It can be hard to balance the demands of eating well without spending a lot.
In this series, we try to find the healthiest options in the supermarket for the best value – and have enlisted the help of Sunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health, who went viral on social media for reviewing food in the search of healthier choices.
In this series we don’t try to find the outright healthiest option, but help you get better nutritional value for as little money as possible.
This time we’re looking at meat.
“When it comes to which type of meat you buy, there’s a common misconception the more expensive the cut the healthier it is,” Sunna says.
“But fatty meat stores more nutrients than their lean counterparts – vitamins like A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and stored in animal fat – so, a fillet steak may contain less nutrients than its fatty cousin,” he adds.
The science
We typically turn towards leaner cuts of meat due to the common belief that saturated fat from animals is something to be avoided.
“Yet, the latest science suggests that saturated fat and cholesterol may not be as harmful as researchers once thought they were,” Sunna says.
He points to a 2020 review in the National Library of Medicine that looked at several studies on saturated fat and heart disease – and found that the association between the two appeared to be weak.
That being said, a large amount of fat in your diet is in no way advisable – but don’t be afraid to introduce fattier cuts.
Mince
Sunna swears by mincemeat – preferring it to steak if choosing the fattier kind.
Most supermarkets sell somewhere between 5-20% versions – and Sunna urges shoppers to put the higher percentages in
