11 Smart Ways of Developing a Healthier Meat-Eating Diet
Meat is a delicious and nutritious complement to any diet. It’s one of the greatest protein sources available, and it also contains important elements like iron, selenium, and zinc. Still, like with any dish, it’s critical to consider nutritional value while creating a menu.
Globally meat is an essential element of the dining menu for many and giving up on it is not an easy option. USDA has discovered that beef and pork consumption in the United States has fallen over the last decade. Nonetheless, the United States remains one of the countries with the highest rates of meat eating in the world with 274 pounds of meat per year on average.
Protein-rich meats include chicken, pig, lamb, and beef. Red meat contains iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Meat is a major source of vitamin B12 in the diet. Additionally, fat is also available in plenty in meat.
Some meats have a lot of fat, particularly saturated fat. Saturated fat intake increases blood cholesterol levels, and high cholesterol increases the risk of coronary heart disease. So, choosing, cooking and consuming meat needs a bit of a healthy slant.
Here are 11 ways to move toward a healthy meat-eating diet.
1. When purchasing raw meat, choose judiciously
When purchasing meat, choose the leanest portion available. Generally speaking, the more white seen on meat, the more fat it has. Back bacon, for example, has less fat than streaky bacon. If you consume a lot of red or processed meat, you should cut back since there is a correlation between red (or and processed) meat and colon cancer.
These suggestions might assist you in purchasing healthier alternatives.
• Request a lean cut from your butcher.
• Choose skinless duck, turkey or chicken since they are lower in fat (or remove the skin before cooking)
• restrict processed meat products like sausages, salami, pâté, and beefburgers since they are normally high in fat – and often high in salt as well
• limit meat items in pastry, such as pies and sausage rolls, because they are often high in fat and salt
• Check the nutrition label on pre-packaged meat to determine how much fat it contains and compare products.
2. Seek out to Purchase Grass-Fed Beef
Every day, several beef cows are given grain to consume at farms. Grass, on the other hand, is the natural food source for cattle. According to studies, meat from grass-fed cows has more nutrients than meat from grain-fed cows. Vitamin A, vitamin B, and omega-3 fatty acids are among them. Grass-fed beef, in fact, has been shown to have up to five times the omega-3s of grain-fed cattle. Grass-fed beef also has a higher concentration of conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid that aids in weight loss.
3. When washing and preparing meat, remove as much fat as possible
Before cooking, trim away any visible fat and skin, as crackling and poultry skin are significantly higher in fat than the meat itself.
Here are some alternative methods to prepare pork or beef with less fat:
• When cooking meat, don’t use too much fat or oil.
• instead of frying meat, grill it
• Place the meat on a metal rack atop a roasting tray to allow the fat to drain.
• In stews, curries, and casseroles, combine meat with vegetables, legumes, and starchy foods. They tend to absorb some of the fats.
4. Use less salt while preparing your meat
Maintain a low sodium intake. Most foods include some salt, but not enough to have a substantial impact on the body for most people. Natural sodium levels are higher in meats, notably ham and seafood. Despite this, salt is most likely the main source of cooking ingredient while preparing your meant meal.
Many people season the bulk of their food meals with salt, resulting in a sodium-rich diet. Remember that ingesting too much salt over an extended period of time might cause heart and liver issues.
5. How much red and processed meat should we consume on a daily basis?
Red meat (beef, lamb, and pork) may be a healthy portion of a balanced diet. However, consuming a lot of red and processed meat raises your chances of developing bowel (colorectal) cancer.
Meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting, or adding preservatives is referred to as processed meat. Sausages, bacon, ham, salami, and pâtés are examples.
The Department of Health and Social Care in UK recommends cutting down to 70g of red or processed meat per day if you already consume more than 90g (cooked weight). 90g is alike thinly sliced slices of beef, lamb, or pig, each about the size of half a slice of sliced bread.
6. Balancing on consumption of liver
Liver and liver products, such as liver pâté and liver sausage, are high in iron and vitamin A. Your everyday diet should provide you with all of the vitamin A you require.
• Adult men should consume 700 milligrams of vitamin A every day.
• Adult women should consume 600 milligrams of vitamin A every day.
