I recently received correspondence from someone who asked me how much meat is allowed on Medifast. Apparently this was a big part of this person’s diet and they didn’t want to have to give it up. The amount of meat in Medifast is not that restrictive, but it is sensible. I will discuss more about this matter in the next article.

Some of the Medifast foods contain meat: You’ll have a good amount of protein in your “lean and green meal” once a day and this is probably where you’ll have the most control and variety. However, there is some animal protein in the Medifast meals provided to you. And you’ll see most of these in soups and stews. For example, there are crab soups, chicken noodles, chicken and wild rice, and beef with vegetables. The chili tastes like ground beef, but what you’re tasting is textured vegetable protein (tvp), which is a very common and decent flavor ingredient in many vegetarian chilies. Many people are fooled by this, since chili is really good.

The amount of meats that are allowed in your Lean and Green Meal: Your main meal each day will be understood as the “lean and green food”. This is really the only food you are responsible for. But, most people look forward to it, because it gives you some degree of control and variety. And this means that it can be fun to experiment and modify.

Now, the company provides some guidance on this. They want you to have lean protein (which can be in the form of meat) and vegetables. How much meat you are allowed will depend on how lean your options are. For example, if you choose the leanest seafood (cod, halibut, tilapia), turkey, or 98% lean beef, you can eat 7 oz. If you’re choosing the leanest, highest-quality protein (egg whites), then you can have a whopping 14 of those. That’s why an omelet with lean protein (animal or otherwise) can be a huge and satisfying lean green meal.

Now the next group of meats is classified as 95-97% lean. Things like chicken, swordfish, halibut, and very lean beef fall into this category and you are allowed to eat a little less since they are a little less lean. You can have 6 ounces of these options. If you like egg yolks, you can eat two.

Finally, we come to the options that are less lean. As for seafood, we are talking about catfish, salmon and mackerel. In terms of beef, we are talking about steak, roast or ground beef. Lamb, pork chops, chicken and turkey are fair game here, as long as they are between 85 and 94% fat. In terms of these options, you are allowed a 5-ounce serving.

Most of the time when you buy meat, the packaging will tell you the weight and you can then adjust accordingly. You can also have a food scale. I hope this article has shown you that you get a decent serving of meat every day and that there are also some animal products that are included in some of the Medifast meals that are prepared for you.