Meat

Meat is a good protein source and can be a part of a healthy balanced diet. However, some types and cuts of meat are more healthful than others. If you enjoy including meat in your diet, learning which meats are good for you can be important for healthy living.

 How Much Meat

Because meat contains so much protein, you do not need to eat much of it at one time to get your recommended daily allowance. In fact, a serving of meat is usually about four ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards. As often as you can, make meat an add-in rather than the focus of your meal. For instance, a little steak tossed into a mix of stir-fried vegetables and served over brown rice or whole grain pasta is better for you nutritionally than a large piece of meat and a side salad. Remember that you do not need to include meat in your diet daily to meet your protein requirements. Dairy products, soy, lentils, beans and nuts are also high in protein and can be good meat alternatives. In fact, a varied diet is more healthful than one consisting largely of one food type.
Meat to Avoid
Red meat such as pork, beef, lamb and venison should be eaten in moderation, only once a week. Red meat is high in saturated fats, which are responsible for raising cholesterol levels and contributing to heart disease. When you do eat red meat purchase, lean cuts and trim the fat as much as possible. Lean cuts of red meat are better for you nutritionally than ground meats like hamburger or sausage, which contain added fat. Organ meats are high in cholesterol. Processed meats like hot dogs, salami and sausage should be eaten infrequently because they have been linked to stomach cancer. The way you cook meat helps determine how healthy it is. Avoid frying meat in fat, which can add to the fat content and increase your caloric intake. Instead grill, broil or roast meats so that the fats are rendered out and removed.

Meat to Eat Often

White meat (e.g., chicken, turkey) also contains saturated fats but in much lower levels and can nearly be avoided completely by removing the skin before consuming. The best source of protein from meat is in the form of fish, particularly fatty fish like trout and salmon. In contrast to the saturated fats in red meat, fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which actually promote heart health. Aim to eat at least two servings of fish per week.

Meat and a healthier diet

Making healthier choices can help you to eat meat as part of a healthy diet.

Meat and saturated fat

Some meats are high in fat, especially saturated fat. Eating a lot of saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, and having high cholesterol raises your risk of heart disease.

The type of meat product you choose, and how you cook it, can make a big difference to the saturated fat content.

For example:

  • Pork chops: trim the fat from pork chops and grill them and they will contain around one third the fat of untrimmed chops that are roasted.(6.4g fat and 2.2g saturated fat per 100g compared with 19.3g fat and 7.0g saturated fat per 100g).
  • Rump steak: a lean grilled rump steak contains about half the fat of fried rump steak with the fat (5.9g fat and 2.5g saturated fat per 100g compared with 12.7g fat and 4.9g saturated fat per 100g).
  • Chicken: fried chicken breast in breadcrumbs contains nearly six times as much fat as chicken breast grilled without the skin (12.7g fat and 2.1g saturated fat per 100g compared with 2.2g fat and 0.6g saturated fat per 100g).

Liver and liver products

 Liver and liver products, such as liver pâté and liver sausage, are a good source of iron, and they are also a rich source of vitamin A.

However, because they are such a rich source of vitamin A, we should be careful not to eat too much liver and liver product foods. This is because the body stores any vitamin A it doesn’t use, and over the years a harmful level of vitamin A can build up in the body.

Having too much vitamin A – more than 1.5mg of vitamin A per day from food and supplements – over many years may make your bones more likely to fracture when you are older.

People who eat liver or liver pâté once a week may be having more than an average of 1.5mg of vitamin A per day. If you eat liver or liver products every week, you may want to consider cutting back or not eating them more often. Also, avoid taking any supplements that contain vitamin A, and fish liver oils, which are also high in vitamin A.

Women who have been through the menopause and older men should avoid having more than 1.5mg of vitamin A per week from food and supplements. This means not eating liver and liver products more than once a week, or having smaller portions. It also means not taking any supplements containing vitamin A, including fish liver oil, if they do eat liver once a week. This is because older people are at a higher risk of bone fracture.

Pregnant women should avoid vitamin A supplements, and liver and liver products. See below for more advice.

Meat and pregnancy

 Pregnant women should avoid:
  • Pâté of all types, including vegetable pâté. They can contain listeria, a type of bacteria that could harm your unborn baby.
  • Liver and liver products. These foods are very high in vitamin A, and too much vitamin A can harm the unborn child.
  • Supplements containing vitamin A, including fish liver oils, except if you are advised to take these by your GP.

 

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2 Responses to Meat

  1. Pingback: Energy diet | Health

  2. Lucy says:
    December 1, 2011 at 1:41 am

    This artical seems to have no author… No references… Why does it then provide dietary advice?

    I do like that it outlines that meat should not be eaten often (high cholesterol etc.), however why eat something that is bad for you at all?

    Protein is available from plants (some may be shocked to learn this). The world health organisation reccomend 0.66g of protein per kg of body weight per day. So a 70kg person would need 46.2g of protein per day.

    The work health organisation report on protein outlines that animal protein is associated with increased risk of:
    heart disease
    Stroke
    Diabetes
    Cancer ( especially bowel, colon, prostate, and Breast cancer – these are the biggest killers among cancer deaths in the western world)
    Kidney stones
    Osteoporosis
    Gout

    Now why eat meat if you don’t need to and it can do all this to your body?
    See the Dr Mcdougall website to learn how if you are interested in true health:
    http://www.drmcdougall.com/

    Thanks
    Lucy

    Reply

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