Eating meat daily may not be the best practice for your heart health, but there are ways to do it smarter.
Reviewed by Dietitian Lisa Valente, M.S., RD
Key Points
- Some types of meat may raise LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and TMAO.
- Meat also provides high-quality protein and essential nutrients for heart health.
- Choosing lean meat and limiting processed meat help meat fit into a heart-healthy diet.
Meat is a staple in the American diet. From hamburgers and hot dogs to steak and chicken, it’s a familiar presence on grocery store shelves, restaurant menus and dinner plates at home. Research shows that although men typically eat more meat than women, all types of meat, including red and processed meat, continue to play a prominent role in many diets. Simultaneously, cardiovascular disease continues to be a top chronic disease for Americans.
Some health experts have warned that eating meat, particularly red and processed meat, can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you’re someone who enjoys eating meat then you may be wondering how you can include it in your diet in a way that doesn’t negatively affect your heart. Recommendations vary depending on the type of meat you choose and how it fits in the context of your complete diet. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” says Kathy Levin, RDN, CDCES, DipACLM. When it comes to meat and heart health, it’s not all bad news. We asked nutrition experts to explain how eating meat every day influences heart health and to share their best heart-healthy tips for including meat in the diet.
1. May Raise LDL Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, is associated with an increased heart disease risk. If your numbers are too high, then your doctor may recommend medication like a statin to bring them down along with lifestyle changes such as decreasing saturated fat intake and upping fiber. “Red meat can raise your LDL cholesterol, especially if you’re eating higher-fat cuts of meat that contain more saturated fat and cholesterol,” says Levin. “Pork is often similar to red meat in terms of saturated fat and cholesterol content depending on the cut of meat.” For this reason, limiting high saturated fat sources of red meat can be helpful for keeping cholesterol levels in check. However, that only tells half of the story as it’s not just about what you remove from your diet when it comes to making changes for your health – it’s also about what you eat in place of the foods you’ve removed., “Swapping a steak or burger for chicken or turkey may lower the amount of saturated fat in the meal, if the skin is removed and you’re cooking method isn’t adding fat,” says Levin. “But, we can see an even bigger benefit when we replace some meat with plant proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds. These foods are naturally low in saturated fat and also provide diversity of fibers, which can help lower LDL cholesterol.”
2. May Raise Blood Pressure
There is an association between eating processed meat and higher blood pressure. That link makes it worth considering making an adjustment to your diet to support heart health. This is particularly important for diets that regularly include processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs or deli meats. “Compared to other meat sources, processed meats contain added sodium and fats to extend their shelf life,” says Patricia Kolesa MS, RDN. “Consuming foods high in sodium raises blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.” Importantly, when it comes to sodium and processed meats, the type of meat doesn’t make much of a difference. “Turkey or chicken isn’t automatically a healthier choice just because it’s poultry,” says Levin. “A turkey sausage or processed deli turkey can still contain a significant amount of sodium and other additives.” She recommends checking the label for sodium and saturated fat to compare products. “I encourage people to think more about processed versus minimally processed rather than getting too caught up in whether something is beef, pork, or poultry,” says Levin.
3. May Increase TMAO
Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has come into the spotlight in recent years due to its association with heart health. “TMAO is produced by gut bacteria when you routinely consume foods like animal protein (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, full-fat dairy) and some energy drinks and supplements containing choline and L-carnitine,” says Levin. “Higher levels of TMAO in the blood have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.” The exact reasoning is unclear but may be related to the effect TMAO has on inflammation and metabolic function. “This is an evolving area of research, and we’re still learning a lot about the relationship between our diet, gut bacteria, TMAO, and cardiovascular health,” says Levin. Given the association, it can be beneficial to reduce your intake of both processed and minimally processed meats. To do this without limiting protein intake, try replacing meat with plant-based options. “When possible, choose foods closer to their original form and include more plant proteins such as beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds,” says Levin. “Eating more fiber-rich plant foods—vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds—helps nourish a healthy gut microbiome by decreasing the bacteria that produce TMAO and establishing an eating pattern associated with better cardiovascular health.”
