Hannah Fuerniss, manager of nutrition and health with the Texas Beef Council, joins TSCRA Talk host, Kristen Brown, to discuss the role of beef in a balanced diet. Fuerniss discusses the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint report from USDA and the Health and Human Services Department, which is meant for nutrition and health professionals who can then make decisions and recommendations with the intention of improving overall health for individuals and family in the U.S. She shares that there is great news for beef as the report recognizes that lean meat can support a healthy lifestyle, and that the nutrients found in beef are essential at every life stage.
The latest guidelines are segmented into life stages with more specific recommendations provided for each group. Fuerniss highlighted that several life stages such as pregnant women, babies and toddlers, teen girls and older adults are at risk of deficiency of many nutrients that are readily available in beef such as iron, zinc, protein, B vitamins and choline. Through the conversations Fuerniss goes into detail about feeding beef to babies as a first food, consuming beef during the adolescent years and the importance of beef for adults as well.