The commercials look absolutely amazing. A hot, thick burger on a braided bakery style fluffy white bun, topped with red onion, juicy tomato slices and crisp lettuce, they make my mouth water and remain in my brain longer than should be legal. Touted as an upscale offering, McDonald’s new Black Angus 1/3 pound burgers seem too good to be true. Let’s take a look at the nutrition content of the three different choices.

• Angus Deluxe opens up the bidding with 750 calories, 350 from fat, 39 grams of total fat, 135 grams of cholesterol, and 1700 mg of sodium.
• The Angus Mushroom and Swiss counters back with 770 calories, 360 from fat, 40 grams of fat, 135 grams of cholesterol and 1170 mg of sodium.
• In a last ditch effort, the Angus Bacon and Cheese closes it out with 790 calories, 40 from fat, 145 grams of cholesterol and an astounding 2070 mg of sodium.
  

Red meat has been a much maligned protein choice over the years. But there’s been some relaxing of the dietary diatribe in the health community, allowing for lean red meats as an occasional staple to your meals.

Then you see a study like this:

Red meat and processed meat may boost your risk of early death. That recent news may be more sensational than substance; or at least much adieu about nothing for most of the population. But, when you see a heading that reads: Study Shows Red Meat Consumption Linked to Higher Risk of Dying From Cancer, Heart Disease, it’s hard not to be alarmed.

The March issue of Prevention Magazine had a great article that will serve as a smart guide the next time you’re at the grocery store. All the marketing-speak and hundreds of choices can make choosing one food over another a difficult choice, especially when your goal is to be as healthy as possible. Here we share the good, better and best choice of 10 common grocery aisles.

Meat Counter

• Good – Lean Beef
• Better – Organic Beef
• Best – Grass-fed Beef

Egg Section

• Good – Packaged egg whites
• Better – Whole eggs
• Best – Omega-3-fortified eggs
  

Beef has gotten a bad rap in recent years. Even with the popularity of low-carb Atkins-style diet plans, beef still wears the Scarlet A in the animal protein world. But on average, Americans eat almost 63 pounds of beef per person each year. So, maybe that bad rap isn’t getting through to the public.

While most nutritionists will steer you away from the steer, in favor of chicken, turkey, and fish, they won’t tell you to avoid it altogether. You just need to be aware of which kind of beef to buy.

Cooking Light’s Aliza Green was researching for her book, Field Guide to Meat, when she realized that she should expand her palate to include different cuts of beef. In her article on CNN.com she outlines which to choose for “maximum flavor and nutrition.”

In my recent quest to shape up the way we eat at home, I’ve pretty much cut-out red meat from our diet. Once in a great while I get an unquenchable craving for a big ‘ole grilled hamburger, or I’ll nibble on a few bites of someone’s steak at a cook-out, but it doesn’t take long for me to regret it. I don’t know any better way to describe it than to say I just feel icky inside after I’ve eaten beef- I can taste and almost feel the grease in my body.

Until last night. All of my Food Finds are always healthy, unexpected finds I’ve made myself at the grocery store. I’ll be honest, this company contacted me and offered to send the product to taste. I was skeptical because it’s a mail-order beef company, and my aforementioned feelings about beef. As I learned more about the La Cense Beef company, I was anxious to try it, and for nothing less, my husband would be thrilled to throw a burger on the grill again.

I would tell if you if I didn’t like it- but it was quite possibly the best hamburger I’ve ever had. La Cense Beef is raised on the range in Montana and has a laundry list of admirable qualities like:
- Antibiotic-free cattle
- Hormone-free cattle
- Grass-fed, not grain-fed, which influences a cleaner, more natural taste in the beef
- No pesticides