Wagyu Beef – A Better Way To Get Natural Fats?

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I recently read a news article about the return of a beef called Wagyu, I felt compelled to look into this further as the prices were just astronomical. A full packer brisket can cost $225, the reason why the price is quite high is because the cows are 100% full blooded Wagyu and they are left to roam in a 27,000 acre ranch. Though not all Wagyu is expensive there are other places you can pick up this fantastic, mouthwatering beef a bit cheaper. The cheaper Wagyu beef is mass produced and most probably seed fed as opposed to the all natural grass fed.

Normal Beef Vs Wagyu Beef fats

Here is a the nutritional value in a normal cut of beef:

Total Fat 15 g    23%

Saturated fat 6 g    30%

Polyunsaturated fat 0.5 g   

Monounsaturated fat 7 g   

Trans fat 1.1 g    

The recommended daily intake of fat should be between 20-35% of your daily intake of calories, saturated fat should be less than 10% of total calories. So let’s say you take in 2,000 calories on your daily diet, this means you can take in no more than 44-78g of fat or 22g of saturated fats. We all know saturated fat is the main cause of clogged arteries, therefore we must keep this low and polyunsaturated and mono-saturates a bit higher as these are the good fats.

So a normal 4oz cut of beef contains 6g of saturated fat, Wagyu beef does contain 11g but the upside is the fact it contains a heck of a lot more polyunsaturated and mono-saturates which helps with your heart and lowers cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. They also provide nutrients to help develop and maintain your body’s cells. Oils rich in monounsaturated fats also contribute vitamin E to the diet, an antioxidant vitamin most Americans need more of.

Marbled Fat & Grading

Most countries have a grading system, depending upon the marbled fat in the beef, they also use the same system to weed out the poor cuts of beef in foods. The more marbled the fat is within the beef then the more flavour and tender the beef actually is, this also achieves the highest grade. The highest grade of beef (prime beef) according to USDA grading system has to have a grading of 6-8%.

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Wagyu beef boasts a massive 20-25% marbled fat – hence the price and why so many people enjoy.

It is this marbled fat and the high contents of good fats which give the wagyu beef its superior taste and textures.

Finding Wagyu Beef

Finding Wagyu beef is the simple part, locating the best quality is not so simple. I would recommend you look around on the Internet first for places nearest to you that produce their own beef, failing that there is a delivery option on many of the websites that sell it. If you are after 100% full blooded beef you will need to do some digging as I have found many of the shops online are selling mass produced Wagyu beef.

The above entry is a guest blog entry.