Eat Less Meat, Lose More Weight - so Say the Europeans

The amount of meat you eat may be a factor in how your body is able to lose weight and maintain a more healthy weight level. That's what a group of European researchers at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College of London are now saying in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers, which also included assistance from other European institutions, have determined that reducing meat consumption may be a factor in successful weight loss.

Earlier Research Tied Eating Meat to Weight Gain

In research and observational studies done previously, the amount of meat consumption is positively linked to weight gain. Other interventional research done in the past could not produce the same results and could not make a clear connection between eating meat and weight gain. Most of the research found that because some meat has a high amount of fat, this may lead to weight gain.

Meat has a great deal of protein and that protein is vital to your health. Protein provides essential amino acids into your diet which are used by your body's cells to build new proteins and repair muscle tissue, skin, bones, organs, and blood. Without protein, your body could not function properly. So if you can't eat meat, where do you get protein?

Low Fat Meats and Protein Alternatives

Protein can be found in just about any food. Some foods have more protein than other foods. Your body needs about 50 to 60 grams of protein food each day along with some other protein foods rich in amino acids. It is better to consume a balanced diet of proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fats rather than trying to consume large amounts of protein rich foods.

A 3.5 ounce cut of lean, top-round sirloin beef contains about 36.12 grams of protein. The same amount of white meat turkey has about 29 grams of protein. Meat protein alternatives include 3.5 ounces of pumpkin seeds which contain about 33 grams of protein, peanut butter at 25 grams, and cheddar cheese at around 25 grams of protein. All of these are good sources of protein.

This study was conducted over a period of eight years between 1992 and 2000, and included more than 400,000 subjects from 10 countries between the ages of 25 and 40 tears old. The researchers concluded that the amount of meat consumed had a direct link to weight gain in both males and females regardless of their physical activity, average caloric intake, and other cofounders.

Sources:

NetDoctor.co.uk; "Cutting meat intake may aid weight loss"

MyWeightLossSystem.com, "Decreased Meat Intake May Help Weight Loss And Maintain Healthy Bodyweight"

PubMed.gov, "Meat consumption and prospective weight change in participants of the EPIC-PANACEA study"

IndoorClimbing.com, "Protein Foods"