A healthy diet is good for many reasons. It helps you feel better, helps your body's immune system stay strong and wards off illness in general. You have more energy, better concentration and a heightened overall sense of wellbeing. A healthy diet consists of many things, including the meats you consume. If you are like many other Americans, your meat diet probably includes higher fat meats, such as different types of red meat. Making your diet healthier can start with replacing these higher fat meats with healthy alternatives. This article will help you do just that.
Instructions
Distinguish Between High-Fat Meats and Healthy Alternatives
1. Make a list of the meats you eat on a regular basis. Don't forget to include meats you eat at restaurants,and as snacks when you're on the go. On your list might be prime rib, hamburger, roast beef and many other red meats. A common snack food item might be beef jerky or Slim Jims, particularly for school-age children.
2. Categorize the list of meats you have made into healthy versus not-so-healthy. Do this by looking at each meat individually and determining its fat content in general. You can do this by researching on the Internet. Most of the higher fat content meats will be red meats as opposed to white meats. A not-so-healthy meat would be prime rib, where as a healthier one might be chicken.
3. Learn what other meats and alternatives are available for you to eat that have less fat content and are healthier. Most of the healthier meats will be white meats or red meats that are lean. Some of these include pork and chicken. You can also use meat substitutes such as tofu or veggie burgers.
Eat the Healthy Alternatives
4. Start with hamburger. The easiest way to make a modification here is to use a leaner type of beef. If the meat you currently use for hamburger is 75%/25%, switch to 90%/10%. Or, you could consider a different type of burger, such as a veggie burger or turkey burger.
5. Change your pasta dishes. If you were going to make Hamburger Helper, try making Chicken Helper. If you were going to make spaghetti and meatballs with hamburger, try using veal instead. Veal is actually considered a white meat and is much healthier for you.
6. If you can't do away totally with your hamburger, eat it in less quantities and mix it with other things. Instead of making a veggie burger with no meat, try mixing in vegetables with the hamburger to make it healthier.
7. Eat more seafood. Seafood has very low fat content. Just be careful not to add too many seafood dishes with a high cholesterol content, like shrimp and lobster. Your best bet is to eat lots of white fish, such as haddock, pollock and cod.
8. Take any meal you used to eat and switch the meat from a higher fat one to a leaner alternative. If you used to eat meatloaf and mashed potatoes, make a meatloaf with chicken instead. If you used to make beef barbecue ribs, start using pork as the meat.
9. Eat dishes that have no meat in them. There is no need to have meat for every meal. For lunch, instead of that Philly steak sandwich, try just having a large garden salad with mixed green lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and carrots. Have whole-wheat bread with the salad to help make the meal more filling.
10. If you are still hungry after the salad and bread, add soup to the meal. The soup could be one with beans, like meatless chili. A baked potato soup or noodle soup can also be hearty and satisfying.
11. If you run out of ideas, look for cookbooks that deal with healthy alternatives to red meat. You can find ebooks online or buy books at a popular bookstore. You can often get discounts on book purchasing by joining rewards programs at bookstores, such as by joining Borders Rewards at Border's Bookstore. If your budget is extremely tight, check out books from the public library.
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