Lean Meat and Fatty Meat

Meat is a rich source of B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium and protein. Small servings of meat and poultry can adequately meet your requirements for these essential nutrients. To safeguard your health, you should eliminate fatty meats from your diet and choose small portions of lean meat, skinless poultry and fatty fish, advises the American Heart Association. The AHA recommends 6 oz. of lean meat, fish or skinless poultry each day.

Meat in Your Diet

Meat is an integral part of most diets and it offers several nutritional benefits. However, fatty cuts of red meat, poultry with the skin on, processed meats and salted meats are not healthy choices. These foods can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases, such as blood cholesterol and heart disease. Fatty meat is high in saturated fats and cholesterol. By selecting leaner cuts of meat, skinless poultry and lean ground meats, you can cut down on your intake of harmful fats.

Good Choices

Ground turkey, ground chicken breast and skinless cuts of poultry contain less fat than many cuts of beef. Lean cuts of beef include round, sirloin and chuck. Tenderloin and loin chops are lower in fat if you are looking for pork. Wild game, such as venison, skinless wild duck and rabbit, are usually lower in fat than farmed animals. Before cooking the meat, remove the skin and trim off all the visible fat from meat and poultry.

Cooking to Reduce Fat

With the right preparation methods, you can reduce the saturated fat in meat and enjoy your favorite dishes without jeopardizing your health. Grill meat over a metal rack so the fat can drip down to a pan underneath. Stick to baking, grilling, roasting or broiling and avoid frying meat or cooking it in fats such as oil or butter. You can also save money by purchasing regular ground meat and removing the fat from it. Brown the ground meat, drain the fat and then rinse the meat in hot water. Strain this meat in a colander and then blot off any remaining fat and water with a paper towel. If you add meat to soups or stews, refrigerate the dish and then skim off the hardened fat from the top before reheating and serving it.

Shopping Tips

If you are purchasing ground beef, ask your butcher for a lean version or inspect the labeling to select lean varieties that contain less than 15 percent fat. Look for Choice and Select grades of beef, which are usually lower in fat than the Prime grade. Limit your consumption of processed meats, such as breaded or battered chicken, sausages, deli meats, burgers and meat pies. Reserve these for an occasional treat or look for low-fat, low-sodium versions.