Wagyu is the world’s most expensive and rarest marbled meat. This meat is exclusively Japanese cows, grown in special conditions using technologies, the secrets of which the Japanese jealously guard. Real Wagyu can only be tried in Japan and is very rare and costs several times more than premium beef.

Due to the special conditions of keeping Wagyu cows, the finest streaks of fat appear in their meat, which gives Wagyu a surprisingly delicate taste and, oddly enough, endows it with additional useful properties. The substances contained in marbled meat have anticarcinogenic properties and prevent the formation of cholesterol. Let’s dive into the Wagyu beef nutrition facts and its useful properties.

Why is Wagyu beef healthy? Wagyu beef is healthy as it contains amino acids, B vitamins, choline, iron and other micro- and macroelements that help increase hemoglobin level and immunity. Wagyu beef also has saturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6 and is low in cholesterol. Wagyu beef enriches the body with nutrients and vitamins.

Wagyu Beef Nutrition Facts

The chemical composition of Wagyu beef contains choline, vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12, E, H, and PP, as well as minerals necessary for the human body: potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, and manganese, iron, chlorine and sulfur, iodine, chromium, fluorine, molybdenum, tin, silicon, cobalt, nickel, phosphorus, and sodium. Wagyu beef is rich in fats, proteins and contains practically no carbohydrates.

Is Wagyu beef good for weight loss? Wagyu beef is good for weight loss as the calorie content of Wagyu beef is low — 170 kcal/100 g. The meat has a soft and juicy taste due to its moderate fat content — up to 10 g per 100 g of raw product. Simultaneously, this fat contains a little saturated fatty acid — about 3.5 g, which is only 30% of their total amount.

Marbled beef also contains a small amount of cholesterol — 40 mg per 100 g (for comparison, lean beef has 57 mg). The bulk of intermuscular fat is represented by unsaturated fatty acids, including those from the omega group (omega-3 and omega-6). Wagyu beef contains many proteins (18 g / 100 g) and all the amino acids necessary for the human body. In addition to nutrients, Wagyu beef contains many vitamins and minerals.

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Wagyu beef is a source of the vitamin-like substance choline, which is also known as vitamin B4. 100 g of Wagyu beef contains up to 20% of the body’s daily requirement for this substance. In combination with other vitamins, Choline plays an active part in metabolic processes throughout the body. It affects the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system since it is a precursor of acetylcholine, a mediator of impulses in nerve endings.

Wagyu beef contains a lot of phosphorus, a chemical element that is part of many enzymes, hormones, proteins and phospholipids of the cell framework. Iron is found in Wagyu beef in a bioavailable, easily digestible form.

Is Wagyu worth the money? Wagyu is definitely worth the money because it contains many vitamins and nutrients necessary for our health. It is rich in fats, proteins and low in carbohydrates. The calorie content of Wagyu is about 200 kcal per 100 grams of meat, which is very small compared to other meat products.

Wagyu Beef Useful Properties

Are Wagyu cows healthy? Due to its balanced chemical composition and moderate calorie content, Wagyu meat has many positive effects on the human body. Wagyu beef is healthy:

• For the heart (lowers blood cholesterol, normalizes heart rate, expands peripheral vessels);
• Neurological patients (improves cerebral circulation, accelerates the reaction rate, restores impaired transmission of nerve impulses);
• People with anemia (stimulates hematopoiesis, increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood);
• People after injuries, operations, burns, severe infections (increases immunity, stimulates reparative processes in the body);
• People with hormonal dysfunctions (insufficiency of hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, diabetes mellitus, dysfunctional sexual disorders);
• Pregnant women and children (enriches the body with nutrients, vitamins, macro- and microelements).

There is no scientifically substantiated evidence of this type of beef’s anticarcinogenic properties, but there is evidence in the literature that Wagyu meat has anti-cancer properties. This effect is probably due to the presence in the meat of a large number of vitamins that improve hematopoiesis and increase immunity, which is important in cancer, especially after chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Wagyu is very popular because of its unique taste, structure, and aroma and beneficial properties that meat has. Is Wagyu beef better than regular beef? Wagyu beef is better than regular beef because of: 

• Low-calorie content. 100 grams of wagyu meat contains only 200 calories, which is not much compared to other types of beef. For example, ordinary cow meat that you can buy on the market has about 250 calories per 100 grams of the product.
• The high content of nutrients. Choline, iron, amino acids, B vitamins, etc. Japanese Wagyu meat has a rich macro- and microelement composition. Low in carbohydrates. Wagyu is high in protein and fat but low in carbohydrates, so even regular meat consumption will not cause a gain in fat mass.
• Low in cholesterol. If in ordinary beef the amount of cholesterol is 60 mg per 100 g, Wagyu contains 40 mg per 100 g. Accordingly, marbled meat has less effect on the cardiovascular system.
• Quality fats. A large proportion of fats in wagyu is represented by saturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, necessary for the human body. Children, adults, the elderly can eat wagyu meat. It has practically no contraindications, and if cooked correctly, it only benefits the body.

Possible Harm of Wagyu Beef

A high-quality and fresh Wagyu beef cannot harm you. However, Wagyu beef, in addition to its high taste and useful properties, can be harmful due to its high protein content. Protein molecules are a source of purine bases, increasing the level of which can provoke an attack of gout, renal colic, or pain in the spine with osteochondrosis.

Fatty meat can exacerbate diseases of the digestive system (pancreatitis, cholecystitis). The extractive substances contained in marbled beef enhance the secretion of digestive juices. Therefore, its use in food can exacerbate a gastric ulcer and 12 duodenal ulcers. Contraindications to eating marbled meat are individual intolerance and allergies.

Wagyu beef is extremely juicy and has a rich and delicate flavor. Almost everyone can eat it. The meat does not need to be chewed for a long time; it is ideal for dental problems. It also takes only 2-3 minutes to fry a steak over a fire.

Conclusion: Is Wagyu Beef Worth It?

Wagyu beef is considered a delicacy because it has juicy, tender meat with a pleasant aroma and taste. The complexity and duration of raising Wagyu cattle to obtain such meat determine its high cost. Only some bulls (Wagyu, Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Aquitaine) are prone to a marbling of the meat. They are grown first on free pasture and then with the help of grain feeding.

Marble meat contains a lot of complete protein and fat. The peculiarity of this meat’s fats is that they contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6). This is very rare for meat products. Marbled beef is also enriched with vitamins and minerals. With all this, there are practically no carbohydrates in it. The calorie content of 100 g of marbled meat is low and amounts to 170 kcal.

Most often, Wagyu beef is used for frying American steaks. The presence of a large number of fatty layers in the meat makes the steaks juicy and tender. This meat’s high taste and safety make it possible to use it even raw (tartar, sashimi).