However, because they are high in vitamin A, we should avoid eating too much liver or liver products.
Over time, consuming too much vitamin A – more than 1.5mg (1,500 micrograms) of vitamin A per day from food and supplements – may make your bones weak and more prone to fracture.
Women who have gone through menopause, as well as older males, should limit their intake of vitamin A to no more than 1.5mg per week from food and supplements. This is due to the increased risk of bone breakage in the elderly. This implies limiting your intake of liver and liver products to once a week or eating smaller quantities.
People who consume liver or liver pâté once a week may consume more than the recommended 1.5mg of vitamin A per day. If you consume liver or liver products at least once a week, you should consider reducing back or stopping. Also, avoid taking any vitamin A pills or fish liver oils, which are rich in vitamin A.
7. Be mindful of where and when you store the meat you eat
To prevent bacteria from spreading and food poisoning, it’s critical to store and cook meat safely:
• Place raw meat or raw poultry on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in clean, sealed containers so that the flesh does not come into contact with or spill onto other foods.
• If you’re not intending to consume the meat right away, chill it as rapidly as possible before putting it in the fridge or freezer — remember to keep cooked and raw meat separate, and only reheat cooked meat once.
• After touching raw or defrosted meat, immediately wipe plates, utensils, surfaces, and hands with warm soapy water or dish cleanser.
• Before the “use by” date on red meat or raw poultry, put it in the freezer.
8. Freeze meat safely in refrigerator and ways to defrost it
When frozen meat thaws, liquid might leak out. This liquid will transmit germs to any food, plates, or surfaces it comes into contact with. Keep the meat in a sealed container in the bottom of the fridge, where it will not come into contact with or leak on other items.
It is okay to freeze raw meat as long as you:
• place it in the freezer before the “use by” date.
• date and label frozen meat, adhering to any freezing or thawing instructions on the packing
• If you’re intending to cook the meat right away, thaw it in the microwave on the defrost setting.
• Thaw meat completely in the refrigerator; if you wish to defrost and cook it later, leave it in the refrigerator and consume it within 2 days of defrosting.
You may freeze raw meat after defrosting it and properly cooking it. However, never reheat meat or any other meal more than once, as this might result in food illness.
9. It boils down to cooking meat safely
Cook according to the directions on the package. Some people wash their meat before cooking it, but doing so raises your risk of food poisoning since the water droplets splash onto surfaces and potentially infect them with germs.
It is essential to prepare and cook food safely. When meat is cooked properly, dangerous germs on the flesh are destroyed. These germs can cause food poisoning if meat is not fully cooked. Bacteria and viruses can be discovered in chicken and some meat products.
As a result, chicken and other meat items must be thoroughly cooked. Boiling the meat or putting it through super heated steam are some of the best practices. When meat is fully cooked, the fluids run clear and there is no pink or crimson flesh remaining within.
Meats and meat products that should be fully cooked include:
• poultry and game, such as chicken, turkey, duck, and goose, including liver; and
• pig.
• offal, such as liver;
• burgers and sausages
• kebabs
• rolled meat joints
Whole pieces of beef or lamb can be eaten when they are pink on the inside – or “rare” – as long as they are cooked on the exterior.
• steaks
• chops
• joints
10. Care to be taken while eating meat during pregnancy
A pregnant woman’s diet may typically include meat. Pregnant women, on the other hand, should avoid:
• raw and undercooked meat due to the risk of toxoplasmosis – make sure any meat you eat is well cooked before eating
• 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
11. Switch meals occasionally with some Eggs and Fish to replace red meat
Eggs and fishes are one of the most nutritious and protein rich foods available. They supply minerals like vitamin D, selenium, and B12 to the body, which assist to lessen the risk of heart disease. When it comes to introducing more of them into your diet, don’t restrict yourself to breakfast or lunch. Poached or hard-boiled eggs are delicious in a salad for lunch or dinner. Just don’t go too far, especially if you have high cholesterol or diabetes. Furthermore, fish is celebrated for its omega-3 fatty acids, which can help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Always make reasonable-sized portions and offer a wide mix of different dietary groups in each dish. This will guarantee that you consume balanced meals that offer your body with all it requires for a long, healthy life.
