Eating Beef Jerky for Weight Loss – 5 Things You Need to Know

Beef jerky is a healthy, protein-packed snack that has gained a lot of attention. This convenient snack not only helps you lose weight but also offers you a well-rounded diet.

Not all jerky brands are good for a healthy and weight-loss diet. Instead, you need to select the best brand that offers you beef jerky with no artificial ingredients or added sugar. Once you make sure to pick the right brand, it will help you with your weight loss purpose.

Can Beef Jerky Help Weight Loss?

If you eat lower-calorie lean varieties of beef jerky instead of high-calorie alternatives and consume them in moderation, you can lose weight.

Nowadays, people consider beef jerky a healthy weight-loss snack that is high in protein. This healthy snack gives you a convenient source of protein. It is also a great option to have minerals like zinc and choline, along with magnesium and potassium. 

Besides, beef jerky does not produce insulin hormone in your body that indicates to store fat. 

Some varieties of reduced-sodium, lean beef jerky provide 70 calories and 14 grams of protein per ounce. This high protein content can keep you full for longer, help maintain your lean muscle mass, keep your body’s metabolism high, treat obesity, etc. 

5 Reasons Why Beef Jerky Help with Weight Loss

The reasons why this convenient and versatile snack can help you lose weight and offers you a healthy lifestyle –

• Packed with Protein

Beef is naturally enriched with protein. Consuming protein increases muscle mass and strength, reduces hunger and appetite, and keeps you fueled.

• Natural Dense

Beef jerky can provide you with 15 grams of protein per 100 calories. That means there are no empty calories.

• Enriched with Iron

Beef jerky has an important mineral that is a healthy dose of iron. It helps carry oxygen and burns fat. An iron deficiency can reduce energy resources, whereas eating this snack can energize and fuel you.

• Convenient

This healthy snack is portable, convenient, and requires no cooking. Thus, it delivers your expected protein in one go whenever and wherever you want.

• Perfect for Low Carb Diet

If you choose jerky from organic Beef Jerky Brands that don’t add artificial and harmful additives, it can easily be part of a low-carb diet.

A low-carb diet helps people lose weight successfully and more quickly than a low-fat diet. This snack can give you protein without added carbohydrates, regardless of your choice. Choose a brand that offers very low or no sugar options. 

Calorie Needs for Weight Loss Diet

The beef jerky helps you maintain your weight-loss calorie allotment as it helps boost your satiety. If you are obese or overweight, try taking 500 calories less than you consume daily to reduce 1 pound weight weekly.

In general, a diet of 1200-1500 calories helps women to shed pounds, and 1500-1800 calories help men and strong women to lose their weight.

Is it Processed Meat?

The older and traditional beef jerky brands produced jerky that had highly processed meat full of sodium and harmful additives. These varieties of jerky were not designed to fit paleo diets. Rather this highly processed red meat causes certain cancers.

Modern brands have brought the focus back to health, creating beef jerky that can be included in a clean and healthy eating lifestyle. That means these brands do not contain the typical weird additives or bad stuff.

So, it is always wise to check the nutrition label that offers high saturated fats, sodium content, and additives such as monosodium glutamate.

Potential Concerns about Sodium

Regular beef jerky contains more than 500 milligrams of sodium per ounce, whereas reduced-sodium varieties offer just about 100-200 milligrams of sodium. You have to limit the intake of sodium to 1500 milligrams daily if you want to keep the risk of heart disease low.

So, always check the nutrition label to identify how much sodium is there. Or, you can try the homemade beef jerky made with high-sodium ingredients like soy sauce.

Remember, 120 milligrams of less sodium is considered low, and 480 milligrams or more per serving is considered high.

How to Choose the Healthiest Jerky?

Choosing the healthiest jerky can be a little overwhelming as a wide array of beef jerky brands are available in online and offline stores.

Here are some helpful criteria that help you make the healthiest selection.

• Check the Protein Content

If you want to ensure that you are getting some protein from this snack, look for the amount of protein in the nutrition fact label. A good quality brand must ensure at least 10 grams of protein per serving.

• Avoid High-Sodium Options

Consider brands that offer less than 300 mg of sodium per serving. It allows you to check your sodium intake. Taking the proper amount of sodium lowers the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

• Choose a Brand with Premium Ingredients

Look for the brands that ensure a healthy source of protein using grass-fed beef. The quality of the beef matters a lot, as good-quality beef does not need added ingredients or much salt to taste great. So, the fewer the ingredients, the better.

• Consider Low-sugar Brands

There are varieties of brands available that offer zero or low-sugar options. Minimal use of sugar is okay. But some brands also offer healthy sugar alternatives, which are best for a weight loss diet. 

To Wrap Up

Beef jerky is an excellent between-meal snack that can help you shed extra weight. Though it is known for its high sodium properties, not all varieties are rich in sodium. Choosing the right brand can help you get the most health benefits out of your beef jerky.

Now that you know how to choose the best and healthiest jerky, we hope you can gain several benefits from including it in your diet.