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Fatty meats are considered unhealthy because they are high in saturated fat. However, recent studies show that saturated fat is harmless and that fatty meat is also a healthy food. So is eating fatty meat fat and should you eat fatty meat?
1. Distinguishing fatty meat and lean meat
1.1. The difference between calories and macronutrients
The most obvious difference between lean meat and fatty meat is the fat content. In particular, fatty meat will have a much higher total fat content than lean meat. However, fat is not synonymous with daily calorie intake. Each gram of fat usually contains about 9 calories. Meanwhile, each gram of protein provides only about 4 calories. This means: fatty meat will contain more calories than lean meat.
For example, each 100 grams of different servings of chicken may contain:
Lean meat: 165 calories with 4 grams of fat and 31 grams of protein. The wings, thighs and skin are fatty: 290 calories with 19 grams of fat and 27 grams of protein.
Thịt nạc ở gà có hàm lượng chất béo ít hơn phần đùi hoặc cánh
1.2. Differences related to micronutrients
Overall, meat is a nutritious food and contains most of the essential nutrient groups for the body. However, there is a small difference between fatty meat and lean meat related to micronutrients (such as vitamins, minerals...)
Fatty meat usually contains more fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K2. It should be noted that the difference in micronutrients between these two types of meat is not much, so this is not a criterion to choose which meat you should eat. The bottom line is that you need to maximize the amount of nutrients you get from meats.
2. Should you eat fatty meat? Is eating fatty meat fat?
Back in the day, the notion that fatty meat was harmful made many people ignore this meat, even boycotting it. However, many studies show the answer to the question "Should I eat fatty meat?" depends on your nutritional needs.
Accordingly, if protein intake is a priority, lean meat is a better choice. Consuming a high amount of protein can provide various benefits for weight loss. For some subjects such as athletes, bodybuilders, or people who need to lose weight, focusing on protein supplements is a good thing to do.
In this case, lean meat will be the ideal choice over fatty meat, because of the same volume, fatty meat will provide a lot of protein, but it is accompanied by a huge amount of calories, so it is difficult to control.
For example, bodybuilders need to eat about 200 grams of protein, if they choose fatty meat, they will easily get calories in excess of their needs. This makes weight control more difficult.
So choose lean meat if you need to eat more protein without increasing total calories per day.
Thịt mỡ được tiêu thụ dựa vào nhu cầu dinh dưỡng của mỗi người
3. When to eat fatty meat?
If you're on a carb-restricted diet (especially the Keto diet - eliminating carbs altogether), fatty meats will often be a better choice. Fatty meat will provide you with ample calories for all day activities. In addition, many studies show that a carb-restricted diet leads to many impressive health benefits.
However, in a low-carb mode, if you don't have another source of energy, you will be easily discouraged by fatigue, hunger and exhaustion. Therefore, eating fatty meat in this case is highly recommended.
4. Is eating fatty meat fat?
Eating fatty meat or not will depend on each case. Whether a food is fattening or not is entirely up to the individual. If you provide your body with too many calories but do not find ways to consume them through physical activity, the excess calories will accumulate as fat and cause fat in many areas of the body, especially the abdomen. .
On the contrary, if fatty meat intake is accompanied by moderate physical activity, a fatty diet can even turn into an effective - fast weight loss regimen.
Thịt mỡ có thể gây béo ở vùng bụng
5. Summary of some low-fat meats
If you are in a situation where you have to monitor your saturated fat intake, you should choose some meats that are low in fat or contain unsaturated fat. Some of the following meat groups may meet this condition.
5.1. Fish and seafood
Most fish and seafood are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. However, you need to avoid eating breaded or deep-fried seafood. . This cooking method will increase the saturated fat content in the meat.
Besides fish, some seafood such as oysters, shrimp, crab... are also nutritious, safe and low in saturated fat. Should choose grilled fish, boiled fish, steamed fish... instead of fried fish.
5.2. Poultry
Poultry also belongs to the group of lean meat with low fat. Just like fish, you should avoid breading or frying poultry. According to the recommendations, you can eat chicken with the skin on because the fat in chicken and chicken skin is both unsaturated fat. However, goose meat is a rich source of saturated fat. Therefore, you should limit eating this type of poultry.
Ăn thịt gà cả da vì đây là chất béo không bão hòa
5.3. Pork
If you don't like to eat chicken or seafood, pork can also become a low-fat meat. According to nutritionists, pork is an excellent source of lean protein. Although the saturated fat content of meat can vary, some of the following groups of pork are very low in fat:
Boiled ham. Pork is lean and finely chopped. Tenderloin or cutlet. If you want to limit your intake of fatty meat, you should avoid processed pork products, because they contain a lot of saturated fat and trans fat, salt, additives...
Overall, The question of whether to eat fatty meat and whether to eat fatty meat depends on the individual (current diet, level of physical activity...). The nature of fatty meat is also a food with high nutritional value, so you should not rule it out, but make the most of its benefits.
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References: healthline.com, verywellfit.com
