Meat

Meat is the muscle tissue of animals and is a good source of protein, minerals, and vitamins — but it can also be high in saturated fat and salt. There are several types of meat:

Red meat

Red meat is the meat of mammals such as cattle and pigs. It contains the most saturated fat and is worse for your health than white meat.

• Red meat: fresh meat from cattle, veal, pork, sheep, lamb, goat, or horse.
• Processed red meat: red meat that has been smoked, salted, or treated with preservatives (e.g. nitrite), such as ham, salami, bacon, and sausages (WHO 2023).

White meat

White meat comes from poultry such as chicken and turkey, and from domestic rabbits. It contains less saturated fat and is therefore less harmful to your health.

• White meat: fresh meat from chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck, or goose.
• Processed white meat: white meat that has been smoked, salted, or treated with preservatives (e.g. nitrite), such as turkey ham, chicken sausage, and chicken bacon.

What effect does meat have on your health?

Eating too much meat — especially red and processed red meat — increases the risk of:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic conditions such as fatty liver disease
• Bowel cancer and other cancers

How to eat less (processed) red meat

Around 1 in 2 Belgians eats too much red meat, and up to 9 in 10 consume too much processed meat. There's work to be done! Follow the tips below to cut back on red meat:

Goal

Replace red meat and processed meat with white meat as much as possible and aim for the following weekly targets:

• <300 g red meat
• <30 g processed red meat
• Replace red and processed meat with white meat as much as possible.

Getting started

1. Plan meat-free days: use legumes, tofu, tempeh, or eggs as your main dish.
2. Choose lean cuts without skin: such as fillet or turkey steak.
3. Swap processed meat on sandwiches: use hummus, chicken breast, cheese, or nut butter instead of salami or bacon.
4. Halve your portion: fill your plate with extra vegetables, wholegrains, or legumes and less meat.
5. Read the label: look out for "nitrite/nitrates" and choose products with less than 1 g of salt per 100 g.
6. Mix and match: use chicken in a stir-fry with plenty of vegetables or in a salad with legumes.
7. Vary your cooking method: grill, braise, or fry with a small amount of oil.

Practical tip: start small — replace one red meat meal this week with a chicken or lentil dish and gradually cut back from there.

Learn more

• Gezond Leven - Meat