Is Wagyu Beef Healthy? (5 Tips For Weight Loss)

Before that question is answered let's state the obvious fact that, when it comes to the upper echelons of the beef world, there is no greater kind than Wagyu also known as Japanese cattle (with” Wa-” meaning Japanese or Japanese-style and “Gyu-” meaning cow).

You’ve heard it everywhere that Wagyu is the top of the top when it comes to steaks; however, is Wagyu healthy?

Wagyu Beef is a healthy source of protein and is rich in mono-unsaturated fats; however, if one does not take precautions to eat it in moderation, substantial weight gain can occur due to the extremely high amounts of fat.

In this article, we will be covering 5 tips to help you lose weight while incorporating Wagyu as your delicious protein of choice.

In doing so we will be discussing the following:

Tip 1: Plan Ahead When Eating Wagyu

Tip 2: Learn to Understand the Nutrition of Wagyu

Tip 3: Learn Why Choosing a Leaner Cut of Wagyu Prevents Weight Gain

Tip 4: Learn Which Foods to Avoid Pairing With Wagyu

Tip 5: Why Counting Calories Is Important When Eating Wagyu

Some sacrifice is involved within these five steps, but bear with me and trust me when I say that it’s not as bad as you think.

What Is Wagyu Beef?

In Japan, Wagyu is eaten everywhere and is to be savored in all kinds of traditional recipes such as sashimi, modanyaki, shabu-shabu, and is a general staple in Japanese BBQ.

Outside Japan, however, authentic Wagyu is in very limited supply with reportedly only eight restaurants in the U.S. serving real (specifically, Kobe) Wagyu which, as you can imagine, costs quite the pretty penny.

A high-grade A5 Miyazaki Wagyu can sell as high as one hundred dollars per pound and an A5 Kobe or Olive Wagyu can sell for more than two hundred dollars a pound (I.e. as high as thirty dollars an ounce).

The Wagyu supply restraint is mainly due to Japan’s stringent export ban on Wagyu DNA (as well as live animals).

That being said, there was a moment of pause in the permanent ban between 1975 and 1997, when Japan did allow the export of a handful of animals—including Wagyu.

There are four breeds or strains of Wagyu with the Japanese Black (黒毛和種 Kuroge Washu) making up 90% of all raised and fattened cows in Japan followed by the Japanese Brown (赤毛和種 Akage Washu).

These cows were bred for physical endurance giving them more intramuscular fat cells which allows for their fat to be distributed more evenly throughout their muscles which is why Wagyu beef tends to look more pink and is considerably more tender.

The Japanese Black and Japanese Brown (Kumamoto line) are also the only available Wagyu outside Japan that are used in the terminal meat programs of countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia to be cross-bred for their superior meat quality traits and calving ease ability.

That's why there is such a thing as purebred or full-blooded American Wagyu in the U.S. In fact, there are 26,000 of them (or 0.029% of the total 89.9 million cattle in the nation), and they all have to meet standards set by the American Wagyu Association.

This all being said, be wary, not all Wagyu served outside Japan are real Wagyu.

Still, Wagyu, no matter where it's grown or sold, is expected to score high on any meat grading scale thus why it's considered one of the most decadent meats in the world.

It's scored based on a yield grade between A through C and a BMS (Beef Marbling Standard) score of 1 through 5.

Grade A being the highest Yield grade with its percentage being 72% (and above) on estimated cutability percentage and a score of five (or excellent) for BMS based on marbling, meat color, and texture, fat color, and quality.

For perspective, prime cuts of the most expensive U.S. Angus beef don't pass beyond a 4 in comparison to JMGA (Japanese Meat Grading Association) standards for Wagyu which only allows A5 to A3 Wagyu to be certifiably sold in Japan.

How to Lose Weight When Eating Wagyu

Living in a city like LA, you have quite the pick of diverse Wagyu eateries to choose from in comparison to other areas of the country.

With Wagyu being served at only a handful of Japanese BBQ and Hot Pot restaurants, high-end steak houses, izakaya, and sushi bars, it’s no doubt the weekend treat to splurge on.

That being said, you should enjoy every bit of your Wagyu without feeling an ounce of guilt for what it could be doing to your waistline.

Just like many steaks, Wagyu carries a lot of fat in relation to the amount of protein there is per serving.

Fat is the highest calorie macronutrient so we can expect the calories to be pretty high as well.

This means that we must be mindful of how many calories we are consuming as we eat our meal with Wagyu in it.

Losing weight is the process of understanding something called energy balance.

Basically put, you need to compare the energy your body burns and the energy your body consumes.

If the calories your body consumes is higher than the calories your body burns, then you will be in a caloric surplus or will be gaining weight due to excess energy.

