Fish, meat and poultry are foods that we cannot leave out of our diet. We can easily find them in the main ingredients of our main course. In addition, some people have a kind of mentality that meat, poultry and fish contain more beneficial nutrients than vegetables, fruits and beans. This is why people put meat, poultry and fish in most of our diet, apart from vegetables, fruits and beans. We can also find that most children love meat, poultry and fish more than vegetables. And we know that it is difficult to transform children’s attention from meat, poultry and fish products into vegetables. But is it true that meat, poultry and fish contain more nutrients than vegetables? Is the mentality supported by a scientific explanation? Well, to know more, let’s talk about the health benefits of meat, poultry and fish.
Nutritional Information of Meat, Poultry and Fish:
The nutrients contained in meat, poultry and fish can be varied. However, we can take the underline for all three ingredients. Well, they are rich in protein. The animal protein is known to be the high quality complex protein that is above the other protein of plant origin. In addition to proteins, these foods also have the other important nutrients listed below:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin E
- Thiamine
- Niacin
- Vitamin B6
- B12 vitamin
However, it has also been identified that meat, poultry and fish contain some higher fats and cholesterol compared to the nerve center of vegetable proteins, such as Italian barlotti beans, with their Health Benefits of Barlotti beans.
You can also read: Long Hugs: 15 Benefits You Never Imagine
11 Benefits of Meat, Poultry and Fish:
The health benefits of meat, poultry and fish:
In the midst of today’s popular action to give up meat with its praised Health Benefits of Giving Up Meat and going to vegetarian or vegan ways, some people still believe in the health benefits of meat, poultry and fish. This article will give your mind a refreshment about the health benefits of meat, poultry and fish, and why people still take root in it these days.
1. Improve the Immune System:
Any form of meat, including red meat, poultry and fish, have a good amount of minerals in common.
- The mineral is very good for improving the immune system.
- One of the minerals that act as immune system stimulants is zinc.
- Zinc from meat, poultry and fish acts as an antioxidant and actively fights free radicals.
- In this way, zinc is able to give us protection against many chronic diseases.
- In addition, fish are also rich in selenium, which also helps improve the immune system. The other beneficial element in helping the immune system is the omega-3 fatty acids found in abundance in fish.
2. Promote Muscle Growth:
- It is common knowledge that to grow muscle, we need a high protein intake.
- It is because proteins help during the process of building and repairing body tissues and improving muscle activity.
- This is the reason why people with the intention of bodybuilding increase their protein intake by eating meat, poultry or chicken.
- They usually prefer chicken breast, since it is high in protein, but almost fat-free.
3. Strengthen the Muscle:
- Not only does it help muscle growth, meat, poultry and fish proteins also improve muscle strength.
- The zinc content of the three animal ingredients also contributes.
- This is the reason why the bodybuilder significantly increases his protein intake of meats.
4. Improves Digestion:
- Our body needs amino acids to improve the digestive system.
- These amino acids are the beneficial values that our body cannot produce on its own.
- We need to get the amino acids from meat, poultry and fish to improve digestion.
- There are nine amino acids that support our digestion that we can obtain from meats, namely histidine, leucine, lysine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
5. Improves Blood Circulation:
- Meat, poultry and fish are able to provide us with a significant amount of iron.
- Our body needs iron to improve blood circulation.
- Improved blood circulation will ensure the distribution of oxygen throughout the body to maintain the functioning of the body’s organs.
6. Avoid Iron Deficiency:
- We need iron not only for blood circulation, since iron has an important role for our health.
- And as we know, the lack of food of animal origin can lead to iron deficiency.
- Iron deficiency can cause some health problems such as fatigue, weakness, lack of concentration.
- Therefore, do not forget to eat some meats to improve your performance.
7. Keep your Heart Healthy:
- When we talk about which is the healthiest among meats, poultry and fish, we can get several answers.
- But if we relate the health benefits of meat, poultry and fish to heart health, we can say that fish is the healthiest.
- This is because fish contains the highest level of omega-3 fatty acids among the other meats.
- Omega-3 is very good for maintaining and even improving heart health by reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke and coronary heart.
8. Improve Skin Health:
- The consumption of meat, poultry and fish is beneficial for healthy skin. The fatty acids in meats, especially fish, are able to protect the skin from UV rays.
- Protein intake of meats helps our skin to restore natural moisture and skin shine.
- Therefore, eating meat, poultry and fish can not only be beneficial for your health, but also for your beauty.
9. Treat Skin Problems:
- Not only the maintenance of the natural beauty of our skin, the consumption of meat, poultry and fish can also treat skin problems such as psoriasis and dermatitis.
- Some people think that animal proteins make the skin problem worse.
- But in fact, animal protein helps the skin repair the damaged cell faster than any other food.
10. Improves Brain Function:
- The content of DHA and EPA in meats, especially in any type of fish, improves brain function very well.
- It is the reason why we should give children seafood, since it can provide the necessary nutrients for the brain.
- A sufficient intake of DHA and EPA can also improve cognitive and brain growth.
11. Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease:
- For older people, eating meat, poultry and fish can not only improve brain capacity, but also prevent some diseases.
- One of the diseases we are talking about is Alzheimer’s.
- Based on research, sufficient consumption of proteins and fatty acids is able to reduce the risk of developing brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s.
12. Good for Pregnancy:
- The consumption of meat, poultry and fish is highly recommended for pregnant women.
- It is because these foods are able to meet the needs of proteins and fatty acids during pregnancy.
- It is known that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for fetal growth.
The Other Health Benefits of Meat, Poultry and Fish are:
- Reproduction aid for women
- Relieve stress
- Prevent premature aging
- Promote the formation of red blood cells
- Improve the functioning of the nervous system
- Increase energy
- Control weight
- Good for hair
- Slower graying
- Good for nails and bones
- Prevent macular degeneration diseases
Recommended Intake of Meat, Poultry and Fish:
According to a daily diet website, people can consume meat, poultry and fish in the recommended amount of serving. The nutritionist recommends eating meat, poultry and fish for no more than 6 ounces in a day for a 2000-calorie diet a day. The recommended intake may vary according to the weight and health status of the person. To meet the recommended intake, you can take an example of these:
- 1 ounce of lean meat, cooked chicken or fish.
- 1 ounce lean meat sliced cold meat or sausage. Turkey meat is recommended, as it contains fewer calories compared to other types of turkey meat for lunch, as part of the health benefits of turkey meat for lunch.
- 1 ounce canned tuna or salmon.
In addition, whatever your choice between meat, poultry and fish for your daily diet, we need to consider the preparation and the cooking process. The preparation and cooking process is important to maintain the health benefits of meat, poultry and fish. Since these ingredients may contain fats and cholesterol, it is better to grill them to avoid adding oil to meat, poultry and fish. But if you can’t avoid using oil, be sure to use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil with its extra virgin olive oil benefits for weight loss or coconut oil benefits for type 2 diabetes. And lastly, don’t forget to eat meat, poultry or fish with vegetables to meet your fiber and other vitamins needs such as vitamin A and vitamin C.
