A European study of almost 400,000 adults found that eating meat was linked with weight gain, even in people taking in the same number of calories.
The strongest association was found with processed meat, such as sausages and ham, the Imperial College London team reported.
It suggests that high-protein diets may not help slimmers in the long run.
The researchers say that several existing observational studies already show that increased meat consumption leads to weight gain. However, there is continuing uncertainty about whether the link is fully attributable to meat intake itself, and so there is a need to explore the issue with further research.
Step 1
Don't eat meat on a Monday. Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health started the Meat Free Monday initiative to encourage a reduction in meat consumption. It's a good way to get started at lowering your meat intake.
Step 2
Cut processed meats from your diet first. These include sausages, hamburgers, ham and bacon. All contain higher levels of salt and fat that result in higher calories and greater weight gain.
Step 3
Take meat out of your refrigerator and freezer. If there's no meat around the house, you're less likely to snack on it in a moment of weakness.
Step 4
Avoid snacking on fatty products such as cheese and buttered bread. Replacing high-fat meat with high-fat alternatives won't lower your weight.
Step 5
Replace meats with meat substitutes. Vegetarian sausages and burgers make good alternatives to their meaty cousins. Soy-based products often mimic meat flavors, such as bacon and chicken. However, some vegetarian sausages and burgers contain lots of oil and salt.
Step 6
Buy fish and poultry, such as chicken, when you do want to eat meat. Most fish and poultry is lower in saturated fats than red meat.
Step 7
Add beans, chickpeas, healthy nuts such as walnuts and seeds to your diet to keep your protein levels up without consuming meat. Snack on seeds and nuts when hungry.
1 comment:
I think this article is really misguided. Nobody gains weight from eating meat because meat is just protein and the macronutrient protein has never been linked to weight gain, only weight loss.
If people are genuinely gaining weight while eating meat, I suggest that it's the foods they're eating WITH the meat that's the problem e.g. bread, potatoes, tomato sauce, etc. It's all the extra sugars and starches that lead to weight gain.
Keep the meat if you want to lose weight, but cut out the extras e.g. high-carb breads and potatoes/chip and sauces, which tend to be very high in sugar.
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