Jerry Brainum answers: which protein source is superior for losing fat and retaining muscle – chicken or fish?
While bodybuilders spend a significant amount of time trying to bulk up and build muscle – they also go through a cutting phase leading into a competition. The goal of this is to cut out as much fat as possible without burning away muscle. It’s not possible to avoid burning muscle completely of course, which is part of the skill and tactics that go into being a successful bodybuilder. During the cutting phase, protein still needs to remain constant. Which brings up the question – which is the superior protein to eat during cutting? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum compares chicken and fish to determine the best protein to eat while losing weight and maintaining muscle.
While bodybuilders are hyper focused on getting as lean as possible during competition prep – the concept of eating lean meats to stay thin and healthy is a universal one for many health conscious individuals. And for those who value maintaining strength and some sort of muscular physique while also staying thin – maintaining appropriate protein intake is vastly important.
Typically lean low calorie proteins come down to chicken or fish. Both are seen as the best protein source while trying to stay health and lean. But is one better than the other? Jerry Brainum looks at both protein sources and their nutrition profile to find out. Let’s jump into it.
First thing first – is it possible to eat red meat while losing weight?
At the top of the video, Jerry Brainum starts first by breaking a few myths about red meat and weight loss. It’s often believed that red meat needs to be cut out of a diet in order to lose weight. So if you want to maintain muscle while getting lean – chicken or fish is the only way to go.
While chicken and fish are likely your best options – not all red meat is as bad for your weight and health as you might be led to believe. It largely comes down to the cut of meat you consume – as there are fatty red meats and lean red meats.
Jerry Brainum references a study that showed lean cuts of red meat only had a difference of one to two grams of fat compared to chicken. This is a very small difference that would likely have little effect on your weight loss or gain.
So what’s the moral here? While it’s good for your overall health to reconsider how much red meat you eat on a weekly basis – for weight loss it is not 100% the enemy. Be smart, research the right cuts, and you can still fit in some red meat while hitting your fitness goals.
However, chicken and fish also offer a lot of other nutritional value to overall health as protein sources – which is why we can jump into those options in the battle for best weight loss proteins.
The pros and cons of chicken for weight loss
The first important factor to consider when eating chicken while trying to lose weight is what part of the chicken you are consuming. Dark meat is often fattier while light meat is packed with more protein. Chicken breast specifically seems to have the highest protein content and the least fat. This is why bodybuilders typically eat chicken breast above all else.
It’s also important to note that the skin contains fatty tissue. So this should be removed when eating during weight loss.
Chicken shares a lot in common with fish when it comes to b-complex vitamins – which are very helpful for turning calories into energy. But a huge positive is that chicken is much higher in vitamin D – which is already a vitamin that humans lack as we increasingly turn to digital technology and stay inside.
The pros and cons of fish for weight loss
On the other hand, fish has a lot of the same basic qualities as fish in terms of fat content and protein. However, fish are often packed with omega-3 fatty acids. These are considered an essential nutrient to overall long term health. So it’s great to have this in your diet separate from weight loss itself.
One thing of note – many bodybuilders and other fitness individuals hyper obsessed with weight loss might opt for low fat fish like cod. The problem here is that low fat fish often has less of the most important omega-3 fatty acids our bodies need. So you are essentially denying yourself a big benefit of fish when eating low fat species. On top of this – the fat content of a fattier fish like Salmon is such a small difference from chicken, it rarely is needed to eat low fat fish.
Another benefit of fish is that they are extremely low in calories compared to other protein sources. So when bodybuilders come to the final weeks of contest prep – it might be the best option for getting as lean as possible. This might not be as important for those who are just generally trying to stay lean for lifestyle reasons.
In terms of vitamins – fish are very high in vitamin B-12 and studies have also shown that fish are very good for helping to keep your intestinal biome healthy. This can have a huge effect on your overall health including your immune system – as noted by Jerry Brainum in a previous video.
So what is best? Chicken Or Fish?
After breaking down the pros and cons of both chicken and fish – Jerry Brainum believes that there is not enough of a significant difference between the two. Whether you want to eat chicken or fish while you try and get lean is completely up to your personal taste.
It can be argued that fish has a slight edge in terms of overall nutritional factors for your health. But if your main goal is to stay lean and keep on as much muscle as possible – both chicken and fish are a great way to keep protein in your diet without packing on too many calories.
You can watch Jerry Brainum go into complete detail in our latest episode of Straight Facts above. Make sure to visit Generation Iron every Wednesday for new episodes!