Lean meat in minutes: the best heat 'n eat cuts.Red meat has taken its share of well-deserved hits in recent years. It's a leading source of heart-clogging saturated fat, and people who eat a meat-heavy diet have a higher risk of colon and prostrate cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and diabetes. And that's before you throw in mad cow disease and the risk of E. coli O157:H7 from ground beef. One sure-fire way to reduce those risks is to not go near the stuff. But that doesn't help people who eat meat. For them, the best strategy is to buy lean cuts (they contain less saturated fat), eat smaller portions less often (less meat means lower cancer risk), and avoid ground beef. Heat 'n eat meats--seasoned cuts of beef or pork--make it easier to do all three ... even the lean part. We found dozens of products that are fairly low in saturated fat, assuming you eat the tiny, deck-of-cards-sized portion that's listed on most labels. But you pay a price for that convenience. Whether it's Southwest Chipotle, Teriyaki, Garden Rotisserie, or plain old brown gravy, most companies lean too heavily on the salt shaker. Petite Portions If you shop for heat 'n eat meats, you've probably been impressed with how lean many are. Sure, you can still find fatty cuts like Lloyd's Babyback Pork Ribs (8 grams of saturated fat) and Cuisine Solutions Seared Pork Shanks (9 grams), which deliver almost half a day's limit of sat fat. But we found close to 30 pork tenderloins, ribeye steaks, pork chops, and pot roasts that met our saturated fat (though not necessarily sodium) cut-off for Best Bites and Honorable Mentions: 3 grams per serving. How do they do it? Serving size, my dear Watson. Most labels list calories, saturated fat, sodium, etc., for just 4 ounces of raw meat or 3 ounces of cooked meat, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture says are typical portions. They may be typical of fast-food burgers (the 4-ounce patty in a McDonald's Quarter Pounder weighs 3 ounces after cooking). But they're puny for steaks, pork chops Pork Chop An arrangement on the floor of the NYSE whereby clerks cover the booth of a floor broker and accept orders, phone calls, and associated tasks.Notes: The clerks in charge of maintaining the booths are directly compensated by the floor brokers who own them. This arrangement is beneficial to the floor brokers as it allows them to handle business outside the floor on the NYSE while still taking orders and maintaining trading requirements., and pot roast.At a typical family-style restaurant, for example, you get 6 ounces of pot roast. That's also the weight of a single pork chop at your average steak house (where you're likely to be served two). A steak house sirloin typically weighs 10 ounces. And prime ribs come in 12-ounce, 16-ounce, or (gulp) 20-ounce portions. Food labels, on the other hand, pretend that their small serving sizes are typical, even when they're, well, silly. Smithfield Smithfield, district, London, EnglandSmithfield, district of the City of London, England. Beginning in the 12th cent., it was used for fairs, markets, jousts, and executions. During the reign of Queen Mary I (1553–58), Protestants were executed there. London's central meat market is in Smithfield.Smithfield, town, United StatesSmithfield, town (1990 pop. 19,163), Providence co., N R.I. Lean Generation Pork Chops, for example, gives numbers for a 4-ounce (raw) serving on the package, even though the chops we weighed ranged from 5 ounces to 8 ounces.And companies aren't consistent. Stony Fork Farms uses a 4-ounce (raw) serving for its 8-ounce Seasoned Beef Ribeye Steak, but a 6-ounce serving for its 6-ounce Bacon Wrapped Fillet of Beef. Labels for cooked meats that come with sauce or gravy typically use a 5-ounce serving, which assumes that you eat 3 ounces of meat plus 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) of gravy. But what if the meat comes "au jus"--that is, in the meat's (thinner) natural juices? Hormel Beef Roast Au Jus treats its juice like gravy, so the Nutrition Facts on the package are for a 5-ounce serving. But Laura's Lean Beef uses 3 ounces for its Pot Roast Au Jus. So does Maverick Ranch for its Great Gourmet Beef Pot Roasts in Au Jus. To help you compare cooked meats that come with gravy, au jus, etc., our chart uses a 5-ounce serving for all of them. The bottom line: you'd probably be better off with only the 3-ounce serving of meat that's listed on most labels. But if you eat more, don't forget to multiply the numbers on the package. (To figure out how many 3-ounce cooked servings are in a raw roast, divide the net weight of the whole package by four. Most labels' Nutrition Facts panels list the number of servings in the package as "Varied.") Skirting the Salt We only allowed our Best Bites 350 milligrams of sodium. Honorable Mentions could have up to 500 mg. That's quite generous for modest cuts of meat that have only 100 to 200 calories. But it's a heckuva lot better than, say, the 1,460 mg of sodium in a 5-ounce portion of Hormel Seasoned & Sliced Pork with Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce or the 1,650 mg in 1 1/2 Gwaltney Hickory Smoked St. Louis Style Spareribs. It also beats the usual 600 to 800 mg in dozens of other seasoned heat 'n eat meats. But even 350 mg is no small change, since your sodium limit for an entire day is 2,400 mg (1,500 mg for anyone middle-aged or older, for African-Americans, or for people with hypertension). The easiest way for meat eaters to cut the salt and save a little dough: buy old-fashioned raw meat and season it yourself (see "Let Me Marinade You"). When you put a lid on the sodium in seasoned meats, here's what's left: Uncooked. In the uncooked department, pork dominates, thanks to lean pork loins loin (loin) the part of the back between the thorax and pelvis. loin (loin) n. . The part of the body on either side of the spinal column between the ribs and the pelvis. Smithfield weighs in with its tasty Lean Generation Pork Tenderloins and Pork Chops and its Pork Loin Fillets and Prime Loin Roast. Each comes in flavors like Teriyaki, Peppercorn & Garlic, and Hickory Sweet, and all are dead ringers for homemade. John Morrell works similar wonders with his Tender N Juicy Pork Loins and Prime Pork Tenderloins. You can choose from BBQ Mesquite, Teriyaki, Homestyle, or Peppercorn. Swift Premium makes delicious Pork Tenderloin Grillers and Pork Loin Filet Grillers (Teriyaki, Garden Herb, Lemon Garlic, Peppercorn, and Original). A few uncooked seasoned beef products--Hormel Always Tender Extra Lean Beef Petite Filets and Stony Fork Farms Montreal Seasoned Beef Ribeye Steak--squeaked by with Honorable Mentions. So did Hormel Always Tender Extra Lean Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin. Cooked. Beef leads pork in the cooked competition. Maverick Ranch makes a beef pot roast that tastes (almost) like Mom's, while the Laura's Lean version goes a little heavier on the seasoning. In both cases, you'll save sodium if you leave the "jus" in the pan, rather than pour it over your rice, pasta, or potatoes. Tyson offers Heat 'N Eat Teriyaki Pork or Grilled Steak Strips and Quick 'N Easy Seasoned Beef Strips. They're not kidding. Just heat and toss into your stir-fry, fajita, or salad. It doesn't get any easier. (To kill any germs that may be lurking in pre-cooked meats, always heat them until steaming.) The Meat Counter Best Bites have no more than 3 grams of saturated fat and 350 milligrams of sodium. Honorable Mentions can have up to 500 mg. With few exceptions, all numbers are for about 3 ounces of cooked meat (sometimes with 2 ounces of gravy or sauce). To help you deal with confusing labels, wherever possible we've noted the portion of each cooked steak, chop, etc., that comes closest to 3 ounces. Within each category, products are ranked from least to most saturated fat, then sodium, then calories.
UNCOOKED (4 oz.)
