Eating healthy means learning to navigate the meat and fish counter at your favorite grocery. Here's how to optimize the fat and protein in your diet.
You know you need protein,
and you certainly love a perfectly cooked roast or a pan-seared fish fillet.
But how do you make
the best choices when shopping for the lean meat and fish needed to make those
protein-rich meals?
Fortunately, it’s
easier than you might think.
Eating Healthy: How to
Choose Lean Meat
Meat is a delicious
source of protein and can be an important part of a healthy diet. However, many
types of meat are naturally high in fat, especially saturated fat.
Too much of this
dietary fat raises blood cholesterol,
which can lead to a stroke orcoronary heart disease.
To stay healthy, try
to limit your daily fat intake to no more than 35 percent of your total daily
calories, and saturated fat in particular to no more than 7 percent.
To help you do this,
when purchasing meat, look for the leanest cuts:
·
Beef: round eye, top round, or top sirloin
·
Pork: tenderloin, ham, or center loin
·
Chicken: skinless cutlets or breasts; to save money, you can remove the
skin and bones yourself
Eating Healthy: Buying
Fish
Fish is an excellent
source of protein, and a healthy substitute for red meat. Although fish does
have fat, it is a different type from the saturated fat found in meat. Fish
contains omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association
recommends eating fish at least two or three times each week, preferably fatty
fish varieties, including lake trout, sardines, mackerel, salmon, and herring,
to get the most benefit.
Eating Healthy:
Organic and Free-Range Products
In addition to the
nutritional content of the meat or fish you choose, you may also be concerned
about where these animals lived and what they were fed. Many people buy organic, free-range, or farm-raised meat to help the
environment or be more healthy. Organic meat doesn’t contain synthetic
chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones, and must pass strict criteria to gain its
certification. “Free-range,” as you might expect, indicates the animals were
not confined in cages, and “farm-raised” can mean the animals were raised on a
small, local farm, or simply that they were not wild.
Specialty foods are
often more expensive, and you may be wondering if they are worth the price.
Nicole Berkowitz, RD, a nutrition consultant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, says,
“I would recommend fresh organic and free-range if possible.” She points out
that this will encourage the local farming industry and help you make more
humane meat purchases. If cost is a barrier for you, Berkowitz recommends
choosing organic or free-range meat two or three days a week instead of every
day.
Although fish is
usually a very healthy protein choice, some types of fish can accumulate toxins
like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or mercury. Some fishing practices are
also destructive to the ocean ecosystem or to the fish population and aren’t
sustainable in the long term. Some types of fish and seafood are generally
safe, including pollock, catfish, North American tilapia, and rainbow trout.
Some environmental organizations, like Sea Choice provide detailed
information to help you decide which types of fish to buy, depending on your
concerns.
Eating Healthy:
Low-Fat Cooking
Keep in mind that you
want to prepare lean meat and fish in ways that won’t add unwanted fat or empty
calories. Try the following techniques for reducing fat in your protein-rich
meal:
·
Trim all visible fat before cooking.
·
Avoid adding extra fat for cooking, like oil or butter (though oil is
preferable to the saturated fat in butter).
·
Grill or roast your meat instead of frying.
·
Choose low-fat sauces and gravies.
Protein is an
essential part of your diet, and lean meat and fish are delicious sources of protein,
especially if you think carefully about the choices you make.