9 Nasty Truths About Your Favorite Foods
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Every time we turn around it seems that there is some expert or some study telling us that another food is "bad" for us. And given a little more time, there will be another person saying that the food is, in fact, "good." Red meat -- a category that includes beef, pork and lamb -- has been subject to this time and again and it is getting difficult to keep track of all the things that it can -- and cannot -- do. Fortunately, an Independent columnist neatly summarized the benefits and risks of eating red meat.
Benefits
- High in zinc, which is important for a healthy immune system.
- Contains more iron than most foods, and it is more easily used by the body than iron from other sources
- Also a good source of other vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium and b vitamins.
- Excellent source of complete proteins
- A high-protein diet based on lean red meat has been shown to help weight loss
Risks
- An increased risk of bowel cancer was found for people who ate more than two servings of red meat per week.
- The Mediterranean diet, which is low in red meat, has been shown to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease
- Excessive amounts of red meat can lead to a higher risk of osteoporosis due to an acid byproduct from digesting very large amounts of protein.
- Eating red meat every day can double the risk of Arthritis
- Red meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol
- A recent study found that rating more than one serving of red meat per day can double the risk of breast cancer, especially in young women.
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11-30-2006 @6:53PM Babs said... My grandma Fanny lived to 104 when we asked her how she did it she said "Eat everything in moderation...and even a little poison won't kill you"
Enjoy your burgers now and then.
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11-29-2006 @3:51PM JOE said... The biggest issue with red meat is all the hormones and drugs they inject into the animals.
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12-01-2006 @2:50PM allen terry said... I eat everything, both good and bad, and im 68 now.
Hey, enjoy life...
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12-01-2006 @3:35PM judith said... I agree with Schultz--Life is too short to worry about the latest junk science report. Would you believe that research has shown that people who worry about what they eat are actually unhealthier than people who eat what they want (with reasonable moderation, I'm sure)? My grandmother lived to be 100 and her mind was sharp to the end. She ate chocolate every day, drank plenty of coffee, and consumed processed and pesticide laden food on a daily basis. What she also had was low stress, lots of love and good genes.
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11-29-2006 @3:46PM Carol said... I have found that red meat, I love it almost rare & bloody,has become harder to digest as I age (now 65). We should all eat all foods in moderation since every food as a study to show how it is not good for us.
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11-29-2006 @3:47PM Ed Kelley said... Everything in moderation. Don't eat more than an 1100 lb steer per year. sgnd, Texas Rancher
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11-29-2006 @4:51PM Joan said... I am roasting a nice piece of lean roast beef right now cooked with dry onion soup mix. It smells wonderful, tastes wonderful and if I need to find another man, I will cook it for him. But my man is a healthy 73 and still working. Of course veggies and other side dishes help but there is nothing better than a good roast beef. Enjoy!
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11-29-2006 @3:55PM judy szela said... Oh come on!!! Where's the info about the hormones, steroids & antibiotics given steers on a daily basis? Ever hear of factory farms?? Come on, wake up!!!
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11-29-2006 @3:59PM James Busbin said... Red Meat, oh so good. Monday night I marinated a huge T - bone in red wine, wochestire sause, onion stock and cooked it slow over low heat. The result melted in my mouth. I also ate a good portion of fresh vegatables, potatoes and topped off all the above with a stiff libation. Moderation in all things.
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11-30-2006 @7:56AM dave said... 14 years ago I quit smoking after 30 years with the habit. I was fine for 12 years....went on the Atkins diet and ate nothing but hamburger and steaks. One year later I was diagnosed with lung cancer...coincidence? I don't know
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11-30-2006 @5:01PM JACK V. said... DRINK WHISKY, IT'S DISTILLED AND PURER THAN WATER.
PLUS WHEN YOU DRINK ENOUGH, YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!
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11-29-2006 @7:02PM Jean said... I suggest that you eat only 100% lean. Forget the marbled cuts. All the animal's toxins are stored in the fat cells just like humans. Red meat will be high in phosphorus, so in order to counteract the high acid ph, start with your calcium and hugh dark green salad with celery, carrots and your favorite fresh vegetables, hopefully organic if you can afford it. When phosphorus is high, the body will leach calcium, thus the bone loss. It's easy to get too much phosphourus given modern farming, soil leached of magnesium, phosphours based fertilizers, sodas, and beer. A balance of magnesium, phosphorus and calcium is what you're looking for. So be smart!
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12-02-2006 @3:18PM Marie said... Eating anything in moderation won't kill you. What will kill you is, processed foods, hormone's used to promote growth acceleration, pesticides the cattle eat and the conditions they live in before slaughtered. When I was growing up, people died of old age or heart disease. We didn't know anyone who had cancer. Today, everyone knows someone who has cancer. Kids didn't go to funerals of other kids...just unheard of!
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11-29-2006 @4:10PM frank said... Red Meat is good for you in moderation and so is everything else. There are too many people telling us what we can and can't eat everyone just has to judge for themselves
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11-30-2006 @8:17AM bobby said... red meat now that is some good stuff.
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11-29-2006 @4:29PM Steve said... I really enjoy these studies. I remember when my great aunt was either 95 or 96 her doctor had a Dietician come to her house and check on her and the things she was eating. Being Cajun as we are we never have cooked as the smart people thought we should. The lady came in to see my aunt sitting at the table eating gumbo and also had a freshly baked apple pie next to her. The lady told her she should not eat the gumbo or the pie because it was bad for her. To this my aunt looked her square in the eyes and said, " I have been eating this type of food all of my life, what can it possibly do to me, Kill me? Not only did she finish her gumbo, but placed two scoops of Blue Bell Ice Cream on top of the pie. Once complete, did the dishes and went out side to cut the grass. She passed about 18 months later and we all knew her eating habits would get her eventually.
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11-29-2006 @4:28PM Vickie Thompson said... I eat some red meat. I was raised on beef and pork. I do believe it is hard on intestines. I've read and watched on television articles about how long it takes for meat to leave the bowles. So moderation is the key to most foods we like to eat. I also love fruits and vegtables. If I have a dietary problem It shows with my daily bowel movements. I usually have very healthy ones.
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11-29-2006 @5:01PM Sue Kelley said... I agree with the rancher. As long as we don't eat more than an 1100 lb steer each per year, we should be fine, just eat extra fiber to balance it out, and for heaven sakes "DRINK MORE WATER" especially out of the garden hose and kitchen faucet, always make sure it is unfiltered......yada~yada~yada
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11-29-2006 @4:40PM Julie Ley said... I think I'm done eating dead animals after 48 years. The blood that comes out of the meat packages and the veins in the chicken thigh are starting to make me lose my appetite, plus eating red meat doesn't agree with my digestive system anymore.
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11-29-2006 @6:05PM Indra said... Red meat is not that bad. It provides the body with essential amino acids and proteins that are vital for every day function. Lots of vegans are missing out on easy protein access by consuming red meat. I'm just wondering if this study is accurate? I feel that red meat is associated to too many diseases and the correlation seems a bit far fetched.
Pre- Med student.
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