Lean meats and meat alternatives
Lean meats
To reduce fat from the meat group:
- Choose fish more often. You can get the health benefits of fish by eating it only 2 to 3 times a week. Even canned fish, if water packed, is a good choice. Don't add a lot of high-fat mayonnaise. Use low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise or a yogourt dressing.
- Choose chicken and poultry, but take the skin off before eating. Note: Ground turkey has the skin ground into it, increasing its fat content. If you want to use ground turkey, have the butcher grind some for you without the skin.
- Choose lean cuts of red meat, such as round, sirloin, chuck, and loin. Use extra-lean or diet-lean hamburger.
Mercury levels in fish
Mercury can build up to toxic levels in the human body and cause neurological damage. If you are pregnant, mercury is also dangerous to your developing fetus and later to your breast-feeding baby. A fetus exposed to mercury while developing in utero is especially likely to suffer mild to severe nervous system damage.
Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and also as a result of industrial pollution. It can be found in our water, air, soil, and food. Fish are the most common source of mercury in the human diet. You can best protect your child from mercury exposure by monitoring your fish intake while pregnant, preparing to be pregnant, or breast-feeding. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have issued the following advisory to pregnant and nursing women, women of child-bearing age, and young children:1, 2
- Limit eating fish most likely to have high levels of methyl mercury, including shark, swordfish, or fresh or frozen tuna (not canned), to one meal per month. Large, long-lived, predatory ocean fish have the highest mercury levels.
- Before eating locally caught fish, check with your local fishing or public health authorities for information about water and fish contamination. Also check Health Canada's Web site for mercury advisory updates at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/mercur/index_e.html.
- Eat smaller fish, shellfish, or canned fish. If you seldom eat fish, don't worry if you eat more than 12 ounces on occasion.
- Eat different kinds of fish to avoid getting concentrated amounts of mercury from any one type.
Meat alternatives
Meat alternatives, especially legumes (cooked dry beans, peas, and lentils), can be used in place of meat for several meals during the week. Try some vegetarian recipes.
To replace 1 ounce of meat, use:
- ¼ cup cooked dry beans, peas, or lentils.
- ¼ cup tofu (soybean curd).
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter.
- 1 ounce nuts or seeds.
| Author: | Carrie Henley Christine Wendt, R.D., L.D. | Last Updated: June 1, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine Heather Chambliss, PhD - Exercise Science/Weight Management | |
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