For your health, perhaps start with reducing the processed meats in your diet like bacon, sausages, and cold cuts (note that with processed meats it's not just red meat that may be a problem, but any processed meat, like turkey bacon or lunch meat, and chicken sausage).
And people who don't eat meat, called vegetarians, generally eat fewer calories and less fat. They also tend to weigh less. And they have a lower risk of heart disease than nonvegetarians do. Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes.
"If meat is simply removed and not substituted, the consumer is at risk of iron or B12 deficiency, anemia, and muscle wasting," Levy-Wollins explains.
It can help you lose weight, but how much you eat still counts. Research shows that vegetarians tend to weigh less than people who eat meat. Plus, plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables are generally high in nutrition and low in calories, and are important parts of a heart-healthy diet.
The bottom line: Eggs are not meat, but they do have a similar level of protein.
Chicken has long been considered a healthy alternative to red meat. And it is indeed low in saturated fat, contains higher amounts of omega-6 fatty acids than other animal meats, and is high in protein and essential vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, iron, zinc, and copper.
Your Skin Will Start to Glow
The benefits of going meat-free can be external too. According to holistic nutritionist Susan Tucker MD, the founder of Green Beat Life, the higher amounts of minerals, antioxidants, and fiber included in plant-based diets help detoxify and lead to clearer skin.
Cured meats, cold cuts, salami, and hot dogs are just a few examples of processed meats to limit or avoid. Scientific consensus confirms that eating large amounts of these processed meats will raise your risk of colon cancer. These meats are often high in both sodium and saturated fats, Malkani says.
Here's what they said. Wild Alaskan salmon, oysters and sardines are highest in healthy fats; white fish such as cod or flounder tend to be leaner. White meat has slightly less saturated fat than dark. Turkey is fairly comparable to chicken in nutrients, but both its dark and white meat are slightly leaner.
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.
You may feel tired and weak if you cut meat out of your diet. That's because you're missing an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy. The body absorbs more iron from meat than other foods, but it's not your only choice.
Not Enough Protein
As you make the switch from eating meat to a vegetarian diet, you might forget to eat all the protein that your body requires. This is a recipe for disaster as well as potential weight gain.
Fish is the flesh of an animal used for food, and by that definition, it's meat. However, many religions don't consider it meat. There are also several important distinctions between fish and other types of meat, especially in terms of their nutritional profiles and potential health benefits.
The dishes of KFC are mostly deep-fried and are made using tons of oil. So, the regular consumption of KFC can make you gain weight. Therefore, continuous consumption of fast food, chicken, and meat that too with excess oil can lead to heart and fat-related issues.
Chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning.
In general, red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) have more saturated fat than skinless chicken, fish and plant proteins. Saturated fats can raise your blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. If you eat poultry, pork, beef or other meats, choose lean meat, skinless poultry, and unprocessed forms.
In some cases, fish muscle is also generally referred to as “white” meat, but this is an oversimplification. “White” fish is white both before and after cooking, whereas fattier fish (e.g., salmon and tuna) are red before cooking and turn either white (tuna) or remain pink (salmon) after cooking.
Well, the short answer is yes! Unless they are vegan (meaning they don't eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products which are derived from animals), some vegetarians do eat eggs and belong to a group known as lacto-ovo-vegetarians which according to the Vegetarian Society is the most common type of meatless diet.
A Quick Review
If you stick with healthy food choices, you'll likely lose weight and snack less. You may also see improvements in your skin and energy levels. Just make sure to get enough of all the vitamins and minerals you need, especially B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, which can be lacking in vegan diets.
Eggs not only contain less protein, but also significantly more cholesterol. A large egg has about 3.6 grams of fat and 140 milligrams of cholesterol. A 3-ounce serving of pork, turkey, chicken or ground beef ranges between 1.5 to 5 grams of fat and 50 to 60 milligrams of cholesterol.