Leanest Cuts of Red Meat

Many of my Hot Mama clients report craving red meat during pregnancy, sometimes even if they were vegetarians prior to pregnancy. When you are fully in tuned with your body, it will usually tell you what it needs. If you are craving food with no nutrient value such as sugar, white flour, or soda, there is usually an imbalance in the body. However, if you are a Hot Mama who all of a sudden can't wait to get her hands on a juice steak, your body (and baby) may be putting in an order for some extra iron and amino acids.

Before you head to the local drive-through, check out the list of lower fat cuts of meat that I've compiled for you below. Also, when ordering a steak at a restaurant, beware! Most meat in restaurants (especially the finer establishments) is soaked in butter prior to cooking which accounts for a more tender, flavorful, and fat-ladden piece of meat.

1. Lean cuts of beef include round, chuck, sirloin, or tenderloin. Choose beef that is labeled "choice" or "select" and avoid the higher fat "prime".

2. When buying ground beef at the supermarket, look for packages with the highest percentage of lean meat (ninety percent or better). I recommend making hamburgers at home when you have control over the cleanliness of the meat and your kitchen. Most e-coli outbreaks have come from hamburger eaten at fast food restaurants, fairs, and restaurants. Most hamburgers at these establishments are made from beef with the highest fat percentages.

3. Don't be fooled if it's a turkey burger! Unless the turkey burger comes from all white meat turkey, it will have just as much fat in it as a regular hamburger. Ground turkey often contains the skin and dark meat.

4. Try a bison burger! Bison is the leanest red meat on the market and is not full of questionable anti-biotics and hormones.