Red Meat: Choose Lean and Watch Portions

Red Meat is OK

Going cold turkey on red meat? "No need to skip it," says Liz Glynn, M.S., R.D., CDE, of the Inova Diabetes Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Glynn adds two caveats: "Choose lean, and eat petite."

Recent results show many cuts of red meat come close to or even beat the nutrition profile of a skinless chicken breast -- the queen of lean. So if you've been bypassing red meat, learn today's nutrition facts, then enjoy red meat again.

Know Your Cuts

The fat content of red meats ranges from lean to high-fat cuts and processed products. For example, when you're shopping for pork, you can choose from lean tenderloin or high-fat country-style ribs and processed products such as sausage and bacon. The key is to choose from the lean end of the spectrum.