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- You’ll reduce inflammation in your body. If you are eating meat, cheese, and highly processed foods, chances are you have elevated levels of inflammation in your body.
- Your blood cholesterol levels will plummet. Elevated blood cholesterol is a key risk factor for heart disease and strokes, two of the leading killers in the United States.
- You’ll give your microbiome a makeover. The trillions of microorganisms living in our bodies are collectively called the microbiome. Increasingly, these microorganisms are recognized as crucial to our overall health: not only do they help us digest our food, but they produce critical nutrients, train our immune systems, turn genes on and off, keep our gut tissue healthy, and help protect us from cancer.
- You’ll change how your genes work. Scientists have made the remarkable discovery that environmental and lifestyle factors can turn genes on and off. For example, the antioxidants and other nutrients we eat in whole plant foods can change gene expression to optimize how our cells repair damaged DNA.
- It may be hard, but ditching those crispy pieces of bacon is better for you in the long run. Research shows both processed and red meats are high in saturated fat and can lead to ongoing inflammation.
- Research shows eating lots of processed food and refined grains can negatively affect your gut health. But a plant-based diet helps boost healthy gut bacteria.
- You may feel tired and weak if you cut meat out of your diet. That’s because you’re missing an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy.
- Less meat and more fiber from whole grains, raw fruit, and veggies may mean extra time on the toilet. Fiber makes it easier to poop by pulling water into your colon.
- Overview
- 1. Supports good overall health and weight management
- 2. May help reduce the risk of heart disease
- 3. Could improve gut health
- 4. May help protect against certain cancers
- 5. May be better for the environment
- 6. Less meat is beneficial, too
- Tips for reducing meat intake
- The bottom line
You may have heard that limiting how much meat you eat has a variety of benefits, including weight loss and better gut health.
Cutting back on meat has indeed been linked to improved health and a reduced risk of certain diseases. However, these benefits seem to depend on what other foods you eat and what types of meat you limit.
Many eating patterns include no or limited amounts of meat, and most of them have been associated with health benefits to some degree.
Vegetarian diets, which exclude meat, and vegan diets, which exclude all animal products, have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer (1).
In addition, research suggests that more plant-based diets are associated with improved insulin resistance and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared with more animal-based diets (2).
Limiting meat may also aid weight loss and maintenance.
An analysis of 12 high quality studies found that people who followed vegetarian diets for an average of 18 weeks lost significantly more weight than those who ate nonvegetarian diets (3).
However, keep in mind that many other diets that do not exclude meat, such as low carb and paleo diets, have also been found to be effective for weight loss (4).
One of the most researched aspects of plant-based diets is their effect on heart health.
Controversial research has found associations between the intake of saturated fat, primarily found in meat and animal products, and an increased risk of heart disease (8).
There’s a lot of debate about this potential link. Even so, it may be best to moderate your intake of meat sources that tend to be high in saturated fats (8, 9).
These include (10):
•fatty cuts of red meat
•bacon
Since diets that exclude meat are often rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other plant foods, they tend to be high in dietary fiber.
Fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut that produce compounds with anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting roles in the body.
Gut bacteria may also play a role in preventing the growth of certain cancer cells, improving body composition, and protecting against type 2 diabetes (14, 15).
Plant protein and beneficial compounds called polyphenols found in plant foods may also help maintain a healthy gut (14).
On the other hand, some research suggests that the fats and proteins from animal sources may promote the growth of other less healthy gut bacteria that negatively influence metabolism and play a role in heart disease (14).
Overall, eating a diet that includes a lot of plant foods and limits meat may nourish health-promoting bacteria.
Limiting some types of meat may also help reduce your risk of certain cancers.
Eating a lot of red and processed meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, and other smoked or cured meats, has been associated with a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (16, 17).
Poultry and fish have not been connected with increased colorectal cancer risk (17).
Red and processed meat intake has also been associated with an increased risk of other cancers, including breast cancer (18).
How these foods affect cancer development is unclear. However, some researchers have suggested that saturated fat and carcinogenic compounds produced during meat processing and high temperature cooking play a role (17).
Plant foods, on the other hand, appear to have a protective effect against colorectal and other cancers (19).
In addition to providing health benefits, eating more plants and less meat may be good for the environment.
Meat production typically requires more resources, leads to more greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to deforestation and pollution to a larger extent than producing fruits, vegetables, and other minimally processed plant foods (20, 21).
Considering the impact of raising animals, you may think it’s necessary to eliminate meat to do good for the environment.
However, gradually cutting back on meat and adopting more of a flexitarian style of eating that includes some meat may still make a difference.
A systematic review of studies on the sustainability of different diets concluded that diets, including vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80%, compared with standard, meat-centric diets (22).
Summary
You don’t need to fully cut out meat to reap the many benefits associated with a reduced meat intake.
Flexitarian diets involve reducing the intake of animal products but not eliminating them. Research has found they’re associated with health benefits similar to those associated with vegan or vegetarian eating patterns (23).
Furthermore, poultry and fish are usually not associated with the negative health effects linked to red and processed meats, although research is mixed (24, 25).
Finally, many of the benefits associated with plant-based eating stem from what’s included in the diet rather than what’s excluded.
In other words, eliminating meat may not have as big of an effect on your health as increasing your consumption of nutrient-rich plant foods and eating a varied, well-balanced diet.
In addition, you probably won’t see benefits if you eat a lot of highly processed foods, even if you stop eating meat. Consider reducing your intake of:
Here are some specific ways you can reduce your meat intake:
•Start by swapping poultry or fish for red meat. Incorporate chicken, turkey, or seafood in place of red meat. These proteins are typically leaner and lower in saturated fat than beef, bacon, sausage, salami, and other cured meats.
•Try plant-based protein sources. Many plant foods provide protein, including black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, lentils, nuts and nut butters, seeds, and soy-based products like tofu and tempeh. Choose one of these instead of meat in meals or snacks.
•Stretch meat with plant proteins. Try bulking up traditionally meat-heavy dishes with plant foods so they last longer! Try making tacos with lentils in place of half of the ground meat. You can use the rest of the meat in a chili paired with beans.
•Get excited about trying new foods. Make it a goal to try one new plant food per week. Give lentils a try this week, quinoa next week, and black-eyed peas after that. Browse the internet for some tasty ways to prepare them — eating plant-based can be fun!
Summary
Eating a diet with no or limited meat may benefit your health and the environment.
Cutting back on meat and eating a predominantly plant-based diet may help with weight management, protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and support a healthy gut. Eating less meat in favor of plants may also have beneficial environmental impacts.
May 24, 2021 · Studies show that eating a lot of red meat could increase your chance of colorectal cancer. The 2018 report, Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Cancer: A Global Perspective from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found that eating more than 18 ounces of red meat a week could raise the risk of ...
- Marissa Laliberte
- Anthea Levi
- Your Energy. On one hand, switching to a nutritious plant-rich diet may help you feel more energized as you replace processed animal products like bacon and deli meats with filling whole foods like produce, whole grains and nuts and seeds.
- Your Gut Health. Going vegetarian might help reduce GI issues like bloating. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages. If you feel like gut health rules the wellness world these days, you're not wrong.
- Your Sleep (and Mood) Eating more plants might just bring you better zzzs. "The high isoflavone content of a plant-rich diet may be responsible for enhancing sleep quality," DJ Blatner, RDN, dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet, tells LIVESTRONG.com.
- Your Weight. Before you switch to a plant-based diet to shed pounds, know this: "A change in your meal plan of any kind can lead to mild to moderate weight loss depending on how long you follow the plan for," Fraga says.
Dec 9, 2022 · The health factor. A plant-based diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, peas, lentils and nuts. It's rich in fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. And people who don't eat meat, called vegetarians, generally eat fewer calories and less fat. They also tend to weigh less.
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Apr 2, 2024 · B12 is the only nutrient in meat that isn’t commonly found in plants (unless you eat algae or dirty produce). However, there are some potential short term negative side effects if you suddenly stop eating meat. I’ve divided those side effects into 2 main categories: psychological and physiological. Psychological Side Effects of Not Eating Meat