If the calories your body burns is higher than the calories your body consumes, then you will be in a caloric deficit or will be losing weight due to a deficit of energy.

When losing weight, you MUST be in a caloric deficit which means you need to know your numbers pretty well.

Here is an article you can check out if you want to know how many calories your body burns in a day.

Once you understand energy balance, you can really eat most foods as you can be mindful of the calories you need to consume.

So, when it comes to Wagyu, we’ll be discussing how many calories there are within this article, so make sure you read on and see whether or not you can afford to eat such a fatty steak!

We have five tips for you to follow in order to eat your favorite Wagyu dish without gaining excess weight.

So, let’s get into our first tip here!

Tip 1: Plan Ahead When Eating Wagyu

First thing, before anything, is to remember to always plan ahead and be strategic!

If you’re thinking of going to a Japanese BBQ restaurant, for example, to get your Wagyu fix remember that it’s very similar to Korean BBQ in that usually the restaurant can fall into two different categories which are the AYCE (All You Can Eat) Option or the Plate by Plate Combination Option.

Do yourself the favor of avoiding the AYCE restaurants and, if you’re going to an izakaya bar, avoid the nomihodai (all you can drink) option.

Going plate by plate can help you save on your serving sizes and can, thus, prevent excess weight gain.

Portion control really is the key to staying healthy so make sure you are mindful of how MUCH you are eating, especially with a food as dense as Wagyu.

Also keep in mind that Wagyu, when served in traditional Japanese restaurants, also comes in bite-sized cuts and is minimally marinated which is great as it could better help you keep track of your caloric intake and portion control.

Then there's the side dishes that usually accompany Wagyu such as white rice, tempura, yakitori, ohitashi, and sunomono.

I know this is going to sound ludicrous but stay away from the first two.

Any carbohydrate deep-fried, glutinous, and/or starchy on the menu is not your friend when eating it with Wagyu.

Dipping sauces are usually hit or miss as some of them can be surprisingly calorically dense while others are generally okay (more on this later).

Also making time to keep activity levels high before and after enjoying your Wagyu meal is also crucial as eating a large amount of food high in protein can hopefully help build some muscle.

Muscle burns calories at rest which means we can increase the amount of calories our bodies burn as we continue to pack on more muscle.

It can be intimidating to start working out but we all have to start somewhere!

Here is a workout plan that hits all the muscle groups and maximizes the efficiency of your workouts!

Women

Monday (Full Upper):

Seated Shoulder Press: 4x20
Lateral Raises: 4x15
Lat Pulldowns: 4x12
Dumbbell Row: 3x10
Dumbbell Fly: 3x10
Knee Push Ups: 4x20
Weighted Crunches: 3x35

Wednesday (Back/Hamstrings/Biceps)

Assisted Pull Ups: 3x10
Lat Pulldowns: 4x12
Cable Row: 4x15
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 4x15
Hamstring Curl: 4x15
Bicep Curls: 3x10
Hammer Curls: 3x10

Friday: (Legs/Butt/Abs):

Squats: 5x5
Goblet Squats: 4x20
Glute Bridge: 4x20
Glute Kickbacks: 4x20 each leg
Jump Squats: 4x20
Weighted Crunches: 3x35
Leg Lifts: 3x35

MEN

Mon: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs (Push Day)

Bench Press: 3 sets 10 reps
Dumbbell Press: 4 sets 12 reps
Shoulder Press: 3 sets 10 reps
Lateral Raises: 3 sets 15 reps
Triceps Rope Push Down: 3 sets 15 reps
Cable Crunches: 4 sets 15 reps

Wed: Legs & Abs

Goblet Squats: 4 sets 20 reps
Weighted Walking Lunges: 2 sets 20 steps
Stiff Leg DeadLift (Romanian Deadlift): 4 sets 15 reps
Glute Bridges With Weight: 4 sets 20 reps
Jumping Squats With Resistance Bands: 5 sets 20 reps
Weighted Sit Ups: 4 sets 25 reps
Weighted Toe Touches: 4 sets 25 reps

Fri: Back & Biceps (Pull Day)

Assisted Pull Ups: 3 sets 10 reps
Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets 12 reps
Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets 10 reps (Each Side)
Seated Cable Rows: 4 sets 15 reps
Bicep Curls: 3 sets 10 reps
Hammer Curls: 3 sets 10 reps

This is a simple resistance training workout plan.

What I recommend is to just look these workouts up on Youtube and choose weights that are not too heavy at first so you can really get your form down.

All it takes are a couple of adjustable weights (bowflex adjustable weights on Amazon) and a reliable workout bench (steelbody bench on Amazon) that will allow us to do all the necessary workouts.

