For many Americans, meat is their main source of protein throughout the day. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests 5 ½ ounces of protein foods per day for a 2,000 calorie intake, though guidelines depend heavily on your weight, age, sex, physical activity level and other factors.
One-ounce equivalent proteins could be an ounce of meat, ¼ cup of cooked beans, an egg or ½ ounce of nuts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating a variety of protein sources, so here’s what to know the next time you choose meat.
What is the healthiest meat?
According to registered dietitian Amy Goodson, the healthiest meat is lean meat. By USDA standards, that’s a three-and-a-half ounce cut that has less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat.
The World Health Organization recommends no more than 30% of total caloric intake should come from fat, with less than 10% of that coming from saturated fats and less than 1% from trans fats.
But though lean meat is suggested, any high-quality protein is going to give you important nutrients your body needs, Goodson says. It’s more about balance.
High-quality protein is any protein that contains all of the nine essential amino acids (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine) that our bodies don’t make on their own. These are usually animal products, but some plant-based foods like quinoa and soy are high-quality proteins as well.
“It helps you get full faster and stay full longer,” says Goodman. “The importance there is that they’re not (consuming protein) once a day, but that they’re really looking at distributing protein consistently over the course of the day.”
Each different type of meat has a unique nutrient package, containing varied levels of iron, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamins B12 and B6 and other vitamins and minerals.
“Even in high fat, or in non-lean, you’re still getting those … essential nutrients but the fat is higher, so that pushes up the calories,” Goodson says.
At the end of the day it comes down to balance, preference and affordability, Goodson says. She references the 80-20 rule, or choosing nutrient-rich foods 80% of the time but recognizing your body’s desire to eat less nutrient-dense foods (think desserts, high-fat foods) the other 20% of the time.
“I think a lot of what’s best is (asking yourself) ‘What nutrients am I getting? Does it meet my taste preference? Does it meet my budget?” Goodman says. “Then, of course, it really starts to boil down with also what are you putting on that plate?”
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What is the healthiest way to eat meat?
From the time you pick up a package of meat from the store until you’re staring down at your plate, there are certain tricks you can use to prepare your meat in the healthiest way. Here’s what Goodson suggests:
Watch out for marbling
The white lines running through meat – often steak – give it a marbled appearance. Those white sections are intramuscular fat, or the fat inside of the meat rather than the fat on the outside of the meat. Goodson recommends choosing a cut with less marbling, which will have less fat.
Choose at least 90% lean
The USDA recommends choosing meat that is at least 90% lean, though there may be options at the store as high as 93% or 95% lean.
You can also hunt for beef labeled “choice” or “select,” Goodson says, which will be lower in fat than meat labeled “prime.”
Cooking techniques
Goodson recommends choosing a “leaner cooking method” like grilling, roasting or broiling rather than frying. This will eliminate extra fat from oil when you’re cooking, especially because the meat already contains fat.
You’ll want to make sure to drain the fat from the pain when you cook especially meat, especially ground beef. No one wants a greasy plate, plus the extra fat is unnecessary, Goodson says.
You can also experiment with seasoning. If you’re looking to cut down your sodium intake, try instead marinating your meat in herbs like rosemary or thyme.
Cut off visible fat, either before or after
Once you’ve made sure to grab a cut of meat with less marbling, you’ll want to pay attention to the fat on the outside of the meat and trim off the excess, either before or after the meat is cooked.
Portion size
“I’m a big believer that all foods can fit, but some foods have to fit in smaller amounts,” Goodson says. “That might be evaluating how lean the meat is that you’re eating, it could also mean choosing a smaller portion size.”
What does your plate look like?
While choosing lean meat can be one part of a healthy diet, it’s more important to look at it in the context of your everyday diet. Goodson calls this the “whole plate perspective.”
“If you decide you’re going to share a ribeye with your spouse at dinner time, maybe during the day you cut back on saturated fat,” Goodson says. “You’re balancing out your intake over the course of the day.”
It’s also what accompanies the meat on the plate. Try pairing meat with roasted vegetables, a salad, rice, quinoa or other nutrient-rich foods.
Goodson uses the example of a burger – with your meat, you can also add a whole grain bun, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mashed avocado for a creamy finish.
“You can literally get every single food group in a burger,” Goodson says.
Is red meat good for you?
Red meat has been linked to cardiovascular disease, but Goodson says not all red meats are alike. There’s a misconception that lean meat and red meat are the two categories of meat, though there are over 30 cuts of beef recognized by the USDA as lean, Goodson says.
If your red meat is lean, the difference is slim:
“If you are comparing three and a half ounces of chicken to three and a half ounces of lean beef, the difference is only like 1.5 grams of fat,” Goodson says.
The Mediterranean diet, which favors poultry and seafood to red meat, has been ranked No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Diets for six years in a row. But a 2018 study found lean, unprocessed red meat incorporated into a Mediterranean diet could improve cardiometabolic disease risk.
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