You can enjoy meat as part of a nutritious diet. Simply enjoy it in moderation and choose healthy meats. Focus on creating dishes from lean cuts of meats and serving meats as a side dish rather than as a main course. Purchase certified organic meats, also called “free range” meats, rather than commercial meats from animals that have been given an unnatural diet, animal byproducts, hormones, and antibiotics. Meat from grass-fed cattle has about one-half to one-third the fat as meat from grain-fed cattle. Grass-fed beef is lower in calories, and higher in vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid, another health-enhancing fatty acid.

When you prepare meats, try to do so in a manner that reduces rather than increases the amount of fat. For example, baste with wines or marinades instead of animal fat and season with herbs; grill or broil meats instead of frying or breading; sauté or brown meats in pans sprayed with vegetable oils instead of greased with butter. If you are adding meat to other dishes, such as spaghetti sauce, brown it first and pour off the fat before you add it to the sauce. Here are some more preparation tips to reduce saturated fats in meats:

• Trim excess fat from meats.

• Avoid purchasing meats that are marbled with fat.

• Remove skin from poultry.

• Broil, grill, roast, or bake meats on racks that allow fat to drain off.

• Skim fats from tops of stews or casseroles.

• Limit or avoid organ meats, such as livers, brains, sweetbreads, and kidneys.

• Limit or avoid processed meats, such as salami, bologna, pepperoni, or sausage.

• Serve smaller portions of higher-fat meats, such as ham.

These preparation tips not only reduce the harmful saturated fats in your diet, they also lower the total fat that you consume, helping you to manage your weight successfully.