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Meat and the Low-Fat Diet

Many people think they cannot have meat, especially red meat, in their diets if they are trying to lower their cholesterol. However, as long as the amount of saturated fat in your diet is kept below 7%, you can include up to 5 ounces per day of any meat, poultry, or fish in a cholesterol-lowering diet. For more information, see the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet.

Think about the following:

  • Select lean cuts of meat. Choose "loin" or "round" cuts graded "USDA Select" or "Choice." Avoid choosing cuts graded "Prime." Choose cuts of pork that have "loin" or "leg" in their name.
  • Trim the visible fat from meat, and remove the skin from poultry.
  • Use low-fat cooking methods and rinse cooked ground beef with water to reduce its fat content before adding it to other ingredients.
By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Carl Orringer, MD - Cardiology, Clinical Lipidology
Last Revised July 2, 2010

Last Revised: July 2, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Carl Orringer, MD - Cardiology, Clinical Lipidology

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