Lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, and fish, are often touted as being essential for good health due to their small amounts of dietary fat. But the low fat content is not the only reason why these meats can improve your health. Lean meats have been found to be able to effectively help you achieve weight loss, prevent falls, and keep your hair and nails looking shiny and healthy. With these healthy benefits, lean meats should be on the top of your shopping list.

One of the most important ways that the inclusion of lean meats in your diet can be effective is due to its ability to result in major weight loss. This is due to a number of different reasons. First, lean meats are composed almost entirely from protein. Per gram, protein contains only four calories. In contrast, fats contain as many as nine calories per gram. This means that when eating lean meats, you are consuming a relatively low-calorie food. In addition, adequate protein intake is essential for maintaining muscle mass. The more muscle mass that your body has, the higher your metabolic rate will be. The higher your metabolic rate, the faster your body will burn calories, and the less chance you have of becoming overweight or developing obesity. Therefore, lean meats can be extremely effective at helping you to maintain your current weight, or even help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Another benefit associated with the inclusion of lean meats into your diet is associated with a prevention in falls. Falls can happen for a number of reasons. For example, you may trip over something lying on the ground, accidentally bump into a piece of furniture, or you might simply catch your toe on a bump in the carpet. No matter what causes the fall, the results can sometimes be very serious--especially for the elderly. A fall by a young person may simply result in a bruise. In contrast, a fall by an elderly person can cause a broken or fractured bone. In order to prevent these falls, it is important to ensure lean protein intake is adequate. As stated above, the more lean protein you eat, the greater your ability to maintain your current muscle mass, and even promote new muscle mass. The greater your muscle mass, the greater your ability to maintain your balance during trips, thereby preventing falls and possible serious injuries.

Finally, while consuming lean protein is essential in helping to maintain and promote new muscle mass, it is also important for a few cosmetic factors. Namely, adequate protein intake is essential to help your hair and nails look healthy and shiny. Without enough protein in your system, your hair would appear dry, lifeless, and would be prone to breakage and split ends. In addition, your nails would appear thin and brittle, and would be likely to break easily.