The Meat You Eat – What's Good for You? (2024)

FAQs

The Meat You Eat – What's Good for You? ›

A healthy balanced diet can include protein from meat, as well as from fish and eggs or non-animal sources such as beans and pulses. Meats such as chicken, pork, lamb and beef are all rich in protein. Red meat provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins. Meat is one of the main sources of vitamin B12 in the diet.

Healthiest: Skinless Turkey Meat

An excellent source of niacin and vitamin B6, skinless turkey, is one of the best lean proteins to add to your meals. The nutrients found in skinless turkey meat can help support heart health, energy levels, brain function, digestion, and other bodily processes.

Recommendations For Eating Meat

In addition to portion size, Manaker recommends limiting ultra-processed products and looking for lean cuts of meat. This includes white meat chicken for poultry, flank steak for red meat, and pork sirloin or tenderloin. And what you eat with your meat is just as important.

Hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and regular ground beef should be avoided or consumed sparingly due to their high fat, calorie, and sodium content, and potential health risks. By using this ranking system, you can make informed choices about the meats you eat and maintain a healthy diet.

Pork, for example, is the most consumed meat globally, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, making up 36% of the world's meat intake. The popularity of pork is closely followed by poultry, which is a staple in many countries due to its versatility and affordability.

First, the authors acknowledge that “when included as part of a varied diet, [red meat] provides a rich source of high biological value proteins and essential nutrients, some of which (e.g., iron) are more bioavailable than in other food sources.” For this reason, they suggest that red meat can be a valuable (but not ...

Eating chicken every day can be a part of your diet, but it's important to maintain a balanced and varied diet. Chicken is a good source of protein, but it's also essential to consume a variety of foods to ensure you get a wide range of nutrients.

Shrimp is a good source of protein, on par with, say, a rib-eye steak. It's high in calcium and vitamin B12. It's low in saturated fat, which makes it heart-healthy. And while shrimp is high in cholesterol, experts no longer worry as much about dietary cholesterol's effect on health.

While there are a number of healthy seafood options available, sardines, salmon, oysters, mackerel, trout, and clams are among the most nutritious and sustainable choices. Try preparing these seafood options using cooking methods like baking and sautéing for an easy and delicious way to support your health.

One of our Cancer Prevention Recommendations is to eat no more than moderate amounts of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb, and eat little, if any, processed meat. There is strong evidence that consumption of either red or processed meat are both causes of colorectal cancer.

What is the cleanest meat to eat? ›

Of course, just like with red meat, you want to stay away from highly processed poultry. Eating skinless, white meat is the healthiest way to go. Many professionals have classified white meat from chicken as the leanest and cleanest meat to eat.

Chicken. Chicken tends to be responsible for the most foodborne illnesses, but that is likely because it's the kind of meat we eat the most. Many cases of food contamination come from the mishandling of meats and cross-contamination in our own kitchens.

Along with cold cuts, other processed meats include bacon, salami, bologna, hot dogs and sausages. Fresh chicken, turkey, beef, pork and fish that have not been modified are considered unprocessed meats.

It's true that whether you're getting it fresh from the farm or (not-so) fresh out of a can or package: Not all meat is created equal. If you're looking for the healthiest lunch meat option, choose the leanest cuts of deli meat possible, such as turkey, chicken breast, lean ham or roast beef.