As a nutrition counselor, I know that a plant-based (or even mostly plant-based) diet isn’t for everyone. Try as they might, some people just don’t feel their absolute best without some animal protein in their diets, and that’s ok! But there are definitely some steps you can take to be smarter and healthier when consuming meat. Here are some great rules of thumb to live by in the meat-eating world:

In general, try to make meat a complementary part of your diet, not the primary focus. The most health-supportive, energizing, nutrient-rich, and anti-oxidant foods out there are fruits and vegetables.

• Always opt for grass-fed or pasture-raised meat. Animals raised in these ways are healthier, happier, and yield much better meat, that is much better for you!

• Always look for meat that is hormone and antibiotic free. This will reduce your exposure to these harmful, altering drugs and chemicals, and will help to alleviate many hormone-related health problems, as well as resistance to antibiotics (for when you really need them!).

• When possible, opt for organic meats. If you’re following the tips above, you’re already going to be consuming much healthier meat, but as always, organic is definitely a plus. This will ensure that the animal wasn’t fed foods that are laden with pesticides, fertilizers, and are genetically modified. Most commercially raised meats are fed low quality, GMO corn, and are exposed to other harmful toxins. Keep that out of your meat, and out of your body!

• Stick to the leaner cuts.  Leaner cuts of meat will have less fat (obviously), which means less cancer-causing toxins in your body, less bad cholesterol in your body and less flab on your mid-section!

• Go for meat that is low-sodium, nitrite-free, and never processed. This means avoiding foods like lunchmeats, hot dogs, packaged meats, chicken nuggets, or any other meat-based foods that have gone through extensive processing. There are little to no health benefits to these foods, and they actually do more harm than good to the body!

• Incorporate Meatless Mondays into your week! Going 100% meat-free for just one day a week will do wonders for your health, as well as the environment. And taking the focus off of meat for an entire day’s meals makes you get creative with vegetable-focused cooking, which will improve your cooking, and help you change the way you eat the rest of the week. See more info on the Meatless Monday movement here.

Whether or not to eat meat is a very personal decision that takes many factors into account– your health, your ethical stance, your body type, and your lifestyle. No matter which direction you go in, you can be smarter about everything you put in your body. Those smarter choices will translate into noticeable results for your body and health, as well as the environment!