Total Fat
Beef Filets & Steaks Calories (grams)
[check] Stony Fork Farms Montreal
Seasoned Ribeye (1/2 steak) 140 5
[check] Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Petite Filet (1) 120 5
Stony Fork Farms Seasoned
Ribeye, except Montreal
(1/2 steak) (2) 140 5
Chef's Requested Beef
Sliced for Fajitas 110 4
Chef's Requested Bacon
Wrapped Tenderloin for
Filet Mignon (4/5 filet) 160 10
Stony Fork Farms Bacon
Wrapped Filet (4/5 filet) 210 14
Chef's Requested Bacon
Wrapped Filet or Choice
Filet (4/5 filet) (2) 180 12
Stony Fork Farms Tenderloin
for Filet Mignon Wrapped
with Bacon (4/5 filet) 230 17
Pork Filets, Roasts, & Tenderloins
[check] [check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Hickory Sweet Tenderloin 130 3
[check] Smithfield Peppercorn
& Garlic Tenderloin 120 3
[check] Smithfield Hickory
Sweet Loin Fillet 130 3
[check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Teriyaki Tenderloin 130 3
Smithfield Teriyaki
Tenderloin 120 3
Smithfield Lean Generation
Backyard Grille or Garlic
& Herb Tenderloin (2) 120 3
Swift Premium Grillers Lemon
Pepper or Teriyaki
Tenderloin (2) 120 3
Smithfield Garlic &
Herb Loin Fillet 130 3
Smithfield Lean Generation
Golden Rotisserie
Tenderloin 100 3
[check] [check] Swift Premium Grillers
Garden Herb Tenderloin 120 4
[check] [check] John Morrell Tender N Juicy
Prime Tenderloin (1) 110 4
[check] Swift Premium Grillers
Teriyaki Loin Filet 140 5
[check] Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Teriyaki Tenderloin 140 4
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Honey Mustard or Mojo
Center Cut Loin Filet (2) 140 5
Swift Premium Grillers BBQ
or Lemon Pepper Loin Filet 140 6
Swift Premium Grillers
Peppercorn Tenderloin 120 3
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Peppercorn Tenderloin 120 4
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Lemon Garlic or
Mesquite Barbecue Center
Cut Loin Filet (2) 130 7
Smithfield Golden Rotisserie
Shoulder Roast 260 7
[check] Smithfield Peppercorn &
Garlic Chef's Prime
Loin Roast 160 7
[check] Swift Premium Grillers
Original, Lemon Garlic, or
Peppercorn Loin Filet (2) 150 6
[check] John Morrell Tender N
Juicy Loin (1) 150 6
John Morrell Tender N
Juicy Prime Roast (1) 160 8
Smithfield Garlic & Herb
Chef's Prime Loin Roast 160 7
Swift Premium Grillers
Mesquite BBQ Loin Filet 150 6
Swift Premium Grillers
Honey Mustard Loin Filet 190 9
Hormel Always
Tender Roast (1) 180 11
Pork Chops (2/3 chop unless noted)
[check] [check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Peppercorn & Garlic 140 4
[check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Teriyaki 140 4
Hormel Always Tender Lean
Center Cut (4/5) (1) 140 5
Smithfield Lean Generation
Garlic & Herb 130 4
COOKED (5 oz. unless noted)
Beef (1/3 package unless noted)
[check] Tyson Quick 'N Easy Seasoned
Strips (3 oz.-1/2 pkg.) 130 6
Hormel Beef Steak with Gravy 160 5
Smithfield Flavore Beef
Burgundy with Penne
(6 oz.-1 cup) 190 5
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Roast
Beef in Brown Gravy 130 4
[check] [check] Maverick Ranch Great Gourmet
Pot Roasts in Au Jus with
Onions 180 7
[check] Tyson Heat 'N Eat Grilled
Steak Strips (3 oz.-1/2
pkg.) 140 6
Laura's Lean Beef
Pot Roast Au Jus 180 6
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Pot
Roast in Gravy 170 8
Hormel Beef Tips with Gravy 160 7
Smithfield Flavore
Southwestern Style Meat
Loaf in Chipotle Sauce 180 6
Hormel Beef Roast Au Jus 200 9