4. Provides High-Quality Protein
Like all muscles in the body, the heart is no exception when it comes to its need for protein in the diet. A healthy heart differs from skeletal muscles because it doesn’t grow larger with resistance exercise and instead maintains its mass. Still, protein is needed for cell turnover and repair, and meat can be a significant source of protein in this process. “The human body needs protein to survive whether we get that entirely from plants, animals, or a mixture of both,” says Danielle Townsend, RD. Many diet patterns incorporate meat in a nutrient-dense diet that have shown long-term positive benefits for cardiovascular health. “Both the DASH and Mediterranean diet reference animal proteins in their guidelines,” says Townsend. DASH or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, recommends six or fewer servings of meat, poultry or fish per day. The Mediterranean diet recommends poultry and fish in moderate amounts weekly while limiting red and processed meats to less often. “Some meats are higher in saturated fat so if you are an avid consumer of beef or pork, I recommend eating more fish, seafood and poultry for leaner choices,” says Townsend. Importantly, the addition of meat in both the Mediterranean or DASH diet should be considered in the context of the total eating pattern where fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, unsaturated fats and whole grains are emphasized.
5. Contributes Essential Nutrients
While the amount of essential nutrients varies by type and quantity of meat, it can be an important source of essential nutrients that positively influence heart health. Both vitamin B12 and iron are readily available in animal products including red meat and poultry. Iron is necessary for oxygen transport, while vitamin B12 plays an important role in muscle contraction. Of the two types of iron found in the diet, heme iron or that coming from animal sources like meat, is more bioavailable than nonheme iron which is found in plants. Eating heme iron from animal products may be especially helpful for people at risk for iron deficiency such as pregnant women, women with heavy menstrual bleeding, those with certain digestive conditions, cancer or heart failure. Vitamin B12 is another essential nutrient that’s only found in animal foods such as meat and dairy. Other foods are often fortified with vitamin B12 which can be an important source of this nutrient for those who limit animal products such as when following a vegetarian or vegan diet pattern. Inadequate vitamin B12 intake has been associated with cardiometabolic conditions like obesity and dyslipidemia.
Heart-Healthy Tips for Eating Meat
Eating meat daily doesn’t have to lead to negative effects on cardiovascular health. There are ways to incorporate it in a diet pattern that supports your heart as well as your general health. Special attention should be paid to the type, preparation and frequency of meat consumption. Follow these tips to ensure your diet is one that supports your heart health while still enjoying meat.
- Choose lean meat. “Lean, unprocessed red meat can fit into a healthy dietary pattern, we just need to make sure it is being consumed with other healthful foods e.g. vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, and it is not displacing these healthful foods,” says Kristina Petersen, Ph.D.. While lean meat may be more expensive than the higher fat cuts, you can still lower total fat content after purchasing. “Fatty cuts of meat can be purchased and the visible fat removed prior to cooking or eating,” says Petersen. “For ground beef, drain the fat after cooking.”
- Avoid or limit processed meat. Processed meats include hot dogs, bacon, sausage, deli meat, pepperoni, salami and other meat, poultry or fish with added sodium, nitrates and/or other preservatives. “Processed meats are high in sodium and the preservatives used have been linked to adverse health outcomes including CVD and cancer,” says Petersen. The American Heart Association recommends limiting processed meats in the diet and encourages replacing those foods with lean meats and plant-based proteins.
- Try blended proteins. “Meat choices like beef and pork can act as ‘carrier’ foods; they can make it easier to consume plant foods commonly under-consumed in the diet,” says Kolesa. “Pairings include pork and lentils or ground beef and black beans for chili. If you’re feeling creative, add mushrooms to ground beef for blended burgers.”
- Choose heart-healthy cooking methods. Kolesa recommends cooking meat by grilling, broiling, roasting or air-frying. “These cooking strategies can be just as flavorful without the extra sodium and saturated fats,” she says. You can add flavor with herbs and spices or by marinating meats ahead of cooking. Avoid deep-fried cooking methods and limit saturated fat when possible.
Our Expert Take
Meat is an important part of the average American’s diet. It contains high-quality protein and is a source of many essential vitamins and minerals. But eating too much meat may have negative health effects, especially when the complete diet pattern is low in other health-promoting nutrients like unsaturated fats and fiber. If you’re looking for ways to benefit your heart health while still incorporating meat in your diet, consider swapping higher-fat meat for lean cuts. You can also try a blended protein that includes a combination of meat and plant-based protein (think bean and beef burgers) or sub plant-protein in place of meat altogether sometimes. Keep the big picture in mind when making changes so that you continue to emphasize nutrient-dense foods in a diet pattern that works for your lifestyle. As Levin says, bring it back to the big picture. “Eat more plants, choose minimally processed foods most of the time, and don’t feel like you have to eat perfectly to improve your health.”