Getting fit stems from what you put in your body as well as how you treat it! IF you want more on how to get healthy, see our Fitness info.
MEATS
Meat provides us with good quality protein but it is also a fantastic source of minerals. Minerals in meat include iron, selenium, magnesium and zinc. It is also a source of vitamin B12 and the liver is rich in vitamin A.
Meat is a source of saturated fat but it is not the largest source in our diets and a lot can be done in the preparation and cooking of meat to reduce its fat content, so don’t disregard it for this reason.
FISH
There are two types of fish commonly eaten in Britain: white fish (e.g. haddock, cod, plaice) and oily fish (e.g. mackerel, herring, sardines).
Fish is also a great source of protein but it has a much lower fat content. Whitefish is very low in fat (compare cod with a lamb chop: 0.5g of fat in 100g of cod versus 40g in 100g of lamb!). Whilst oily fish is higher in its fat content, the fat is unsaturated.
ALTERNATIVES
If you don’t eat meat or fish for moral reasons you must ensure that you are replacing those valuable nutrients efficiently. There are lots of foods that make great and tasty alternatives: lentils and beans and their products.