Steak has many nutrients, but here's why you should avoid overconsumption

Few foods are more appetizing to people than a juicy steak. Grilled to order and garnished with herbs like basil and chives, sauces such as au jus, peppercorn and A1, or vegetables like grilled onions and mushrooms, it's hard to beat a tender steak - especially when it's served alongside appetizing accompaniments like a side salad, roasted veggies or mashed potatoes.

The food is so iconic that whole restaurant chains have been built around it. These include Outback Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris, Peter Luger, Fleming's, Sizzler, LongHorn and Morton's.

But just because a food is popular doesn't mean it's always good for you - and there are about as many reasons to avoid the overconsumption of steak and other red meat as there are reasons to want to carve right in.

What is steak?

Steak is sliced meat that comes from the fleshy part of cows - usually across muscle fiber and sometimes with the bone still attached. In addition to beef steak, some people also prepare steaks cut from bison, venison, elk, goat, pork, and lamb.

Popular premium cuts of beef include T-bone, New York strip, and filet mignon - all of which come from the loin of the animal. Ribeye is a more flavorful cut that comes from a cow's rib. Top sirloin comes from a cow's hindquarter, which is between its ribs and rump. Less expensive cuts include flat iron and Denver, which come from a cow's shoulder, also known as the chuck. Chuck meat is tougher while the pricier cuts are more tender.

Regardless of which part of the animal it comes from, steak is usually prepared to order, determined by the internal temperature of the meat. While temps can vary slightly, rare steaks generally have an internal temperature of 125 degrees, medium rare is cooked to 135 degrees, medium is cooked to 145 degrees, medium well is cooked to 150 degrees, and well-done steaks are cooked to 160 degrees.

Extra rare is another temperature category and means a steak is only cooked to 115 degrees - which isn't as worrisome as eating raw beef, but is still far from being considered safe to eat. In fact, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends for all steak to be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees and for the meat to rest for at least three minutes before eating in order to avoid foodborne illness.

Is steak healthy?

Beef steak has many important nutrients including "all essential amino acids and essential fats that humans need," says Benjamin Bikman, a cell biologist and physiologist at Brigham Young University's College of Life Sciences. It also has plenty of vitamins and minerals. A six-ounce cut of top sirloin, for instance, contains calcium, selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, and phosphorus, plus 646 milligrams of potassium and a whopping 51 grams of protein, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Protein is a nutrient that's essential for muscle growth and maintenance, metabolism regulation, and a healthy immune system. "Protein from steak is particularly favorable," says Bikman, because it's absorbed differently than plant protein. "To get the same amount of 50 grams of protein that you get from steak," he says, "you would need to consume more than twice as many soybeans in terms of overall weight."

Steak is also a good source of vitamin B12, "which is crucial for energy levels, brain health, and red blood cell production," says Alex Larson, a registered dietitian, endurance athlete nutritionist, and founder of Alex Larson Nutrition.

And while steak is a good source of iron as well, explains Bikman, it's especially important because animal sources of iron have what's known as heme iron, which is absorbed more abundantly and easily in humans than iron found in plant-based foods. Indeed, research shows that only a small fraction of non-heme iron is absorbed by the body and more than 95% of functional iron in the human body is heme-iron.

Maya Feller, a Brooklyn-based registered dietitian nutritionist, founder of Maya Feller Nutrition, and co-host of Slate's Well, Now podcast, also praises the magnesium and zinc content of steak and says its many other nutrients "are important for growth and development and maintenance of whole-body health."

Can you eat steak every day?

At the same time, red meat, including beef, is categorized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 2A carcinogen, meaning it "probably" causes cancer to humans - though the amount at which this could happen has not been determined. Because of this, the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends limiting red meat intake to 12-18 ounce (cooked) per week.

Beyond its increased cancer risk, "the primary concern with red meat is the presence of saturated fat," says Bikman. Saturated fat is problematic because it can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels which, studies show, can contribute to cardiovascular disease and other heart problems. This risk may be minimized by eating leaner cuts of beef, however, "as they have a lower proportion of saturated fats," says Feller.

Such considerations don't mean you have to avoiding eating steak altogether. "Like anything else, moderation is key when eating steak," says Larson. "Enjoying lean cuts occasionally can be part of a balanced diet - but aim to balance it with other animal-based proteins and plant-based foods as well for a heart-healthy approach."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is steak healthy?