Tips to Help You Make Wise Choices From The Meat & Beans Group

1. Healthy Eating Slideshow: Fat-Fighting Foods
2. Food Frauds Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Diet & Nutrition Quiz

Go lean with protein:

• Start with a lean choice:
  • The leanest beef cuts include round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, and chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
  • The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham.
  • Choose extra lean ground beef. The label should say at least "90% lean". You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.
  • Buy skinless chicken parts, or take off the skin before cooking.
  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choices.
  • Choose lean turkey, roast beef, ham, or low-fat luncheon meats for sandwiches instead of luncheon meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.
• Keep it lean:
  • Trim away all of the visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking.
  • Broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.
  • Drain off any fat that appears during cooking.
  • Skip or limit the breading on meat, poultry, or fish. Breading adds fat and calories. It will also cause the food to soak up more fat during frying.
  • Prepare dry beans and peas without added fats.
  • Choose and prepare foods without high fat sauces or gravies.

Vary your protein choices:

• Choose fish more often for lunch or dinner. Look for fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and herring. Some ideas are:
  • Salmon steak or filet
  • Salmon loaf
  • Grilled or baked trout
• Choose dry beans or peas as a main dish or part of a meal often. Some choices are:
  • Chili with kidney or pinto beans
  • Stir- fried tofu
  • Split pea, lentil, minestrone, or white bean soups
  • Baked beans
  • Black bean enchiladas
  • Garbanzo or kidney beans on a chef's salad
  • Rice and beans
  • Veggie burgers or garden burgers
  • Hummus (chickpeas) spread on pita bread
• Choose nuts as a snack, on salads, or in main dishes.
  • Use nuts to replace meat or poultry, not in addition to these items: Use pine nuts in pesto sauce for pasta.
  • Add slivered almonds to steamed vegetables.
  • Add toasted peanuts or cashews to a vegetable stir fry instead of meat.
  • Sprinkle a few nuts on top of low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt.
  • Add walnuts or pecans to a green salad instead of cheese or meat.

What to look for on the Food Label:

• Check the Nutrition Facts label for the saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium content of packaged foods.
  • Processed meats such as hams, sausages, frankfurters, and luncheon or deli meats have added sodium. Check the ingredient and Nutrition Facts label to help limit sodium intake.
  • Fresh chicken, turkey, and pork that have been enhanced with a salt-containing solution also have added sodium. Check the product label for statements such as "self-basting" or "contains up to __% of __."
  • Lower fat versions of many processed meats are available. Look on the Nutrition Facts label to choose products with less fat and saturated fat.

Keep it safe to eat:

• Separate raw, cooked and ready-to-eat foods.
• Do not wash or rinse meat or poultry.
• Wash cutting boards, knives, utensils and counter tops in hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before going on to the next one.
• Store raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so juices don't drip onto other foods.
• Cook foods to a safe temperature to kill microorganisms. Use a meat thermometer, which measures the internal temperature of cooked meat and poultry, to make sure that the meat is cooked all the way through.
• Chill (refrigerate) perishable food promptly and defrost foods properly. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers within two hours.
• Plan ahead to defrost foods. Never defrost food on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Thaw food by placing it in the refrigerator, submerging air-tight packaged food in cold tap water, or defrosting on a plate in the microwave.
• Avoid raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs and raw or undercooked meat and poultry.
• Women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should avoid some types of fish and eat types lower in mercury. See w.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html or call 1-888-SAFEFOOD for more information.

Source: USDA, www.MyPyramid.gov