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Beef
Tips in Gravy 200 12
Smithfield Flavore Italian
Style Meat Loaf in
Marinara Sauce 200 10
Smithfield Flavore Yankee
Pot Roast with Gravy 250 14
Hormel Meat Loaf with
Tomato Sauce 250 13
Hormel Seasoned &
Sliced Brisket with
Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce 290 14
Pork (1/3 package unless noted)
Smithfield Flavore
Mexican Style Pork in Sauce
with Rice (7 oz.-1 cup) 230 4
[check] Tyson Heat 'N Eat Teriyaki
Strips (3 oz.-1/2 pkg.) 120 5
Hormel Boneless Chops
with Gravy 160 5
Tyson Heat 'N Eat
Roast in Gravy 140 5
Hormel Seasoned & Sliced Pork
with Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce 200 5
Hormel Roast Au Jus 180 7
Gwaltney Hickory
Smoked St. Louis Style
Spareribs (1 1/2 ribs) 330 18
Lloyd's Babyback Ribs
(2 ribs) (1) 350 20
Cuisine Solutions Seared
Shanks (1/4 shank) (1) 260 15
UNCOOKED (4 oz.) Saturated
Fat Sodium
Beef Filets & Steaks (grams) (milligrams)
[check] Stony Fork Farms Montreal
Seasoned Ribeye (1/2 steak) 2 490
[check] Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Petite Filet (1) 2 500
Stony Fork Farms Seasoned
Ribeye, except Montreal
(1/2 steak) (2) 2 570
Chef's Requested Beef
Sliced for Fajitas 2 660
Chef's Requested Bacon
Wrapped Tenderloin for
Filet Mignon (4/5 filet) 4 430
Stony Fork Farms Bacon
Wrapped Filet (4/5 filet) 5 410
Chef's Requested Bacon
Wrapped Filet or Choice
Filet (4/5 filet) (2) 5 460
Stony Fork Farms Tenderloin
for Filet Mignon Wrapped
with Bacon (4/5 filet) 6 350
Pork Filets, Roasts, & Tenderloins
[check] [check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Hickory Sweet Tenderloin 1 280
[check] Smithfield Peppercorn
& Garlic Tenderloin 1 390
[check] Smithfield Hickory
Sweet Loin Fillet 1 410
[check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Teriyaki Tenderloin 1 440
Smithfield Teriyaki
Tenderloin 1 560
Smithfield Lean Generation
Backyard Grille or Garlic
& Herb Tenderloin (2) 1 590
Swift Premium Grillers Lemon
Pepper or Teriyaki
Tenderloin (2) 1 660
Smithfield Garlic &
Herb Loin Fillet 1 680
Smithfield Lean Generation
Golden Rotisserie
Tenderloin 1 1,290
[check] [check] Swift Premium Grillers
Garden Herb Tenderloin 2 310
[check] [check] John Morrell Tender N Juicy
Prime Tenderloin (1) 2 340
[check] Swift Premium Grillers
Teriyaki Loin Filet 2 480
[check] Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Teriyaki Tenderloin 2 500
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Honey Mustard or Mojo
Center Cut Loin Filet (2) 2 520
Swift Premium Grillers BBQ
or Lemon Pepper Loin Filet 2 570
Swift Premium Grillers
Peppercorn Tenderloin 2 620
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Peppercorn Tenderloin 2 630
Hormel Always Tender Extra
Lean Lemon Garlic or
Mesquite Barbecue Center
Cut Loin Filet (2) 2 740
Smithfield Golden Rotisserie
Shoulder Roast 2 1,140
[check] Smithfield Peppercorn &
Garlic Chef's Prime
Loin Roast 3 390
[check] Swift Premium Grillers
Original, Lemon Garlic, or
Peppercorn Loin Filet (2) 3 460
[check] John Morrell Tender N
Juicy Loin (1) 3 490
John Morrell Tender N
Juicy Prime Roast (1) 3 550
Smithfield Garlic & Herb
Chef's Prime Loin Roast 3 680
Swift Premium Grillers
Mesquite BBQ Loin Filet 3 860
Swift Premium Grillers
Honey Mustard Loin Filet 4 500
Hormel Always
Tender Roast (1) 5 520
Pork Chops (2/3 chop unless noted)
[check] [check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Peppercorn & Garlic 1 260
[check] Smithfield Lean Generation
