For centuries, meat has been one of the main human food products . It was once believed that the fatter it is, the better. After all, high-calorie meat can be saturated much faster. And nobody really thought about the benefits of products in those harsh times.
Healthy to be healthy
Today the fashion for junk food has passed. All progressive mankind seeks to look young, lead an active lifestyle, and therefore, monitor health. Proper nutrition is the key to good health, and in addition, helps to maintain physical fitness.
Of course, new trends also touched on such an indispensable product in the diet as meat. Lenten and cooked in the right way, it will only bring health benefits. How to choose the right meat for a healthy diet? Let's get it right.
Lenten from the word "post"?
Of course, anyone who is even a little familiar with religion knows that the word “lean” implies a special kind of food that can be consumed during church fasts. However, most Christian posts imply a complete rejection of meat. And only during non-stringent non-greasy varieties are allowed. They began to call them lean. So this name appeared.
What is lean meat?
Generally speaking, all low-fat varieties belong to this category. That is, lean meat is considered any meat without layers of fat. Such varieties contain a large amount of animal protein, which is well absorbed by the body. This protein also helps to get rid of accumulated fat reserves. And for athletes lean meat is necessary, because it perfectly helps to gain muscle mass. Of course, with systematic proper nutrition and physical activity.
The most common types of lean meat
The first place is taken by chicken meat. More precisely, the chest, the so-called fillet. Legs and especially hips can hardly be called lean.
In the next position is a rabbit. I must say that he did not get the second place because he was less useful, but rather because of the high price. Yes, and not in any supermarket you can buy rabbits, or is it chicken ...
Predictably, the “bronze" goes to the turkey. There is benefit, and affordable price, and affordability. In addition to breast, lean muscles include the muscles of the wing, legs, and back.
You should not ignore young veal, lamb, horse meat. Even young pigs often turn out to be quite dietary. Out of competition, of course, quail. True, earlier this bird was more often related to game, and not to domestic.
Native to the forest
Among game there are also many lean varieties. Moreover, game, as a rule, contains even more protein, trace elements, vitamins than meat of domestic animals. And the taste of meat of wild animals and birds is more intense. Roe meat is considered a real delicacy. Even a wild boar, unlike a domesticated relative, can be cut and cooked so as to fully fit into the concept of a healthy diet. Very little fat is found in the tenderloin, scapular, back of this animal. However, it is worth remembering that game has a rather specific taste. Therefore, you need to know how to cook it.
Heat Treatment Methods
It’s not enough to get lean meat. How to cook it, not everyone knows either. It is believed that the best way is boiling. In fact, everything is a little more complicated. And although this type of treatment is related to diet, there are more optimal ones.
First of all, we are talking about steaming. This allows you to get a wonderful result even without a large portion of spices and salt. Steamed lean meat retains all aromas and tastes, and it also turns out to be very juicy. As for the content of nutrients, all of them are perfectly preserved after contact with steam.
Nutritionists and roasting on charcoal or in foil are praised. By the way, in some countries pediatricians recommend this treatment for the children's menu.
Lean meat: recipes and cooking tricks
If you decide to learn how to cook healthy meat dishes yourself, start with the simplest. You should not immediately apply complex recipes and intricate techniques. So, steamed veal with vegetables .
A piece of low-fat veal (400 g) is cut into cubes. Put in the bowl. Add chopped vegetables (1 pc each): carrot, onion, zucchini, bell pepper. You can add broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus beans, green peas. In general, everything you love. Both fresh and frozen mixes are suitable. Cooking time depends on the model of the double boiler. The main thing is that we choose the “vegetables” mode, and not the “meat” mode, as they take longer to cook. Sometimes such a dish does not even require salt. In any case, when cooking lean meat with vegetables in a double boiler, you should not salt in advance.
Cooking lean game. We fill the prepared pheasant carcass with pieces of potato and other vegetables fried until half ready (to taste), gently rub with salt, wrap in foil or put in a baking sleeve. You can optionally cover with onion rings, this will give lean meat juiciness. Sent to the preheated oven for 1.5 hours. 10 minutes before completion, we cut the foil or bag so that the crust turns brown.