While one weight loss meal plan may recommend avoiding meat entirely, another may endorse eating meat at every meal and snack. With so much conflicting information, it’s hard to decipher what role meat can actually play in a healthy diet.
From a nutritional perspective, meat has a lot to offer. It’s high in protein and provides several vitamins and minerals that help your body function. However, the type of meat and how it’s prepared makes a difference.
How much meat should you eat?
The amount of meat that’s recommended to consume as part of a balanced diet can be thought of as an amount per meal as well as a weekly total. For example, the general recommendation for a portion of meat at a meal is about 3 to 4 ounces or the size of a deck of cards.
The suggested total intake of meat on a weekly basis, according to the United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines, is approximately 23 to 33 ounces, depending on the total calories you eat per day. This recommendation includes meats, poultry, and eggs. The suggested weekly intake of seafood is about 8 to 10 ounces per week.