Meat can be categorized into three main types based on the presence and depth of color: one type has a bright or dark red color, such as pork, beef, and mutton, and is known as dark meat or red meat; another type, including chicken, duck, goose, rabbit, and fish, has tender, white flesh and is called light meat or white meat; the third type consists of meat from aquatic shellfish, such as clam, oyster, and crab meat, which is almost colorless and is termed colorless meat. Which of these three types of meat is more beneficial for human health? Nutritionists favor the latter two types. The secret lies in the fact that saturated fat and cholesterol content in light and colorless meat are significantly lower than in red meat.
Particularly commendable is the nearly colorless meat, whose saturated fat content is lower than that of any other type of meat—only half that of cheese and eggs—thus minimizing the increase in human cholesterol. If a ranking were to be established, it would undoubtedly be: colorless, light, red.