Meat

So far we have looked at the benefits of different colored foods, but those were mainly vegetables and fruits. We’re going to take a break for colored foods and look at the benefits of red and white meats. Many people like their vegetables and fruits, but there are also many different benefits one can get from meat to enhance the nutritional benefits of the vegetables as side dishes. Many doctors do advice eating certain meats in moderation and that they be fully cooked. While meats have health benefits, if they are not prepared properly they could make one very sick, and some may even die from something they get from uncooked meat. So remember always fully cook your meats before you eat them.

Red Meat

The term red meat refers to the color of the meat while raw. The meats that are considered red would be beef, mutton, horse, goose and duck. The red meats are full of protein and fatty acids we need to help keep our energies up throughout the day. Lean red meats has benefits of lowering the risk of heart disease. It doesn’t have a high content of fat which makes it better for our diets than the fatty red meats. Because lean red meat doesn’t have the fat content it can also help with lowering cholesterol.

Red meats are also a great source of many different vitamins and nutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Though studies have linked red meats to various disease mainly heart disease and several different types of cancer. One really needs to be careful with what they are eating when it comes to red meats. Look for meats with the lowest amount of fat to lower cholesterol and help lower risk of heart disease.

White Meat

White meats are you chicken, pork, veal, and lamb. Again the term white refers to the color of the meat while it is raw. Don’t confuse lean meat as white meats because they are two different types of meats. Skinless chicken and turkey have the lowest amount of calories and fat. White meats also contain the same amount of cholesterol in one serving as beef would have, but it has more vitamin B within than beef would have.

Dark meats of the white meat category contain a lot more of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies do need. They contain more of the protein that help oxygen get to the muscles cells. The main reason dark meats have been considered bad is because they also have a high concentration of saturated fats.

Fish

While we are talking about meats, we should also look at the benefits that fish holds for our bodies. Fish is a wonderful thing to add to your diet. It has possibly the lowest content of calories and fat than some of the other meats. Because it is low in fat it is also low in the salt content which is very important to remember when thinking about heart health.

With any kind of meats you need to be careful with how you prepare it and there is something bad with everything, but also something good. To get the best proportion of nutrients one needs to have a variety of foods but also in moderation. Everything is good as long as it’s in moderation. And again remember fully cook your meats before you eat them.