Teriyaki 1 460
Hormel Always Tender Lean
Center Cut (4/5) (1) 2 590
Smithfield Lean Generation
Garlic & Herb 2 750
COOKED (5 oz. Unless noted)
Beef (1/3 package unless noted)
[check] Tyson Quick 'N Easy Seasoned
Strips (3 oz.-1/2 pkg.) 2 420
Hormel Beef Steak with Gravy 2 600
Smithfield Flavore Beef
Burgundy with Penne
(6 oz.-1 cup) 2 600
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Roast
Beef in Brown Gravy 2 980
[check] [check] Maverick Ranch Great Gourmet
Pot Roasts in Au Jus with
Onions 3 330
[check] Tyson Heat 'N Eat Grilled
Steak Strips (3 oz.-1/2
pkg.) 3 500
Laura's Lean Beef
Pot Roast Au Jus 3 630
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Pot
Roast in Gravy 3 730
Hormel Beef Tips with Gravy 3 760
Smithfield Flavore
Southwestern Style Meat
Loaf in Chipotle Sauce 3 780
Hormel Beef Roast Au Jus 4 450
Tyson Heat 'N Eat Beef
Tips in Gravy 5 530
Smithfield Flavore Italian
Style Meat Loaf in
Marinara Sauce 5 850
Smithfield Flavore Yankee
Pot Roast with Gravy 6 360
Hormel Meat Loaf with
Tomato Sauce 6 790
Hormel Seasoned &
Sliced Brisket with
Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce 6 1,170
Pork (1/3 package unless noted)
Smithfield Flavore
Mexican Style Pork in Sauce
with Rice (7 oz.-1 cup) 1 890
[check] Tyson Heat 'N Eat Teriyaki
Strips (3 oz.-1/2 pkg.) 2 490
Hormel Boneless Chops
with Gravy 2 750
Tyson Heat 'N Eat
Roast in Gravy 2 840
Hormel Seasoned & Sliced Pork
with Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce 2 1,460
Hormel Roast Au Jus 3 570
Gwaltney Hickory
Smoked St. Louis Style
Spareribs (1 1/2 ribs) 6 1,650
Lloyd's Babyback Ribs
(2 ribs) (1) 8 890
Cuisine Solutions Seared
Shanks (1/4 shank) (1) 9 410
[check] [check] Best Bite.
[check] Honorable Mention.
(1) Average of the entire line.
(2) Average of the varieties listed.
Daily Values (daily limits for a 2,000-calorie diet): Total fat,
65 grams. Saturated fat: 20 grams. Sodium: 2,400 milligrams.
Source: manufacturers.
The use of information from this article for commercial purposes
is strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI.
Let Me Marinade You If you eat meat, buy it raw and unseasoned. Then pick up a bottle of Mrs. Dash's new marinades or, better yet, try one of these four, which were created by Nutrition Action's Tamara Goldis. The saltiest of the lot adds just 160 milligrams of sodium to each 3-ounce serving of meat, fish, poultry, firm tofu, or (hint, hint) vegetables. (And that's only if you lick all the liquid off your plate.) Combine the ingredients in a bowl, plop the meat, fish, etc., down in the liquid, and let sit for 10 minutes or more. Then roast away. Each recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of marinade, enough for about two pounds of food. Never brush used marinade on cooked meat, poultry, or fish unless you first heat the liquid until boiling (to kill any germs).
Garlic Herb
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Tamara's Famous
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. prepared mustard
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried minced onion
Asian Peanut
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. lite soy sauce
1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Jalepeno Citrus
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
and chopped
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
The information for this article was compiled by Tamara Goldis. |
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