Whether your goal is to get into bodybuilding shape or to trim fat and get toned for spring break, finding the right cut of meat is an important part of your nutritional health. Protein is essential in your daily diet. To find out which protein suits your lifestyle best, read this article about meeting your meat goals.
You may have heard tips about nutrition that seem contradictory. For example, keep a balanced diet versus eliminate red meat. The problem with tips like this is that they aren’t targeted at YOU. Deciding whether you want to include beef, pork, or chicken into your diet depends on your goals, so here is some information that might aid in your decision. In a three-ounce serving of beef, there are about 23 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat. Pork, while slightly more digestible than beef, has a slightly higher fat content. Chicken, as long as it is skinless, is considered by many to be the best form of protein because it has about 27 grams of protein per three-ounce serving, with only two to three grams of fat.
If red meat is still in the running to be included in your diet, then make sure you have the information about which cuts of beef contain the highest amount of fat. If you are thinking about making a steak tonight, be careful which cut you choose. The five fattiest cuts of beef are top sirloin, flank, rib-eye, t-bone, and filet mignon. For an eight-ounce cut, the top sirloin has 11 grams of fat, the flank has 16, rib-eye has 48, t-bone has 35, and the filet mignon has 48.
If your goal is to decrease the amount of fat in your diet, especially saturated fat, there are a couple of ground meat options that can suit your needs. Ground sirloin is actually particularly low in saturated fat. If you are sticking with plain ground beef, make sure to choose a composition that has less than ten percent fat.
There are positive aspects to including meat in your diet, as it is a “complete” protein and it contains essential amino acids. However, there are also negative effects that result from eating a large amount of meat that you should be aware of. It contains only 20% usable protein by weight which means it is not that concentrated. It is also not very nutrient-dense, which means that it is high in calories for the amount of protein you are receiving. If cooked at high temperatures, it can even tend to cause colon cancer. Lastly, if you are not buying organic meat, your meat will also contain antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and the risk of E. Coli contamination, so make sure to look for organic meat.
The correct amount of protein you should be eating in your diet really depends on your nutrition goals, but there is a way that nutritionists calculate the minimum daily protein requirement with information such as your age, weight, and activity level. To get a general idea of how much protein you should have in your diet, multiply your body weight (in pounds) by .37. With this technique, a person weighing 120 pounds should eat at least 44 grams of protein per day, a person weighing 150 pounds should eat at least 55 grams of protein per day, and a person weighing 185 pounds should have at least 68 grams of protein per day.
If you are looking for a nutritious protein but are also concerned about your budget, you’re in luck. There are a few options that are both cost-effective and protein-rich. Chicken and turkey are considered to be both high in protein and less expensive than the beef alternative. If you are willing to try a non-meat option, whey protein powder could be a budget-friendly addition to your daily diet. Beans and Greek yogurt are also high in protein and very inexpensive.
There are many sources of protein, and animal meat is not the only option. Whether you are vegetarian or just interested in cutting down on your meat intake, there are plenty of other sources you can turn to. As previously mentioned, whey protein, beans and Greek yogurt are all high in protein. Other food products that you could turn to include milk, eggs, soy, buckwheat, and hemp seed.
After reading the information provided in this article, you should have a better idea about the different types of protein and the amount of protein that you should include in your diet. While there may be conflicting tips out there, this article should help you determine what is best for your goals in your diet. Whether you choose red meat, white meat, or no meat, meeting your meat goals is an important part of your nutrition.