When you feel that you’ve grasped the form, feel free to go heavier and heavier every week. Remember, this will not get you big and bulky. It will get you nice and lean.

It’s really all about making sure you’re well within your calorie range and that you’re utilizing the calories you eat in the day by working out and building muscle!

Tip 2: Understand The Nutrition of Wagyu

When we look at foods and want to know whether or not they are healthy, we need to look inside the nutrition label to see what we can find.

Let’s take a look at a typical slice of Wagyu and see whether or not it is good to eat when sticking to a healthy diet.

For a 3 ounce serving of Wagyu, we can see that there are 350 kcals with 33 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.

This will be incredibly hard to fit into a healthy diet as a serving as little as 3 ounces carries 33 grams of fat!

Fat is the highest calorie macronutrient so, when fats exceed any of the other two (carbs and protein) we can assume that we are getting way more fats than we need.

When you look inside a nutrition label, you want to see a good balance of macronutrients rather than one being skewed too highly.

For example, if we have a meal with all carbs and fats with little to no protein, we can assume that this meal has a poor balance of macronutrients.

You want to make sure you’re getting all three of them with a good amount of protein as this is the highest macronutrient to consume for most people.

If you want to know how to find out your exact macronutrients for your body, then make sure to check out this article where we go in depth on how to see your abs!

According to an assortment of scientific claims, Wagyu might just be the only red meat that is actually good for us to produce for the following reasons:

1. Wagyu, due to Japanese Black and Brown cattle being genetically predisposed to having a higher fat content, is fattier than your standard cow with Brown cattle being considered even healthier than Black cattle due to their low-fat content, about 12% or less.

However, the fat it creates is mono-unsaturated fat (MUFA) that can be used as energy to support cell growth and contributes to the lowering of cholesterol, preventing coronary disease, and helps with weight loss.

2. As touched upon, Wagyu has the lowest cholesterol levels of all meats, including fish or chicken. (it’s actually up there with wild salmon and has even been compared to olive oil)

Thanks to it containing the enzyme delta 9-desaturase, which takes stearic acid (a saturated fatty acid) and changes into oleic acid (an unsaturated fatty acid) which also happens to contribute to its signature buttery, umami flavor.

3. Wagyu is also rich in essential amino acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids such as these are believed to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and other conditions.

The richly marbled beef also contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is believed to have health benefits such as a lowered risk of disease and diabetes.

4. Lastly, Wagyu is also abundant in valuable nutrients, not limited to protein and iron that the body relies on to transport oxygen throughout the body.

This all acknowledged, Wagyu must still be eaten in moderation if weight loss is your ultimate goal as on average 58% of its caloric make up (for certain cuts) is still made of fat (“good fat” but fat nonetheless) while 42% is made of actual protein which in turn makes it more calorically dense than your average meat.

But don’t worry there is a solution to you enjoying your Wagyu while still keeping yourself in check!

Tip 3: Why Choosing a Leaner Cut of Wagyu Goes a Long Way

This is the solution—stay away from the A5 and go for the A3! If you’re lost due to what I just wrote, here’s a quick refresher.

Wagyu marbling (i.e. fat) is scored on a 1 to 5 scale. The lowest Wagyu score allowed to be sold anywhere is a grade A, score 3 to 5. Choose the score with the lowest fat content—the A3—if you want lower-calorie Wagyu.

However, if that’s not possible go for a leaner cut instead that would, in turn, have higher protein and less fat. Keep in mind that in some restaurants leaner cuts can also be labeled "Choice" or "Select" but stay away from “Prime”.

The top three tastiest Wagyu cut options with the lowest amount of fat are the Sirloin, Skirt, and Round. Here are the nutrition facts of the three.

Sirloin

Skirt

Round

The key here is to look at the ratio between fats and proteins. Keep in mind that protein is 4 calories per gram while fat is 9 calories per 1 gram.

So, if the ratio of protein to fats is close to 1:1 then you’ll be getting way too many calories from fat.

As shown, Wagyu Sirloin, Round, and Skirt steak all have some really good ratios.

Tip 4: Which foods to avoid pairing with Wagyu

Since eating Wagyu is usually accompanied by eating an assortment of side dishes, dipping sauces, and drinks, its nutrition heavily depends on which foods you are choosing to pair with it and how much you are eating to maintain a caloric deficit.

