We are all aware of current recommendations for healthy eating, and those of you who genuinely prefer meat-and-potatoes meals are probably a bit ticked off that meat has been banished to the seldom-if-at-all-category of the nutritional kingdom. You may be wondering if there is any hope of maintaining a lowfat, healthy diet without giving up meat? You will be happy to know that the answer is yes!

Thanks to leaner animals and closer trimming of fat at meat counters, many meat cuts are perfectly acceptable choices for both health and taste.

• Beef is 27 percent leaner than it was 20 years ago;
• fresh pork is, on the average, 31 percent lower in fat than a decade ago.

They also contain significant amounts of several important nutrients, such as protein, iron, zinc and the B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, B-6 and B-12).

The keys to healthy meat-eating are knowing which cuts to buy, choosing cooking methods and seasonings that keep meats tender and flavorful, and -- very important and too often overlooked -- eating a 3-4 ounce portion (the size of a deck of cards or a woman's palm). Keep in mind that 4 ounces of boneless uncooked meat usually yields 3 ounces of cooked meat.

When selecting meat, look for cuts with the words "loin," "round" or "leg" in the name. The leanest cuts of pork are:

• pork tenderloin
• loin chop
• loin roast
• boneless rib roast
• rib chop