Weight Loss, Red Meat and your Health

The foods you eat have a direct effect on your health and well-being. Increasing your nutrient intake and reducing your consumption of fat and sugar-filled foods during your medical weight loss program and beyond can result in improved health outcomes. According to a collection of research, reducing your intake of certain foods—especially red meat—can reduce your risk of developing obesity-related diseases and help you lose weight.

The topic of red meat is sometimes controversial. As Americans, we love red meat. Approximately 12 ounces of red meat are consumed per person every day in the United States. That is about twice the recommended consumption for adult men, and more than twice the recommended consumption for women. Despite the common love for this food, there is a lot of evidence that consuming red meat too often can be bad for your health.

Red Meat and your Health

Red meat is high in saturated fat. A single serving of red meat has more than three times the calories of the same size serving of a piece of white-meat chicken, with comparable levels of protein. Red meat is also higher in calories than white-meat alternatives, averaging about 100 calories more per serving. This increase in calorie consumption will add up, especially as you are focusing on losing weight.

However, the concerns with red meat do not stop at your weight loss efforts. Red meat is shown to heighten your risk for developing certain diseases already linked to obesity.

These include:

• Type-2 Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Certain cancers

According to a recent study out of Harvard Medical School, consuming just one serving of red meat, including beef, pork or lamb every day increases your risk for early death by 13 percent. For those who consumed processed red meats daily, such as bacon and hot dogs, the risk of early death increased 20 percent.

When you struggle with obesity, your risk for type-2 diabetes and heart disease are already heightened. As you lose weight, your risk for these diseases goes down. In some situations the onset of chronic illnesses like these will even reverse as your weight becomes healthier. Reducing your consumption of red meat during your medical weight loss program may further improve your health and weight loss efforts.

If you choose to eat red meat, consider doing so in small amounts and be careful with what forms of red meat you choose. Consider substituting red meat for white meat when possible, and limit your consumption of red meat to just a few times a month or once per week. Even reducing your consumption of red meat is shown to reduce your risk of developing chronic disease.