45 million Americans begin a weight loss journey every year. One of the most important factors when losing weight is what types of foods you're eating. The type of food you eat directly impacts adding to your weight or taking it off.
Certain foods also keep you full and satisfied instead of propelling cravings. Foods like certain meats are great sources of protein and help you feel fuller longer, limiting your food intake. Protein is the building block of muscle and muscle replaces fat.
But what are the best meats for weight loss, and how can you incorporate them into your diet? If you're ready to lose weight and eat healthier meals, here are 8 options for meat for your meals.
Chicken
One of the best choices for meat for weight loss is chicken. Not only is chicken extremely versatile, but there are many benefits of chicken such as the fact that it's a lean meat source. Eating lean meat helps keep the weight off, versus fattier cuts of meat like pork, and encourages muscle growth.
Other benefits of chicken include an abundance of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, selenium, niacin, and phosphorus.
Turkey
Turkey is another great lean meat option for contributing to weight loss. It's low in calories and provides many of the same nutrients as chicken.
Ground turkey is one of the best choices for eating turkey to lose weight, simply because it's lean. If you're eating turkey for lunch, consider making turkey burgers or turkey chili with lots of vegetables. Pre-packaged turkey deli meats often have high levels of sodium and other ingredients, so try to stick with ground or sliced turkey from your local deli.
Lean Beef
You might think that red beef is off-limits when it comes to weight loss, but lean beef can be incorporated in healthy amounts. Lean beef is another source of protein and a great source of iron, which contributes to healthy blood.
Grass-fed beef is the ultimate choice because it's the leanest. It also contains omega-3s, which is a fatty acid that only comes from food. Omega-3s aid in keeping various parts of your body healthy like the eyes, brain, heart, and lungs, while giving you energy.
Fish or Seafood
If you're not into eating certain types of meat, or you're worried about fat or calorie content, try eating fish instead. Fish is one of the leanest options you can choose, so aim for tuna or omega-3-rich salmon. There are various ways you can prepare fish that don't take a lot of extra work and canned tuna packaged with water is a convenient, healthy option.
One caveat with seafood and fish is remembering to stay away from fish with high levels of mercury, like shrimp. Also, choose sustainably sourced seafood as it helps the environment.
Bison
Bison is similar to lean beef in that it's a lean meat and it has a lot of nutrients. If you don't like beef, bison is an excellent alternative because it has less saturated fat and boasts nutrients like iron, vitamin B12, and even omega-3 fatty acids.
You can substitute for bison in any recipe that calls for ground beef. Be aware that bison does not need as long to cook as ground beef. Overcooking bison may lead to a tough texture.
Venison
Venison may seem less economical than chicken or beef, but it's very lean and delicious if it's in your budget. Venison also has a higher nutritional content than its meat counterparts.
Meats to Avoid
While meat provides an excellent source of protein for weight loss, there are meats that you want to stay away from or limit in your diet. Here are some to consider.
Fried Foods
Anything fried should be very limited if you're trying to lose weight. Fried meats like fried chicken contain breading and extra ingredients which bump up the calorie content. Continuing to consume fried foods contributes to extra weight gain and even health problems.
Packaged or Processed Meat
While packaged meats like turkey might appear healthy at first, remember that they're highly processed and contain a lot of additional preservatives and ingredients to keep them fresh. Other processed meats like hot dogs, salami, sausages, and bacon are high in fat and calories.
Avoiding these foods and replacing them with leaner meats should aid in helping you lose weight. ChiroThin doctors can help walk you through foods you should and should not eat.
Using Meat in Your Meals
You might be wondering about the best ways to use meats in your meals. While you could prepare meat as a main dish with a side of vegetables and a salad, there are other ways to use meat to make your meals more interesting.
Try chopping up chicken or turkey as the main ingredient in a salad. Lean beef or bison work great for chili or other soups. Turkey slices are delicious in lettuce wraps with loads of vegetables.
You can prepare meat almost any way you like it: grilled or oven-baked are two of the best options. Marinating chicken for several hours with a homemade marinade gives it more flavor.
Try These Meats for Weight Loss
The best meats for weight loss contain lean meat, plenty of healthy nutrients, and they're fairly easy to prepare. As abundant sources of protein, you. can build muscle as you burn fat. Stick with meats you love and enjoy your weight loss journey feeling full and satisfied.
Are you ready to get started on the path to a healthier you? Schedule your consultation by calling us at 402-480-6680.
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