Hamburger is cheaper than steak. Can I use it as a staple in my bodybuilding diet?
ANSWER
It depends on your goals and your body’s individual response to hamburger. If hamburger tends to encourage bodyfat, opt for steak. If you are a hardgainer, the extra calories may help you add size. Evaluate your individual circumstances. Here are some other issues to consider when choosing between steak and hamburger.
FLEX typically recommends steak because lean cuts of beef are an excellent source of protein for a bodybuilder in a growth phase or on a diet. In the past, steak was vilified as a “fatty” food. The bad reputation came from the fact that cheap cuts of beef were not trimmed of fat and, when served, they were also ladled with gravy. That was a fatty food. Such is not the case for today’s quality lean cuts. In the modern American diet, and especially in bodybuilding circles, leaner cuts, such as porterhouse, filet mignon and T-bones, are more popular.
To make your steak an even better bodybuilding protein food, buy quality cuts. Then, trim off the visible fat and forgo the gravy.
Regular hamburger is far more fatty than lean steak. If you love hamburger and want to include it in your diet, then do so, but realize that you’re taking in extra fat calories. If you’re a bodybuilder on a budget and every gram of protein is crucial to you, remember that unless the hamburger is substantially cheaper, you’re not saving that much money per gram of protein by buying it. If you simply crave hamburger, buy a lean cut of meat and have a butcher grind it for you. – FLEX