FOODS TO AVOID

Rice
- As a rice lover myself it hurts me to list it here but rice is definitely not the best thing to pair your Wagyu with as simply adding a bowl or two of rice can range from 300-500 extra calories that you could have saved eating more Wagyu!
Udon
- Udon is a highly calorically dense food that is heavy in carbohydrates and you can easily overeat. Make sure that you are not eating too much Udon when you are having Wagyu and opt for the vegetables instead.
Shirataki Noodles
- Shirataki Noodles or glass noodles are another carbohydrate source that is important to limit your intake as they are easily over consumed just like the Udon noodles so ideally skip the noodles all together.
Potatoes
- Potatoes are nutritious, but they don't contain all the nutrients you need for optimal health, and depending on how it’s prepared can easily make you fall into a caloric surplus.
Bread
- Wagyu prepped in any kind of bread is high in calories as most bread sold today is made from refined wheat, which has been stripped of most fiber and nutrients that may cause a big spike in blood sugar and lead to an unnecessary increase in calorie intake.
Dipping sauces
- Dipping sauces are one of those foods that don’t seem too calorically dense but actually are so be careful and try to stick with pepper and salt, a non-oily chili sauce, or (simply) a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Some calorically friendly options (with moderation) are in general soy, miso, Teppanyaki, Yakiniku, and gyoza dipping sauces. Stay away from any butter sauce offered.

FOODS TO EAT

Vegetables
- Any prepared vegetables (tempura being the only notable exception) with your Wagyu, are great foods to eat more of compared to any other option and always great to incorporate into your diet.
Mushrooms
- Mushrooms are a low-calorie and high protein food that is great to fill up on your plate.
- This voluminous food is also high in fiber which makes you feel full and satiated for a lower calorie count.

BEVERAGES TO AVOID

Soda
- Soda is high in sugar and calories, which lead to obesity, diabetes, and blood sugar imbalances—just stay away from it.
- Rule of thumb for weight loss, don’t drink your calories (this rule applies to all the drinks in this section).

Beer & Liquor
- Drinking too much beer, or any other type of alcohol, is bad for you as it’s consumption wipes out any health benefit and increases the risk of liver cancer, cirrhosis, alcoholism, and obesity.
- Chances are that if you go to an izakaya you won't find any Western-style cocktails on the menu to pair with your Wagyu, but you might have lots of choices of umeshu, shochu, sake, or sawaa. Stay away from all of it.

BEVERAGES TO DRINK

Water (or Carbonated Water)
- Water is the only beverage you could ever drink that can reduce overall liquid caloric intake and it may even help suppress your appetite and boost your metabolism. Enough said.

Each of these typical Japanese side dishes, dipping sauces, and drinks are what you might see accompanying your Wagyu and you can (of course) have any one of these to enjoy, but be careful and watch your portion size as it will be easier to stick to your goals.

Tip 5: Understand The Benefits of Knowing Your Caloric Budget

No matter the food, whether Wagyu or otherwise, just know that you can most definitely make it work with your diet and weight loss goals so long as you stick to a calorie deficit.

To know if you’re eating at a caloric deficit you must first know your own TDEE maintenance calorie score or Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

Your TDEE consists of the amount of energy you burn from daily activity, your resting metabolic rate, and the energy needed to swallow and digest food.

As long as your calorie intake from the food you eat is consistently less than your TDEE, you are guaranteed to lose weight over time.

To find out what your TDEE score is simply go online and search up a TDEE calculator (my personal favorite is TDEECalculator.net which is free).

Once you find one you like, it will ask you to input your weight, height, and gender and has an algorithm to generate an average TDEE for you.

Once you have your set TDEE score, start by consuming around 200-500 fewer calories than the score it gave you for your set maintenance calories and after a week or two, you should start seeing some progress.

To make calorie tracking easier, I suggest downloading a calorie counting app such as MyFitnessPal and getting either a Fitbit or Apple Watch to calculate how many calories on average you're burning each day.

I also recommend not eating below 1,000 calories a day as that can become detrimental to your overall health.

Also, in order to properly measure your weight, weigh yourself every day and take your average weight weekly to see progress.

Now if you don’t wish to do that and you have anxiety getting on the scale, then try measuring your progress via measuring tape or photos or better yet by looking at your body recomposition, how your energy levels are throughout the day, and how you are mentally feeling!

If you are not seeing the progress you want right away please be patient with yourself and keep in mind that the reason why day-to-day weight loss is not super accurate is that it often fluctuates.

Instead, try weighing yourself every morning at the same time of the day to get the most consistent data.

Now Let's Wrap it up

Wagyu is the most delicious, sought after, and surprisingly nutritious red meat around but it's not without its caloric pitfalls if not eaten or paired mindfully.

Remember that when weight loss is your goal, that it is important to always think ahead and keep track of your caloric budget.

Overall, eating Wagyu is an experience to be enjoyed and my hope is that these 5 tips were able to help you savor said moment while giving you the peace of mind of still being able to meet your personal weight loss milestones.

Thank you for reading this article and remember YOU GOT THIS!