A nutrition expert recently told the Victoria Advocate that eating lean beef can be a good way to get one’s daily allowance of iron without contributing significantly to heart disease.

A top loin steak contains less total fat than a skinless chicken thigh, said registered dietitian Kathryn Steve.

While not every cut of beef is lean or low in fat, there are nearly 30 cuts that are, according to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA).

The association’s website states that briskets, round steaks, tenderloins and even T-bone steaks all have less than 10 grams of total fat for every three and a half ounce serving, which qualifies the cuts as “lean.”

Steve added that lean beef is a naturally rich source of vitamin B, iron, zinc and protein. The NCBA reports that a three-ounce serving contains more than a third of one’s recommended daily value of vitamin B12.

The dietitian concluded that since beef is the third most common source of dietary iron in the U.S., after enriched breads and cereals, people concerned with their health may consider adding moderate quantities of lean beef to their diet.

Three ounces of the meat delivers 14 percent of one day’s dietary iron, according to the NCBA.