Today we’re poking holes in the oft-repeated advice to consume lean sources of protein.
We're often told to choose lean protein. But is lean protein actually healthier or is it time to retire this phrase? Plus, listeners respond to a recent episode on alcohol and health.
Nutrition Diva is hosted by Monica Reinagel. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast. I’m your host, Monica Reinagel, and today we’re poking holes in the oft-repeated advice to consume lean sources of protein. But first, I wanted to share some questions and comments that I received in response to my recent episode on the risks of alcohol consumption.
Steve, who is a long-time listener and a medical doctor, points out that all-cause mortality (which is the statistic measured in the Global Burden of Disease study I talked about in that episode) is only one way to evaluate the potential harm of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption may increase the risk of non-fatal diseases, disabilities, or other harmful outcomes such as the loss of a job or a relationship. It can also increase the risk of harm to others, as with alcohol-related automobile accidents, domestic violence, or sexual assault. As Steve writes, “The psychological trauma and other adverse outcomes of this alcohol-potentiated behavior are not covered in this study.”
And he’s right: whenever you’re using statistics to assess your own risk, it’s important to pay attention to which outcomes are and are not accounted for, and how closely the studied population matches your own situation. The new analysis that I reviewed does offer a more nuanced look at how drinking patterns affect life expectancy across different regions and age groups. But these data do not include non-fatal outcomes or the potential impact of your drinking patterns on others.
Noah sent a question that I frequently get regarding guidelines for alcohol consumption: the guidelines for low-risk drinking are expressed in terms of drinks per day (1/day for women and 2/day for men). But what if you only drink on the weekends?
“I am not proposing that 7 drinks in one night and nothing on the other six days of the week, would be equivalent to 1 drink a day,” he writes. “But what about 2, 3, or even 4 drinks in one night, and nothing else throughout the week? How would that compare in terms of health risk to drinking one drink every day?”
The low-risk drinking guidelines are largely based on epidemiological data (such as the Global Burden of Disease we’ve been talking about). So, they presumably reflect the risks of typical consumption patterns—and drinking little to no alcohol during the week and a few drinks over the weekend is a common pattern.
However, having multiple drinks in one day has a bigger negative impact on your body than having one drink each day—even if the total amount you consume during the week is within recommended guidelines
The CDC defines binge drinking as more than 4 drinks on a single occasion for men and more than 3 drinks for women. So a reasonable definition of low-risk drinking would be to not exceed the weekly recommendation AND not to have more than 4 (3) drinks on a single occasion. And, of course, you’d also want to refrain from driving or other risky behaviors while under the influence.
And now, let’s turn our attention from drinking patterns to eating patterns.
What’s a good diet made up of? Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein, and healthy fats.
You’ve probably heard this litany so many times that the words fail to register. But I want to zoom in on this term “lean protein.” What does this actually mean?
The definition of a lean protein is one that has no more than 3 grams of fat per ounce. That would include skinless chicken, ham, and pork tenderloin. Salmon or peanut butter, on the other hand, would not be considered lean proteins.
But does the idea of lean protein really make any sense? Is leaner protein necessarily better for you?
(I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard experts extol the merits of lean protein and then list salmon as an example. It just goes to show how mindlessly we’ve come to use this term.)
What does lean have to do with health?
Part of this may be a holdover from the days when we considered fat to be the enemy. Most of us have now realized that, although we do need to ensure that our calorie intake is appropriate to our needs, we don’t need to strictly limit the amount of fat we eat.
In fact, replacing some of the refined carbohydrates in our diets with healthy sources of fat can actually be a nutritional upgrade. The Mediterranean diet, for example, is quite a bit higher in fat than the diet recommended by the American Heart Association but is actually linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Protein is more than just meat
The emphasis on lean protein is also probably a throwback to a time when dietary protein was largely synonymous with meat. Leaner cuts of meat were thought to be better not just because they are lower in fat but also because they are lower in saturated fat. If fat was the enemy, saturated fat was the devil incarnate.
Today, we also have a more balanced view of saturated fat. A moderate amount of saturated fat in the diet is absolutely fine—perhaps even preferable—to a diet that contains no saturated fat at all.
I’d also like to point out that not all the fat in meat is saturated. About half of the fat in red meat, for example, is actually heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying meat that’s a bit higher in fat, as long as it fits into your total fat, saturated fat, and calorie budget for the day. If you had eggs and bacon for breakfast, maybe you’d go with a leaner source of protein for dinner. But if you started the day with steel-cut oats, a less lean choice might be just fine.
It's not always about the fat, either
Some protein-rich foods that are higher in fat, such as fried chicken or pepperoni, are foods that you’d want to limit anyway (but not necessarily because they are high in fat).
Fried foods, for example, tend to be high in HNEs—toxic compounds that are formed when polyunsaturated oils are repeatedly heated or held at high temperatures. Most restaurants not only fry foods in polyunsaturated oils, but reuse the oil over and over again.
Cured meats like pepperoni and ham are high in nitrates and nitrites which, when combined with protein, can form toxic compounds in the gut called nitrosamines. And this may be why diets high in cured and processed meats are linked with a higher risk of colon cancer.
Remember that the dose makes the poison. It’s OK to enjoy fried foods or cured meats every once in a while. But these probably aren’t foods that you want to be eating every day. And here’s a fun fact: eating lots of fresh vegetables can help to neutralize the formation of nitrosamines in the gut. So if you are indulging in some cured meats, don’t skimp on the salad or crudites.
Judging meat strictly by its fat content can also lead to some ridiculous conclusions. A serving of salmon has three times as much fat as a serving of ham, for example. But the fat in salmon is in the form of heart-healthy omega-3s while that lean ham is high in salt and nitrites.
Finally, we are being encouraged to seek out more plant-based sources of protein these days, such as legumes, seeds, and nuts. While legumes are certainly low in fat, nuts and seeds are up to 80% fat and could hardly be considered a lean protein.
Here’s the thing: we don’t eat protein. We eat food. Most “protein” foods are going to provide a mixture of protein and other nutrients, such as fat or carbohydrate. But more to the point, most of our meals are going to contain more than one food. When we’re evaluating the nutritional makeup of various foods, we need to take the whole diet into consideration.
If you get a lot of your protein from legumes, for example, you’re also going to be getting quite a bit of carbohydrate in the mix. So you might not have quite as much room on the plate for grains or starchy vegetables. If you get a lot of your protein from nuts and seeds, on the other hand, you’re going to be getting a lot of fat along with it. So you may not have quite as much room in your meal plan for avocadoes or whipped cream. And if enjoy cuts of meat or types of fish that are relatively high in fat, you might not have quite as much room for nuts or high-fat dairy.
But, I think it’s time to retire the notion of lean protein. How about you?
If you have a comment on today’s episode or a question you'd like me to answer in a future one, you can email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com You can also leave me a message at 443-961-6206
I’d also like to invite you to check out my other podcast. It’s called the Change Academy, where Brock Armstrong and I explore the art and science of behavior change. You can find it on all the major podcast platforms, so whatever app you’re using right now to listen to me, just head to the search bar and type in “Change Academy.”
Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. It's audio-engineered by Nathan Semmes with script editing by Adam Cecil. Thanks also to Morgan Christianson, Holly Hutchings, Davina Tomlin, and Kamryn Lacy.
That's all for this episode. Thanks for listening! I'll see you next week.