Including meat in a diet to lose weight can provide healthy results if you lower your intake of unhealthy fats and eat smaller meat portions. Reducing your fat intake helps with weight loss and also avoids high cholesterol levels which can eventually lead to heart disease. Practicing a low-fat diet can become a regular part of your daily routine to maintain weight control.
Meats
You can enjoy meats, but stick to the leanest meats with all visible fat trimmed off. Always buy lean, ground meats. Avoid fried or breaded meats, organ meats, such as liver, fatty and marbled meats, spare ribs, cold cuts, bacon, frankfurters, hot dogs and sausages. Even lean meats contain saturated fats, so limit yourself to 5 oz. a day or less. Bake, broil or grill meats, which allows fat to drip off, and avoid fried meats.
Poultry
Chicken and turkey have low saturated fat content, but you can reduce your fat intake further by removing the skin or buying skinless products. White meat has less fat than dark meat. Limit your consumption of goose and duck, which are high in saturated fat. Enjoy freshly ground chicken or turkey made from white meat. Chicken and turkey hot dogs have a lower fat content than the hot dogs made from pork and beef. Prepare poultry by baking, broiling or grilling.
Eat More Fish
Fish usually has lower saturated fat than meat or poultry. Some types of fish provide heart-healthy benefits because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may lower your triglycerides. Fish with omega-3 fatty acids include tuna, salmon, mackerel and herring. Substitute fish for high-fat meats as much as possible.
Add Fiber
Fill your plates with plenty of vegetables and fruit while adding whole grains to your meals. Fiber-rich foods provide you with a feeling of fullness, decreasing your desire for meat. Include steamed or lightly cooked vegetables as sides along with fruit in salads or for dessert and eat smaller portions of meat and poultry. Enjoy fresh fruit or canned and frozen fruit packed in natural juices or water without added sugars. Avoid fried or creamy style vegetables. Include whole-grain or whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, high-fiber cereal, oatmeal, brown rice, barley and ground flaxseed with your meals. Choose whole grains over refined grains, which lose some nutrients and fiber during processing.
Dairy Products
Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products, selecting skim or 1-percent fat milk, low-fat or nonfat cheeses and low-fat or fat-free margarines. Use olive oil, which contains healthy monounsaturated fat, to replace high-fat butter when preparing foods. Low-fat yogurt with fruit makes a healthy substitute for high-fat desserts or snacks.
Member Comments