Fish vs Meat – Which Should You Include In Your Diet Chart?

Most of us cannot resist having fish or meat on a regular basis, as they contain super nutritional values and the taste. But out of these two foods, which one do you consider the healthiest? We bet at least 80% of people can quickly judge it fish! To be frank, even meat got its own nutritional values and has rich sources of protein, vitamins and essential minerals which help your body in many ways. It is absolutely important to maintain balanced amounts of nutrients and protein in your diet, no matter the fish or meat. As deciding between fish and meat has always been a challenge, we came up with this interesting article to make a decision.

Why should Fish and Meat be an integral part of our diet?

Renowned nutritionists always propagate the idea of the balanced diet. As we all know that we mustn’t feed out body with only certain kinds of nutrients and. Vitamins are as essential as protein. Minerals are as important as carbs or fats. So we shouldn’t ever eliminate one part of the essential nutrients to include another part of the same.

A balanced diet should include cereals meat fish pulses fruits vegetables and dairy products. The perfect combination of all these can make up the perfect diet chart. So try and include all the food groups which should occupy the majority of the diet chart. But do you really know how much of all these you should really include in your diet? A thorough study can throw some light on certain aspects of your diet chart.

Carbohydrates should be an important part of your Diet

Carbohydratescare your chief source of calories almost 70-80%. So you must never toy with the idea of avoiding carbohydrates completely as it’s also your main energy source. So banning carbohydrates completely from your diet chart would mean depriving yourself of the energy to carry out your tasks for the day.

So if you are on a weight losing spree and thinking of doing away with carbohydrates completely, think of how would you feel without the zest and the vigor to do the millions of chores you have to complete every day. But where we bungle and mismanage is include carbohydrates from the refined flour like biscuits, white rice, wheat flour and white bread rather than including brown rice, whole wheat, oats, millets etc. Thus, add a lot of fiber into your diet, which is essential for your body.

Protein, the building blocks of the body

Protein should make up about 30-45% of your diet. It is said that we have a lesser amount of protein than ideally what we should be having. It makes sense to include the required amount of protein in your diet as it comprises the main part of your body cells and soft tissues hair and skin. What’s interesting is that we burn more calories in digesting protein than carbohydrates. So protein should be the most important component of our diet chart. Recommended dietary allowance of men could be 60 grams for men and 55 grams for women per day. Meat, fish, eggs, pulses, cottage cheese, sprouts are the chief protein sources for your daily diet.

Boost your Metabolism with Fat

In order to shed unwanted fat, we should eliminate fat totally right? Wrong! nutritionists are now very keen to give fat the pride of place in your kitchen instead of abhorring fat we should make fat an important position in our daily diet chart. Eat fat to burn fat. This is the new health mantra. Besides comprising 1/6th of your dietary chart it also should be a regular fixture in all your meals.

There are a wide variety of oils and fats which find a place in our kitchen like olive oil, butter, ghee or clarified butter, mustard oil, soybean oil and so on. It goes without saying that unrefined oils are better for our health than refined oils. So incorporate more such oils in your diet but it does not mean that you would have deep fried stuff every day. A little bit of fat in your diet is essential for your health.

Vitamins and Minerals for the Important Functions of the Body

They are the all-important micronutrients which are necessary for the function of muscles, cell formation, and maintenance of bones. An adequate amount of nuts legumes fruits and vegetables can help meet your vitamins and mineral demands. But it’s also necessary to give importance to the fact that vitamin tends to get lost and destroyed during the cooking process. So if we are to give importance to proper assimilation of vitamins and minerals the proper method of cooking should be employed.

Now that we have understood the importance of a balanced diet we must now understand why we should include fish and meat as an integral part of our diet?

Why should We Eat Fish?

Fish is an important part of our diets because it is a very good source of animal protein and the good fats that are Omega3 fatty acids. It is a treasure trove of good fats, especially the white fish like salmon. The following reasons can show you why the fish should be an important part of your dietary regime.

• It helps to constrict vessels and in the regulation of blood vessels. Also, it keeps cardiovascular health in prime condition.
• Fish also helps in neurological development in fetuses also in babies.
• The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are controlled to a great extent by eating fish.
• The conditions of irregular heartbeat are also taken care of with the consumption of fish. Also, mental alertness and depression can be avoided by eating fish. The degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s can also be controlled and prevented by eating fish.

Omega3 fatty acids and its health benefits

Why should you consume more of sardines, trout, mackerel, anchovies and salmon into your diet chart because of its high content of Omega 3 fatty acids? Two crucial ones EPA and DHA are found in fish. Besides the obvious beauty benefits of beautiful skin and thick and shiny hair. These fishes can reduce your triglyceride levels and it is especially helpful for younger children for brain development and older individuals to stall brain degeneration. But we have to ensure that we do not consume contaminated fish as it would do more harm to the body than good.

Meat and its Benefits

There is a rising voice among nutritionists that we should avoid red meat to keep our heart health in optimum condition. But if consumed in moderation red meats can be an important source of protein. But we have to know the correct way of preparing the same so that we don’t add to the fat content of the already fatty meat.

High Iron Content

Meat is an extremely rich source of iron an important component to support human life. When the bone marrow composes new red blood cells it adds iron to the blood, hemoglobin which is actually the compound that carries oxygen to all the cells. The body also adds iron to myoglobin that makes muscle cells to utilize oxygen. Manufacturing neurotransmitters, strengthening immune function and supporting DNA production is all in day’s work for iron.

Recommended dietary allowance for women is a whopping 18 milligrams for women under fifty and 8 milligrams for men under fifty. A three-ounce serving of red meat can serve about 3 milligrams of iron that’s more than what white chicken would provide.

Protein Content very high in Meats

We have already discussed how protein helps to build soft tissues cells skin and hair. As soon as we consume protein our gastrointestinal tract breaks it down to amino acids which act as building blocks. Dietitian recommends a good 50 grams of protein every day and the best sources of protein are without an iota of doubt is meat.

Other Important Nutrients in Meat

The other important nutrients in meat are Vitamin A, D, and B-complex vitamins and also vitamins B-5, B-6, and B-12. These are extremely important for healthy bones, healthy skin, eyes and also calcium metabolism. Your heart health depends on these important nutrients; also, your nervous system is supported by these minerals.  Magnesium, selenium, zinc, and potassium are the other important nutrients which we can get if we consume meat for the healthy functioning of organs.

Cooking Meat

Cooking meat is also an important part of the correct assimilation of all the nutrients contained in meat. Though we love to have a delectable dish of meat we must bear it in our minds that meat contains high levels of saturated fat which spike our cholesterol and triglyceride levels if we consume too much of meat. So we must stay away from these unhealthy fats and choose lean fats over unhealthy fats. Lean cuts of meat like veal ham pork are a better option for consumption rather than the fatty parts.

When you choose white meat it is better if we choose the breast part instead of the thick skin and the redder version of the meat. Deep frying is a complete no-no if you want to keep your weight to the optimum level and if you want to keep your heart healthy. Cooking options like stewing grilling are better options compared to frying as the fat can then drain off.

But it does not give you the license to eat meat to your heart’s content. Balance is the key so a2000 calorie a day meal plan can have up to only two servings of meat.

Fish vs. Meat

Fish cannot be consumed in place of meat or vice-versa. Nutritionists often harp on the same topic that to get a healthy and fit mind and body you need to eat a balanced nutritious and wholesome food. If we get swayed by the dietary fads which invade the nutrition market every time we mustn’t eliminate any one food group.

As then, we are sure to suffer from some kinds of deficiency or the other. If we plan to get a healthy mind and a sharp ticking brain we must incorporate both these important food items in our diet. Also, we must ensure to have the healthier versions of each of these food products.

Nutrition vs. Taste

We are often guilty of the fact that we like to settle for taste than nutrition. Food is a fuel which helps to propel our body towards a healthy and disease free life. So why should we jeopardize the very chance to achieve that healthy body and mind which would, in turn, help us to lead a happy and contented life.

We know that processed meat or fish is bad for our health but we still prefer to have the unhealthy processed meat which contains a lot of preservatives and additives which bring down the nutrient level of these foods. Burgers or fried chicken processed enough to strip whatever little nutrient content is there in the food.

The rise of obesity which has reached almost epidemic proportions must be stalled. The easy availability of processed foods tempts the children and adults alike towards these food products. At the sight of a burger or fried meat nutrition, jostles for primacy and settles to the furthest corner of our minds. So, if we are thinking weight-loss thinking of healthy food then these foods have to be thrown out of our diet plan.

Meat or fish is not the question; the bottom line is we must have the nutritious and healthier version of the food that we conveniently toss in our shopping bags. Unveil the cook in you and concoct a meal for your family with wholesome ingredients and fresh herbs. The aroma wafting from your kitchen would surely help you to indulge and indulge right.

Browse through the net or read up magazines or catch the reruns of your favorite cookery show on your television. There is a huge collection of the choicest of healthiest recipes to tantalize your senses. Just give it a dekko and seal the deal with the healthier version of you.

If food is fuel cooking can be regarded as therapeutic. Nutritionists are crying hoarse about the benefits of eating fresh and healthy. Just give temptations a miss or maybe indulge once a week and the weight loss goals which you have been nursing for some time would be soon on the verge of realization. Eat fish but white and eat meat but eliminate the skin and the flesh dripping with fat and you would be able to strike the right balance of nutrition and taste.