Finally, health experts say to stay away from processed meats, which are generally considered to be unhealthy. These include any meat that has been smoked, salted, cured, dried, or canned. Compared to fresh meat, processed meats are high in sodium and can have double the amount of nitrates.
Processed meat: Bacon, hot dogs and sausage are all high in saturated fat and often made with chemicals considered carcinogenic to humans.
Healthiest options: turkey and chicken
When it comes to the healthiest meats that pack the biggest nutritional punch, turkey and chicken should be at the top of your (grocery) list, says Schiff. Both are about equal in terms of nutrition, with turkey tending to be leaner than chicken.
Worst cuts: Ribs, shoulder and mince. A perennial Australian favourite, lamb “tends to be fattier in general than other meats,” says Fox, though because lamb has less marbling than beef, it's easier to trim away excess fat and make cuts healthier before cooking.
A healthy balanced diet can include protein from meat, as well as from fish and eggs or non-animal sources such as beans and pulses. Meats such as chicken, pork, lamb and beef are all rich in protein. Red meat provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins. Meat is one of the main sources of vitamin B12 in the diet.
Processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, salami and cold cuts, contain high levels of preservatives. Sodium, for example, raises blood pressure and stroke risk, while the body converts nitrites to cancer-causing nitrosamines. Lean or not, these products aren't healthy.
Eating too much red meat could be bad for your health
Sizzling steaks and juicy burgers are staples in many people's diets. But research has shown that regularly eating red meat and processed meat can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer.
High intakes of saturated fat may increase blood cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease. But, lamb is a significantly a better source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 than chicken, meeting 10 percent or more of your daily value.
Lamb and beef have similar calories, total fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral content—but lamb (especially grass-fed lamb) is the winner when it comes to omega-3 fat content. Grass-fed lamb also has higher quantities of the healthy fat CLA, which is beneficial for cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic health.
Eating raw or undercooked pork can also result in trichinosis, an infection of parasitic roundworms called Trichinella. While trichinosis symptoms are usually mild, they can become serious — even fatal — especially in older adults. To avoid parasitic infection, always cook pork thoroughly.
Even though it is a source of quality proteins and vitamins, red meat can be a health hazard, especially if you're over 40. If you value your health, you should try other low-fat protein options and leave the beef grill for special occasions. These are some health problems eating red meat regularly can cause.
In addition to dietary cholesterol, typical chicken servings are about 50% fat, and 30% of that is saturated or “unhealthy” fat, which stimulates the body's production of cholesterol.
Contaminated chicken sickens more people than any other meat. That's partially because we eat so much of it—more than 50 pounds a year per person. But it's also because of the way that chicken is prepared and cooked, says Caroline Smith DeWaal, CSPI's director of food safety.
Poultry and fish are considered the best animal proteins you can load your diet with, Laster said. Fish is hailed for its omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect against cardiovascular disease. Fish is also rich in vitamin D, selenium and protein.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world (36%) followed by poultry (33%), beef (24%), and goats/sheep (5%).
"Ribeye is one of the worst steaks to order," says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, author of Finally Full, Finally Slim. "It is marbled with fat and full of saturated fat as well. This type of fat is unhealthy for the heart as it can raise your LDL 'unhealthy' cholesterol and can clog arteries."
Is it OK to eat eggs every day? Because of their numerous benefits, it's OK to eat one whole egg, including the egg yolk, every day if you don't have cardiovascular disease and you do have a healthy level of blood cholesterol. Or you can mix two egg whites with every egg yolk to give yourself more protein.
It is acceptable to have chicken on a regular basis if it is cooked in a healthy manner. You'll likely lose weight if you eat chicken every day instead of more calorie-dense items like fattier meats and processed foods, and avoid eating a lot of average carbohydrates.
For one, seafood is generally lower in calories and saturated fat than red meat. It's also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to heart health. Red meat, on the other hand, is a good source of protein and iron. It also contains vitamin B, which is essential for energy production.
Unlike many other forms of livestock, pigs are omnivorous scavengers, eating virtually anything they come across, including carrion and refuse, which was deemed unclean. Furthermore, a Middle Eastern society keeping large stocks of pigs could destroy their ecosystem.