Can you eat chicken and eggs every day?
8. “Fish, chicken, lean meat and eggs can be eaten daily”: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Chicken, fish, lean meat, and eggs have good stuff your body needs, like protein and vitamins. Many people in South Africa don’t get enough of these nutrients. Eating small amounts of these foods helps fix that, and they don’t hurt you if you eat them in reasonable amounts.
Surprising Findings
There is no scientific evidence of harm from moderate intake of these animal-sourced foods.
Most public health messaging warns against even moderate meat consumption due to heart disease risks, but this review says the evidence for harm simply doesn’t exist—at least not in this context.
Practical Takeaways
Add one serving (e.g., one egg or 85g chicken) of lean animal-sourced food daily to plant-based meals to boost vitamin B12, iron, and zinc intake.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Chicken, fish, lean meat, and eggs have good stuff your body needs, like protein and vitamins. Many people in South Africa don’t get enough of these nutrients. Eating small amounts of these foods helps fix that, and they don’t hurt you if you eat them in reasonable amounts.
Surprising Findings
There is no scientific evidence of harm from moderate intake of these animal-sourced foods.
Most public health messaging warns against even moderate meat consumption due to heart disease risks, but this review says the evidence for harm simply doesn’t exist—at least not in this context.
Practical Takeaways
Add one serving (e.g., one egg or 85g chicken) of lean animal-sourced food daily to plant-based meals to boost vitamin B12, iron, and zinc intake.
Publication
Journal
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Year
2013
Authors
Schonfeldt Hc, P. B.–, Hall N
Related Content
Claims (6)
A predominantly plant-based dietary pattern incorporating lean animal proteins provides adequate protein, essential fatty acids, micronutrients, and dietary fiber, while conferring metabolic benefits comparable to low-carbohydrate diets without elevating LDL cholesterol or increasing cardiovascular risk.
Eating small amounts of fish, chicken, lean meat, or eggs every day can help people get important vitamins and minerals they might be missing, especially if their diet is mostly plants.
If you pick lean pieces of meat and eat only a small amount, these foods won’t raise your bad fats much and can still be part of a healthy diet.
No studies have shown that eating small amounts of these foods is harmful, so it’s okay to include them in healthy eating advice.
Putting a little bit of meat, fish, or eggs into a mostly plant-based meal can make a big difference in getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs.