Eat Less Meat and Live a Longer Life

Reducing Your Meat Intake is Easier than You Think

Apr 10, 2009 Karen Sheviak

Reducing the amount of meat in your diet may extend your life and reduce your risk of dying from heart disease and cancer.

If you need another reason to reduce your meat intake, a new study has just shown that eating red meat every day increases your risk of dying from cancer and heart disease by about 30 per cent. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, followed more than 500,000 people over a 10-year period. It also found that those who ate the most processed meats, such as cold cuts and hot dogs, also had a higher mortality. On the other hand, those who ate the most white meat, such as chicken, reduced their risk of dying from these diseases.

But there's no need to become a vegetarian to reduce these risks. A few simple changes to your diet can let you have your steak and eat it, too.

When You Eat Meat, Have Less

Reduce your portion sizes. According to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, one serving of meat or meat products is about the size of your palm (minus your fingers) or a deck of cards. And we only need two servings of this size per day. Sharing a steak with your spouse or making your own smaller burgers at home can help you stay within this limit.

Go Veggie Once in a While

Go vegetarian two meals per day. If you love meat at dinner, skip the bacon in the morning and swap the steak sub at lunch for a turkey one. If that goes well, try going a couple of days per week with no meat. Pasta dishes are simple, filling and inexpensive without meat. Same goes for pizza and chili.

Choose Different Protein Sources

Remember that you have lots of other options in the meat group: poultry, fish, beans, eggs and, yes, even tofu are filling and satisfying. You don't have to go hungry just because you're eating less meat.

Eat More of Everything Else

Fill up your plate. That's right, but with veggies! If you're reducing or skipping meat on your sandwich, add lettuce, tomatoes, peppers...the list goes on. At dinner, add a colorful salad or vegetable soup. These are foods you can eat lots of, and they'll fill you up while you benefit from the extra antioxidants.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, have that steak. Allow yourself your favourite steak or roast beef once a week. Banning something you love from your diet rarely works in the long run. By indulging once in a while, you'll stay satisfied and be more likely to eat less meat in the long run, and in turn reap the health benefits and enjoy a longer life.

The copyright of the article Eat Less Meat and Live a Longer Life in Nutrition is owned by Karen Sheviak. Permission to republish Eat Less Meat and Live a Longer Life in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Eating Less Meat Can Improve Your Health