Eat More Meat To Lose Weight

The conventional wisdom is that meat can make you gain weight. But if you choose healthy meats and prepare them the right way, nothing is further from the truth. In fact, including healthy meats in your diet can supply your body with a wide array of nutrients that support fat burning and weight loss.

It’s important to start by noting that while any meat from ruminant animals (such as cows, sheep and goats) that is not consumed with breading, sugary sauces or other processed carbs (like buns) is good for weight loss, you should be careful with meat from conventionally-raised monogastric animals, including poultry and pork.

Meat from these particular conventionally-raised animals is much higher in omega-6 fat than meat from pasture-raised animals that were fed a grain-free diet. That’s a problem because omega-6 fat has linoleic acid, which has been shown in studies to increase the size of fat cells (called hypertrophy).

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Additionally, linoleic acid elevates cannabinoid levels, which disrupt the mechanisms that make you feel full after a meal, dramatically increasing your chances of overeating.

One of the main causes of weight gain in Western societies like the United States is the consumption of processed foods, including industrial seed oils, that are calorie-dense but nutrient-poor. In fact, a 2021 study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition found that eating heavily processed foods was associated with a 15% increase in the risk for obesity.

In recent decades, mainstream dietary guidelines have focused on reducing people’s intake of saturated fat, based largely on the incorrect belief that saturated fat causes heart disease. This has resulted in the increased consumption of low-fat and plant-based foods that lack many key nutrients that promote calorie burning in the body.

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These dietary guidelines de-prioritize meat, which is a major problem considering that it is unequivocally the most nutrient-dense food you can eat. For example, animal protein has a complete amino acid profile (including methionine, taurine and lysine), whereas plant protein lacks many of those important amino acids (as shown in the chart below).

Additionally, researchers from the University of Alberta found that a diet consisting of 40% protein burned more total calories than a standard recommended diet consisting of just 15% protein. The researchers theorized that this is because digesting protein requires a higher caloric expenditure than digesting carbohydrates.

In other words, your body has fewer calories to use for energy when you consume protein compared to when you consume carbohydrates. So even without changing your level of activity, consuming more protein leads to a higher fat loss ratio.

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To get the healthiest meats for a lean body, it’s important to consider the overall health profile of each type of meat. Here are the 10 best meats for weight loss (if prepared and served correctly).

100% grass-fed beef is high in protein and has a complete amino acid profile, as well as plenty of healthy fats that keep you fuller for longer than other meats. In fact, research shows that eating red meat results in fewer food cravings compared to diets that restrict red meat consumption.

Additionally, grass-fed beef contains a significant amount of carnosine, which is an antioxidant unique to meat. People with higher blood levels of carnosine are less likely to have diabetes or elevated blood sugar levels. Studies on rodents suggest that carnosine also helps to promote more metabolically active fat in the body (which is called brown fat).

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It’s important to note that consuming red meat (like grass-fed beef) as part of a low-carbohydrate diet does not negatively affect cholesterol levels. You can learn more about why in our article debunking the most common myths about red meat.

Best options: The absolute best red meat option is 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef organs, such as liver, heart and spleen (all of which are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet). You can learn more about these and other options in our article on the health benefits of eating organ meat. Other healthy choices include grilled steak, slow-cooked short ribs and slow-cooked bone-in chuck roast beef. If you’re not interested in preparing and eating organ meat, freeze-dried beef liver supplements are a good second option.

Stay away from: Any form of deep-fried beef (like chicken-fried steak) or breaded beef (like Salisbury steak). Also stay away from burgers on buns; serve your burgers on a bed of lettuce — one of the least-toxic greens — instead.

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Sardines are highly satisfying, very nutritious and rich in healthy fat (like omega-3 fat). They rank just below grass-fed beef because they don’t contain as much carnitine or CLA.

These tasty, small fish are healthier than most other fish options because they contain the safest levels of mercury. Plus, they align well with nose-to-tail eating because you truly do eat the whole fish when you eat sardines — head, tail bones and all.

Stay away from: Sardines that are brined in soybean oil or sunflower oil, because these fats are inflammatory and may contribute to weight gain. Choose sardines brined in olive oil instead. Also, stay away from sardines that have the skin removed because the skin contains healthy fat and nutrients.

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Salmon is rich in B vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats. And while it has more mercury than sardines, it’s still a relatively low-mercury fish. Plus, as one of the most popular fish in Western cultures, it’s easy to find and very versatile in meals.

Best options: Wild-caught sockeye salmon is particularly healthy because it’s the richest in vitamin B12, and wild-caught king salmon has the highest omega-3 fatty acid content of any salmon variety. Both sockeye and king salmon are rich sources of an antioxidant called astaxanthin, which promotes overall health. Whenever possible, try to eat the salmon skin to increase your feelings of fullness and to get more collagen into your diet.

Stay away from: Farmed salmon, which is higher in inflammatory fats, lower in nutrients, and contains chemicals like butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ethoxyquin (EQ). You can learn more about this (and about why you want to avoid those chemicals) in our article explaining the key health differences between wild-caught and farm-raised salmon.

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Grass-fed lamb has a high amount of carnosine as well as a high amount of CLA (second only to grass-fed beef). Its vitamin and mineral content is very similar to grass-fed beef as well, with higher amounts of thiamine but lower amounts of vitamin B12 than beef. It also contains an abundant amount of omega-3 fat compared to conventionally-raised lamb.

Although healthy grass-fed lamb is very comparable to the meats listed above, we’ve ranked it slightly lower due to its limited accessibility; it’s not as widely available, and fewer people know how to prepare it and integrate it into meals. But when you can get your hands on grass-fed lamb, it’s a healthy and delicious option.

Best options: You can serve leg of lamb, lamb chops, shoulder, shank and ribs slow-cooked with moist heat. Lamb chops and lamb liver can also be grilled. Ground lamb can be used to make gyro meat or lamb burgers.

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Stay away from: Serving lamb with processed grains such as buns, pitas, etc. While these are the common accompaniments to lamb, pairing this healthy meat with processed grains will counteract the health and weight-loss benefits it provides.

Venison tastes even better when you’re the one sourcing and butchering it. This photo shows Michael butchering the first deer he harvested, in November 2022.

Wild game meat — such as deer, elk, wild boar and bison — are very nutritious foods to include in your diet. They rank slightly below some of the other options on this list because they don’t have much fat, making them less filling. (They’re also more difficult to access.) Still, they’re among the best meats for weight loss since the fat they do contain is largely comprised of omega-3.

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Notably, venison (deer) is very high in zinc, providing around 30% of your daily needs with just one serving. Higher amounts of dietary zinc are linked to lower insulin levels, which is in turn related to weight loss. Because of this, wild game is a good low-calorie meat for weight loss.

Shellfish is high in protein and features the highest amount of taurine of any meat on this list, as well as numerous minerals that are important for metabolic health, such as zinc, selenium and iodine. In fact, oysters are the highest source of zinc of any food on the planet, containing over 5 mg each.

When it comes to shellfish, keep in mind that too much of a good thing is possible. Because some shellfish (like oysters) are so high in zinc, it’s best to avoid eating large amounts of them daily, since too much zinc can reduce copper absorption in the body when eaten in excess over long periods of time.

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Still, zinc-rich foods help support hormones that promote healthy metabolism and can thus be a great addition to a healthy weight-loss diet.

Best options: To get the most from shellfish, it’s best to eat a variety of them to maximize your nutrient intake diversity. You should choose mollusks that have shells that are very fresh, moist and tightly-closed, because