillet steaks are the most tender cuts and they are from the sirloin. The most expensive beef steak usually is the fillet steak because of its exquisite taste and tenderness.

What’s in our stores?
Sainsbury’s Organic Beef Rump Steak
Tesco Organic Beef Sirloin Steak
Sainsbury’s British Beef Sirloin Steak, So Organic

Pork meat is high in B1 vitamin as well as iron and other minerals. If we compare the prices it seems that the pork’s lean cuts are cheaper than the lean cuts above.

Which cuts of the meat are the leanest?
The leanest meat cuts are from the loin. The tenderloin fillet is the leanest pork meat cut which is also very delicious but of course, more expensive. The price for one tenderloin fillet is between £5 and £6, depending on the fillet’s size.
The loin steaks are also very lean but provided that the excessive fat around the steak is removed.

What’s in our stores?
Sainsbury’s British Pork Organic Tenderloin Fillet

Pork sausages
When you buy meat you should always try to buy fresh cuts. Generally you should avoid the traditional sausages as they are in most cases full of preservatives and are made from minced low-quality meat. However if you occasionally decide to buy pork sausages always check the percentage of meat on the label. Sausages from brands like Richmond contain as less as 42% meat. It appears that often the best quality sausages are the supermarket’s own-brand sausages, which contain  up to 97% pork meat. So if you are buying sausages, at least buy the best available.