A fair amount of dieters often make the mistake of thinking that if they remove the meat, they remove the calories. Unfortunately, many often substitute nuts, nut butters and high fat cheese for protein. Without the meat, it’s very hard to get enough iron and zinc – 2 vital nutrients that help you maintain your energy and performance levels. Don’t short-change yourself when making nutritionally unhelpful sacrifices. Always shop smart instead.

1.  In beef, some of the leanest cuts are flank, sirloin, and tenderloin. The leanest cut of pork is fresh, cured, canned, and boiled ham; Canadian side bacon; pork tenderloin; rib chops; and roast. Lean cuts of lamb includes roasts, legs and chops; white meat poultry is lower in fat than dark meat.

2.  Any meat labeled “select” is a leaner cut than meat graded as “choice.”

3.  Both ground turkey and ground chicken can contain the skin, which makes it high in fat & calories. Always look for ground chicken or turkey meat for the lowest amount of fat. While ground turkey breast is lower then both.

4.  It isn’t necessary to remove the skin of chicken before cooking, which sacrifices juiciness. The chicken will not absorb the fat or calories. But always be sure to remove the skin before eating

5.  Turkeys that are self-basting have the fat injected into the meat. These types of meat are best avoided by dieters.

6.  Always buy water packed tuna and sardines rather than those that are packed in oil.