Beef, Sirloin Steak
Introduction
Beef is the meat of cattle, a red meat derived from a large herbivorous mammal, and a Sirloin Steak is a specific premium cut taken from the rear midsection of the animal (the sirloin), prized for its balance of tenderness and flavour. It is typically cooked rather than eaten raw—while some cuisines use very fresh, high-quality beef for dishes like steak tartare, most consumers should cook sirloin to at least a safe internal temperature to reduce risk of food‑borne illness.
Sirloin steaks are characteristically deep red when raw, due to the myoglobin pigment in muscle tissue; light marbling of white intramuscular fat adds succulence and carries flavour during cooking.
Nutritionally, sirloin is a rich source of high‑quality complete protein, and provides key micronutrients including iron (particularly haem iron, which is well absorbed), zinc, vitamin B12, niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2) and selenium; it also contains saturated and unsaturated fats, with the exact fat content varying by trimming and marbling.
Nutrition Snapshot per 100g
Kcal nn kcal
Protein nn g | nn %
Fat nn g | nn %
Carbohydrates nn g | nn %
Percentages reflect this food’s Balance*
Fibre nn g
Total Sugars nn g
Saturated Fat nn g
Salt nn mg
Nutritional values are per 100g and sourced from UK CoFID data.
Carbohydrates value includes Fibre (AOAC method).
Carbohydrates value includes Total Sugars including naturally occurring sugars such as glucose, fructose, lactose or sucrose.
Balance*
The Balance value expresses how protein, carbohydrate and fat contribute to a food’s total energy.
Using CoFID data per 100g, each macronutrient is converted into energy using the standard Atwater convention (protein × 4 kcal, carbohydrate × 4 kcal, fat × 9 kcal). The energy from each macronutrient is then calculated as a percentage of the total macro energy.
This provides a simple way to see whether a food is predominantly carbohydrate-based, protein-based or fat-based.
It does not determine whether a food is “good” or “bad”, but helps visualise its macronutrient profile within a broader eating pattern.
When assessing a full meal or daily intake, portion sizes should be taken into account.
Why this matters
Understanding the structure of individual foods can help you make more confident decisions when adjusting to a health diagnosis or long-term condition.
If you are organising meals, tracking intake or reflecting on patterns, you may find the Aardelia digital journals helpful.