Reducing Fat Intake from Meat Products (2654)

Nutrition specialists advise that we try to balance the food we eat with physical activity and maintain or improve our weight. It is also recommended that we choose a diet low in fat because fat is a major contributor to the calorie count of foods, and excessive fat consumption may play a role in health problems such as cardiovascular disease. The advice of health professionals is to have fat provide no more than 30% of the calories we take in for our total daily diets. That means for a person consuming 2,000 calories per day, fat consumption should usually be less than 67 grams per day.

Meat contributes high quality protein, a variety of minerals such as iron and zinc, and significant amounts of B-vitamins to our diet. Fat is also a component of all meat products, present in variable amounts. The presence of some fat in meat improves the juiciness and flavor of the product.

All meat products can fit into a healthy diet. The amount of fat provided by meat products can be affected by the way the meat is purchased, prepared and consumed. Here are some ideas for reducing fat intake from meat.

Remove all trimmable fat from meat cuts. While a small amount of fat within the lean (known as marbling) contributes to taste, the removable fat mostly provides extra fat and calories if eaten with the product. Generally, removing the trimmable fat from cuts, before or after cooking, can reduce the fat content by nearly 50%. An average 3-ounce portion of cooked, trimmed lean from beef, pork or lamb will provide about 180 calories and eight grams of fat. Such a portion is the size of a standard deck of playing cards, or a cooked quarter-pound hamburger. Some lean meats, such as beef eye of round and pork tenderloin, provide about 140 calories and four grams of fat in a cooked, trimmed 3-ounce serving.

Choose cuts of meat that naturally contain less fat within the lean itself. Many grocery stores or your county extension office can provide lists of the composition of different cuts. Take care to cook the leaner cuts properly--they can more easily dry out and toughen during cooking.

Use cooking techniques which allow fat to drain away from the meat during cooking, such as roasting, broiling or pan broiling. When browning ground meat or cooking burgers, remove melted fat as it accumulates. You can also blot the cooked ground meats with paper towels to remove additional melted fat. Rinsing browned ground crumbles in a colander under hot tap water for 15 to 30 seconds is very effective in removing even more of the melted fat. This rinsing process will have little effect on taste if the crumbles are to be included in some type of flavorful sauce, such as spaghetti. If the dish does not allow for fat removal during cooking, the use of a lower fat ground beef, such as ground round, may be a good choice.

Skim some of the fat from the surface of soups or stews after refrigeration. Examine recipes for non-meat contributors of fat, and consider making substitutions where possible. For example, replace sour cream or mayonnaise with yogurt, low-fat sour cream, or low-fat mayonnaise. Examine your total diet to determine other sources of fat which can be modified.

Much of the meat supply is made into a variety of processed products, such as sausages, ham, roast beef, etc. Some of these are naturally low in fat. A lean 3-ounce slice of ham may provide only about six grams of fat, and 2 ounces of roast beef only three grams of fat. On the other hand, one typical bratwurst link may contain 25 grams of fat. While this too can fit into the daily recommended fat allowance, you may need to choose such higher fat products less frequently. Today, reduced fat alternatives are available for many of the traditional products. For example, while a traditional 10-to-a-pound hot dog may provide 13 grams of fat and 150 calories, a "light and lean" alternative contributes just one gram of fat and 50 calories. As you try lower fat options, remember to cook them properly to avoid drying out and toughening.

A final consideration is the amount of meat products consumed each day. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests two to three servings per day of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts. This translates to five to seven ounces of cooked, ready to eat meat or meat alternatives on an average day.

By applying these common sense approaches to manage fat provided by meat products, you can have the desirable taste and important nutrients provided by meat and maintain a fat content in your diet at a reasonable and healthful level.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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