Protein / fat: a balancing act!
Meat and alternatives are excellent sources of protein,
iron, and B-complex vitamins, which are essential for
your health. However, many sources of protein are also
sources of saturated fat and cholesterol.
What size is one serving of meat?
According to the Canada Food Guide, meat or meat alternatives
should be limited to 2 or 3 servings a day. One serving is:
• 2½ oz (75 g) of cooked fish, seafood, skinless poultry, lean
meat
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup (175 ml) cooked legumes
• ¾ cup (150 g) firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter
Are you the carnivore type?
If I am being provided with this document, it is because it
would be better for my cardiovascular health if I examined
the sources of protein in my diet.
• My meat servings are too generous
• The meat cuts often contain too much fat
• I eat deli meats on a regular basis
• Cheese is my main alternative to meat at meal time
• I hardly ever eat legumes
• I know very little about vegetable protein
If meat takes up a lot of space in your plate, it may be more
difficult for you to meet the recommended serving size in
Canada’s Food Guide. Remember that for long term success,
you should implement diet changes gradually. Here are a few
useful tips:
• Start with a 25% decrease of your present serving size for
meat. When you have reached this goal, you can aim for an
additional 25% decrease.
• Allocate only ¼ of your plate to meat
• Refer to the size of the palm of your hand to help you choose
a proper meat serving size.
• The size of a pack of playing cards corresponds to about 100
g (3 oz) of meat.
To lower your risk of cardiovascular disease:
• Look for lean cuts of meat: cubes, cutlets, loin, eye of round,
sirloin, extra-lean or lean ground meat
• Eat skinless poultry and remove all visible fat from meat
• Include at least 2 different fish meals a week
• Choose meatless dishes made from legumes or tofu
• Eat no more that 2 egg yolks a week
• Avoid cooking with butter. Choose methods of cooking that
do not require fat: steaming, grilling, poaching or roasting
• Eat offal and shellfish on an occasional basis only
A few words about cold cuts…
Substitute lean cold cuts or home cooked meat to regular cold
cuts. This is a good way to cut down on saturated fat (unhealthy
fat) in the diet. Regular of low-fat cold cuts are an important
source of salt, and thus it is important to limit their intake.
Use home cooked chicken, turkey, roast beef, or pork loin in
sandwiches, or cook fondue meat. You can also use soy products
(imitation turkey, végé-burger, on an occasional basis…). They
contain a lot of salt.
If you are a diehard carnivore, how can you
replace meat?
CHOOSE VEGETABLE PROTEIN MORE OFTEN
Legumes, a source of vegetable protein, are a good substitute
for animal protein which is high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
The fat content of legumes is relatively low and they are a good
source of fibre, particularly soluble fibre. They taste good in
soups, salads, spreads and dishes!
Tips on easing them in…
• Varied legume salads
• Lentil spaghetti sauce
• Mexican chili with red beans
Protein / fat: a balancing act!
Tool #16
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Almonds, nuts, seeds and their butter, are good sources of healthy
fat and they are also good sources of vegetable protein. You can
top off the protein content of a meal by adding a few nuts to your
cereal at breakfast, to yogurt or salads, using peanut or other nut
butter as a spread, adding a few almonds to a serving of fruit…
However, they are an important source of calories because they
contain a lot of fat. So be stingy!
Protein / fat: a balancing act!
DARE TO EAT SOY!
Soy is part of the legume family. It is a good source of protein and
unsaturated fat, with an excellent nutritional value.
Soy is used to make tofu and soy beverages. There is an extensive
variety of products derived from soy on the market now, for
everyone to enjoy!
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SOURCES OF PROTEIN
Proteins
(g)
Teaspoons
of fat
Calories
Cooked lean ground beef
55 g (2 oz)
16
2
140
<1
Cooked skinless chicken
55 g (2 oz)
16
0.5
90
<1
Canned tuna, in water
55 g (2 oz)
16
0
70
<1
Lean ham
100 g (3½ oz)
16
1
110
4
Cured meat with a high fat and/or salt
content (ham and other cold cuts,
sausages, deli meats, pâté, greaves…)
Cheddar cheese, regular 33%
M.F.
65 g (2½ oz)
16
4
260
1½
Domestic goose and duck
Camembert cheese
80 g (3 oz)
16
4
240
3
Offal (brain, heart, liver, sweetbread,
kidney…)
Cheddar cheese, partially
skimmed 18% M.F.
65 g (2½ oz)
16
2
180
2
Mozzarella cheese, low-fat 7%
M.F. 65 g (2½ oz)
16
1
130
2
Chickpeas, canned
175 g (1 cup)
16
1
295
1
Lentils, canned
200 g (1 cup)
16
0
240
1
Tofu, regular firm or extra-firm
115 g (4 oz)
16
2
145
<1
Almonds, roasted
80 g (½ cup)
16
8
470
<1
Walnuts
100 g (1 cup)
16
13
655
<1
HEALTHY CHOICES
OCCASIONNAL CHOICES
All kinds of fish
Smoked and/or salted fish and meat
Molluscs: oysters, mussels, scallops,
clams
Breaded or fried fish, seafood and poultry
Legumes: white beans, red kidney
beans, black beans, lentils, chickpeas,
flageolets…
Skinless chicken and turkey, wild game,
horse meat, veal
Lean beef and pork cuts
Egg whites or low-cholesterol liquid egg
products
Tofu and other soy products (except
fried tofu)
Spareribs, bacon and other fat meat cuts
Chicken wings
Pies: tourtières, meat pies, chicken pies,
salmon pies, quiches…
Squid, crab, shrimp and lobster in
moderation and without adding
saturated fat (not breaded or with garlic
butter!)
The “cost” of your proteins… Are there some
choices that are better than others?
From a cardiovascular standpoint, it is advisable to examine your
choices of meat and alternatives and the quantities you eat as
they may contribute substantially to your daily intake of saturated
fat, cholesterol, calorie and even salt.
A quick tip: at meal time, cheese or nuts can be used instead of
meat as a source of protein in salads. In order to reduce the fat
content of such a meal, some choices are less costly than others
as far as fat and calories are concerned. See the chart below.
Packets
of salt
We don’t usually lack protein in the course of one day, but their
meal allocation is sometimes flawed. It is important to eat
protein from different sources and to choose protein from foods
with a good nutritional value. Choose products that are low in
saturated fat or which are a good source of fibre.
For more information on the place of meat and meat alternatives in a healthy diet,
see Canada’s Food Guide at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide
Reference:
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, Health Canada 2007
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal
Writing: Chantal Blais, DtP, Émilie Raymond, DtP, Julie St-Jean, DtP, Dietitians
Graphic Design: Hélène Lambin, PhD
Photography: Jaroslav Machacek - fotolia.com
Protein / fat: a balancing act!
• 1/3 crumpled firm tofu as a substitute for ground meat in ground
meat-based recipes
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