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In any well-rounded diet you should be eating a balance of healthy fats, protein, and carbs to keep you full and sustained with ample energy throughout the day. Not only is this eating plan ideal for weight loss, but it can generally help satiate cravings and allow you to feel your best as you fuel your body with foods that will improve your overall well being. However, the definition of ‘healthy’ can often be difficult to pin down, and knowing which fats, carbs, and proteins to include in your diet that actually provide value to your eating plan may be difficult without the proper education.
Marketing on ‘healthy’ foods has run rampant in recent years as diet culture has experienced a significant uptick, and foods that are peddled as healthy sometimes may not actually be as great for your body as they may seem. If you’re working to lose weight and have been following what you perceive to be a balanced diet, there’s one ‘healthy’ fat that you may be regularly eating which is, in fact, making things more difficult for you, according to health experts.
Doubling as a source of fat and protein, many meat products are often perceived as healthy in large part due to their macronutrients. However, this is a misconception as many meats don’t actually contain a healthy source of fat, but rather are rife with saturated fats which have been known to promote weight gain and can cause heart issues as well. A study from the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Disease found that in 16,822 adults, those that regularly consumed red meat were more apt to fall into the category of obese and often struggled with belly fat in particular.
The nutritional value of red meat is a widely debated topic, but Esther Blum, MS, RD, CDN, CNS, tells Eat This, Not That, “Depending on the breed of cow, grass-fed beef contains between two and five times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef.” In terms of being a nutritional source of fats, red meat is perhaps not the best option, but it can be consumed in small quantities in its grass-fed form to offer a moderate serving of fats and protein. Dr. Carrie Lam, MD, FAAMFM, ABAARM notes that saturated fats may also raise your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) levels, making you more prone to heart disease as well.
Instead of gathering your healthy fats and protein from red meat, consider eating chicken or fish, but it’s still important to be cognizant of your methods of preparation to make the most out of your meal. “When chicken and fish are consumed, which often are lower fat choices compared to red meat, avoid deep-frying and remember to remove the skin. Otherwise, they will be higher in fat content than lean beef or pork,” says Lam.
“If possible, always buy free-range poultry or grass-fed cattle. Lowering the total serum cholesterol alone, or resorting to a low-fat diet should not be the goal for optimum health, as it has no significant bearing on the overall cardiovascular health.”
While you can realistically eat the majority of your favorite foods in moderation even when you’re aiming to lose weight, relying on red meat as your primary source of fats may not be your best bet in achieving your goals. Instead, limiting red meat in favor of other foods which also offer protein and a healthier form of fat may be a better and more fruitful alternative which can actually offer some benefit to your body instead of increasing your risk of heart disease or obesity.
Fat is an essential part of any diet even while you’re working to achieve healthy weight loss, so don’t be afraid of high-fat foods such as avocado, nuts, and certain oils--just keep an eye on red meats and saturated fats to ensure you’re consuming them in small quantities instead.
