You may have heard that eating
less meat offers several health benefits, including weight loss and better gut
health.
Reducing meat consumption has been linked to better health and a
lower risk of certain diseases. However, these benefits depend on what other
foods you eat and what types of meat you limit.
This article reviews six potential benefits of reducing or avoiding
meat and provides tips on eating a nutritious diet with less meat.
1. Supports good overall health and weight management
Many eating patterns include little or no meat, and most of them
have been linked to some degree of health benefits.
Vegetarian and vegan diets, which do not contain animal products,
have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.
Furthermore, research suggests that, compared to more animal-based
diets, more plant-based diets are related to reduced insulin resistance and a
lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Limiting meat may also aid weight loss and maintenance.
An analysis of 12 high-quality studies found that people who
followed vegetarian diets for 18 weeks lost significantly more weight than
those who ate nonvegetarian diets.
However, keep in mind that many other diets that do not exclude
meat, such as the low carb and paleo diets, are effective for weight loss.
The possible health benefits of eating less meat and more
plant-based foods are likely due to a higher intake of beneficial plant
compounds such as:
- antioxidants
- fiber
- some micronutrients
In addition, those who eat plant-based diets tend to consume fewer
calories and less fat.
However, excluding meat while eating highly processed foods or
high in added sugar, refined carbs, or salt won't have the same benefits. This
is true even if those processed foods are plant-based.
Furthermore, it's important to note that vegan, vegetarian, or
primarily plant-based diets can lack nutrients predominantly found in animal
foods.
Poorly balanced plant-based diets may be low in vitamin B12, zinc,
calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, among other nutrients.
2. It May help reduce the risk of heart disease
The effect of plant-based diets on heart health is one of the most
researched aspects of plant-based diets.
According to controversial research, saturated fat intake, which
is primarily found in meat and animal products, has been linked to an increased
risk of heart disease.
There's a lot of debate about this potential link. It may be best
to moderate your intake of meat sources that tend to be high in saturated fats.
These include (10):
- fatty cuts of red meat
- bacon
- sausage
- hot dogs
Meats that are lower in saturated fat include poultry and leaner
cuts of meat.
Furthermore, replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat reduces
your risk of heart disease rather than simply lowering your overall saturated
fat intake.
Furthermore, replacing saturated fat sources with polyunsaturated
fat sources like fish, flax, and walnuts has been shown to reduce heart disease
risk.
Plant-based diets do not include much (if any) meat and are often
rich in sources of unsaturated fat, such as:
- nuts and seeds
- avocados
- olive oil
They also tend to be rich in dietary fiber, a nutrient that may
help reduce high blood cholesterol levels associated with heart disease.
As a result, eating more plant-based while cutting back on meat
high in saturated fat can benefit heart health. It's also possible that the
type of meat you eat impacts your health.
Processed meats are also very high in sodium, which can contribute
to the development of high blood pressure.
Even if you don't altogether remove meat from your diet, choosing
leaner cuts, replacing fatty fish for some meat, and avoiding processed meats
while eating fiber-rich plant foods can all help your heart.
3. Could improve gut health
Diets without meat are often high in dietary fiber since they are
high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other plant foods.
Fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which produce
anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting compounds.
Gut bacteria may also help prevent the spread of cancer, enhance
physical composition, and protect against type 2 diabetes.
Plant protein and polyphenols, beneficial compounds found in
plants, may also help with gut health.
On the other hand, some research suggests that the fats and
proteins from animal sources may promote the growth of other less healthy gut
bacteria that negatively influence metabolism and play a role in heart disease.
Overall, a diet rich in plant foods and low in meat may support
the growth of beneficial bacteria.
The gut microbiome, on the other hand, is complicated. More
research on this topic is needed to understand the role of animal protein in
gut healthfully.
4. May help protect against certain cancers
Limiting your consumption of some types of meat may also assist in
lowering your cancer risk.
An increased risk of colorectal cancer has been linked to
consuming many red and processed meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, and other
smoked or cured meats.
The consumption of poultry and fish has not been linked to an
increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Consumption of red and processed meat has also been linked to an
increased risk of other cancers, such as breast cancer.
How these foods affect cancer development is unclear. However,
some researchers have suggested that saturated fat and carcinogenic compounds
produced during meat processing and high-temperature cooking play a role.
On the other hand, plant foods appear to protect against
colorectal and different types of cancer.
When compared to nonvegetarian diets, vegetarian diets, including
fish and some meat, were linked to a lower incidence of colorectal cancer in a
study involving over 77,000 adults.
5. Maybe better for the environment
Eating more plants and less meat may be helpful for the
environment in addition to giving health benefits.
Meat production uses more resources, produces more greenhouse gas
emissions, and contributes more to deforestation and pollution than growing
fruits, vegetables, and other minimally processed plant foods.
When you consider the environmental impact of raising animals, you
might believe that removing meat is the only way to help the environment.
However, gradually cutting back on meat and adopting more of a
flexitarian eating style that includes some meat may still make a difference.
Compared to standard, meat-centric diets, a systematic review of
studies on the sustainability of different diets concluded that vegetarian,
pescatarian and vegan diets could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as
80%.
6. Less meat is beneficial, too
You don't have to eliminate meat from your diet to get the many
benefits of doing so.
Flexitarian diets involve reducing the intake of animal products
but not eliminating them. According to research, they're linked to health
benefits that are similar to those associated with vegan or vegetarian eating
patterns.
Furthermore, although research is mixed, chicken and fish are
rarely linked to the poor health impacts related to red and processed meats.
Finally, many of the benefits of plant-based eating stem from
what's included in the diet rather than what's excluded.
In other words, eliminating meat from your diet might not be as
beneficial to your health as increasing your intake of nutrient-dense plant
foods and eating a varied, well-balanced diet.
In addition, you probably won't see benefits if you eat a lot of
highly processed foods, even if you stop eating meat. Consider reducing your
intake of:
- foods high in sodium and unhealthy fats, like french fries
- foods made with refined grains, like white bread
- sugary drinks, like sugar-sweetened soda
- high sugar treats
Just because a food is labeled as plant-based, vegan, or
vegetarian does not mean it's healthy.
Tips for reducing meat intake
Here are some specific ways you can reduce your meat intake:
Start by replacing red meat with poultry or fish. Red meat can be
replaced with chicken, turkey, or seafood. Beef, bacon, sausage, salami, and
other cured meats are often leaner and lower in saturated fat than these
proteins.
Plant-based protein sources are a good option. Black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, lentils, nuts, nut butter, seeds, and soy-based products like tofu and tempeh are all excellent protein sources. In meals or snacks, replace one of these for meat.
Stretch meat with plant proteins. Try bulking up traditionally meat-heavy dishes with plant foods so they last longer! Try making tacos with lentils in place of half of the ground meat. You can use the rest of the meat in a chili paired with beans.
Get excited about trying new foods. Make it a weekly goal to try
one fresh plant food. Give lentils a try this week, quinoa next week, and
black-eyed peas. Browse the internet for tasty ways to prepare them — eating
plant-based can be fun!
The bottom line
Eating a meat-free or low-meat diet may benefit your health and
the environment.
Reduced meat consumption and a predominantly plant-based diet may
aid weight loss, protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and improve
gut health. Eating less meat and more plants may positively impact the
environment.
Refer to the tips above if you're interested in reducing your meat intake to experience some of the possible benefits.