Beef and lamb good for your bones

Slapping a steak on the barbie could give another meaning to 'slip, slop, slap' this summer.

New research shows New Zealand beef and lamb are rich sources of a type of vitamin D, something we usually get from sunlight.

Dietary sources of vitamin D are becoming more important as people adapt their lifestyles to health messages about protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

A study led by Associate Professor Roger Purchas at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health estimates that one serving of lamb can provide half the daily vitamin D requirement, and beef about a quarter when both forms of the vitamin are taken into account.

This form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, is three times more potent than other types. Other sources of vitamin D are oily fish, eggs and some dairy products.

Source: NZ Beef & Lamb