If you are an American, the very first thought that would come to your mind on reading the word, Corned beef, is St. Patrick’s Day. Since the 19th century, Americans, especially Irish Americans, have maintained the streak of having corned beef as the main course on this big day and almost everyone enjoys this juicy, tender meat course.
However, we have seen many delis introducing corned beef as their main course and making the meaty portion of their sandwiches. People are undoubtedly loving this concept but is corned meat healthy to consume all year round? Or is it better to eat only once in a while and reserve it for recreational dinners? To know the answers, keep reading!
How is corned beef cooked?
To find out whether it’s healthy or not, we first need to have a look at the ingredients that are added to make this recipe such a success. First of all, contrary to its name, the recipe for corned beef doesn’t involve any corn or corn-related ingredients.
Instead, the term corned is used to indicate the chunks of rock salt that are used to marinate and tender the meat. Besides rock salt, many other spices and herbs are also used to marinate the meat, to make it richer in flavor.
Speaking of meat, brisket is used to make corned beef since it’s richer in fiber, has more meat portions, and is boneless. After bringing or marinating the beef brisket for several hours, it’s simmered to make the end product juicier yet tender.
The nutritional content of corned beef
A serving of around 850g of corned beef contains the following nutrients in the amount as follows
| Calories | 213 |
| Sodium | 827 mg |
| Fat | 16.2g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.4g |
| Proteins | 15.5g |
| Sugar | 0 grams |
| Fibers | 0 grams |
| Carbs | 0 grams |
All these nutrients lie within the safe limit of daily consumption which makes corned beef healthy to use once or twice a week. Besides the nutrients mentioned above, corned beef also offers vitamin B12, Selenium, and iron for 58%, 50%, and 20% of the daily intake requirements. Not only this but it also proves a rich source of essential micronutrients like vitamin B6, phosphorus, riboflavin, and niacin.
Health benefits of eating corned beef more often
There are numerous health benefits one may enjoy from consuming delicious corned beef. Some of those are as follows
- Due to being a rich and safe source of vitamin B12, it adds to the health of your nervous system, sharpening your memory and boosting brain functioning.
- Due to having high protein content, it helps build new muscles and to repair & nurturing the existing ones.
- Due to having an impressive amount of iron and selenium, it prevents diseases caused by iron deficiency like goiter, anemia, and other thyroid diseases.
Adverse effects associated with corned beef overconsumption
Although all the ingredients present in corned beef are healthy, their overconsumption may cause severe health concerns. Being loaded with salt may increase the amount of sodium and sodium nitrite in the body, leading to heart and kidney diseases.
Not only this but beef also contains a surplus amount of unsaturated fats which may increase your blood cholesterol level, making you obese and prone to catching cardiovascular diseases. Given all these concerns, we won’t recommend consuming corned beef daily but yes, eating once or twice a week or month will be completely healthy.