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.
11-29-2006 @4:55PM tess said... i think anything in moderation is ok!!Nothing we eat drink or breath is good for us!!!!
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11-29-2006 @4:57PM Barbara Piester said... While I applaud the plethora of facts & figures allowing us to make informed choices, it's vital to remember that WE ARE MORTAL. No matter what we do or don't eat, drink, etc., we're born to die. A healthy diet can certainly improve the QUALITY of our lives, but the jury's still out as to the effect it has on the QUANTITY. Much of our lifespan is genetically determined, as we all know of people who unthinkingly eat an "ordinary" diet, high in fats and low in fiber, and live to age 97.
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12-01-2006 @3:34AM Murphy said... In response to Sharon, I agree. When the Brits invaded Ireland, They were amazed at the strapping young men working the fields and sustained by the lowly potato. They took the potato back home and only royalty were allowed to eat this magical food. We are designed to eat everything. The problem is to much of one thing. RE: the olden days, one must remember that back then, if you outlived your teeth you were blessed. I don't want to make a good looking corpse, I want to be alive and satisfied.
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11-29-2006 @5:12PM Cheickna Singare said... All the different diets are particular to people in some specific part of the world. They are based on what The Creator made available to some people for their sustenance. We envy each other and decide to eat this or that for what we think is good for our individual systems. NOT necessarily what Our Maker, IN HIS WISDOM, chose for us to nourish us.In the Sahara desert, THEY live of red meat and dairy products. In Iceland live off salmon.
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11-29-2006 @6:08PM Chuck said... This reminds me of the anti-smoking nazis. First they just don't like people that smoke and dream up all sorts of things, including passing laws, to try to prove their point.(Look at all the people just dropping dead from second hand smoke)
It's been the same thing with the anti-red meat crowd. Look how many people have died eating chicken, fish, and now spinach!
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11-29-2006 @6:27PM Tucson said... A recent survey indicated that life is hazardous and we will all definitely die.
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11-29-2006 @7:52PM lGloria Dennen said... Everything in moderation. You are the best judge of what your own body can or cannot digest. If all your medical tests are within acceptable limits, and you enjoy a variety of tastes, go right ahead and eat up. Use your good sense to know when to stop. Your body will tell you painfully enough if you overdid. As we age, our bodies can't always handle what it used to, so we need to continue to be observant, and to moderate at all times.
Myself, I am partial to mashed potatoes with butter and salt, rare beef and lamb,
breast of any fowl, and I avoid water as often as possible because it tastes awful no matter how it's tapped or bottled. And I'm in my late 70s, pushing the envelope!
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11-29-2006 @5:29PM lGloria Dennen said... Everything in moderation. You are the best judge of what your own body can or cannot digest. If all your medical tests are within acceptable limits, and you enjoy a variety of tastes, go right ahead and eat up. Use your good sense to know when to stop. Your body will tell you painfully enough if you overdid. As we age, our bodies can't always handle what it used to, so we need to continue to be observant, and to moderate at all times.
Myself, I am partial to mashed potatoes with butter and salt, rare beef and lamb,
breast of any fowl, and I avoid water as often as possible because it tastes awful no matter how it's tapped or bottled. And I'm in my late 70s, pushing the envelope!
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11-29-2006 @5:42PM Randy said... A person's protein diet should change through the years - just my opinion. Heavy Dairy in youth, red meat in teen and 20 s. Begin diminishing red meat by late 30s and early 40s. Only Fish / chicken / nuts and more beans along with and veggies after 45 to 50. The thought of rancid red meat sitting around in ones colon is enough to keep me away from red meat products altogether. The digestive process diminishes in effect as one ages. Generally, veggies, complex carbs, beans and nuts are all one needs after 50, along with supplemental vitamins.
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11-29-2006 @6:29PM Shelby Jean Ricketts said... I am immune deficient; therefore, I MUST have a diet very high in protein. Which, is nice, as I LOVE meat. I think all announcements regarding "good or bad for you" should be taken with a grain of salt.
You said it perfectly. It is bad, then it is good.
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11-29-2006 @6:03PM Margo Conklin said... Of course, we must learn to eat moderate amounts of all foods.
As for red meat, read Genesis, Chapter 9. Who am I to argue with God?
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11-29-2006 @10:13PM R. Thatcher Stark said... It is not popular to say, but "you gotta die of something." Just don't make, "Hey, Bubba, watch this". I want more life in my years and not more years without a life. Vegans live a long time, but I have met few laugh-hearty 90-year old vegans.
Besides, there has only been one survivor and He had an edge none of us can claim.
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11-29-2006 @6:12PM Shelby Jean Ricketts said... I also agree with the comments about hormones.
Think about this, my grandma cooked fried chicken, chicken and dumplins (we never ate a dumplinG) for Sunday dinner. After all the dishes were cleaned. She put a clean tablecloth over the food. Our supper was what was left. NO ONE EVER HAD FOOD POISONING!
It is all the hormones, preservatives, everything they use on meat and all the veggies and grains that is causing the problem. Just be very careful and eat sensibly.
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11-29-2006 @6:12PM Shelby Jean Ricketts said... I also agree with the comments about hormones.
Think about this, my grandma cooked fried chicken, chicken and dumplins (we never ate a dumplinG) for Sunday dinner. After all the dishes were cleaned. She put a clean tablecloth over the food. Our supper was what was left. NO ONE EVER HAD FOOD POISONING!
It is all the hormones, preservatives, everything they use on meat and all the veggies and grains that is causing the problem. Just be very careful and eat sensibly.
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11-29-2006 @7:28PM Patricia said... I believe that a vegetarian is probably best, but you can probably eat red meat once in a while (once or twice a month) without it hurting you. You can probably eat whatever you want if you vary your diet and don't eat too much of the bad stuff.
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11-29-2006 @6:07PM Dick said... For the past 16 years the majority of red meat that my wife and I have eaten has been wild game. When my wife was diagnosed with cancer, she dramatically changed our diets and since we have had a diet of deer and elk meat on our table.
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11-29-2006 @6:16PM Zorro said... Drink Martinis! I find NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
EVER! Just don't drink too many.
Zorro
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11-30-2006 @1:03PM Rocky J said... Has anyone ever seen a healthy-looking vegetarian?
The consumption of meat is what turned us from a society of seed and nut gatherers into a progressive race of intelligent seekers. Maybe not a good thing in the long run, but what is...is
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11-29-2006 @7:13PM mj said... benefit from NOT eating meat: No more killing animals. Yeah!!!!!!
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11-30-2006 @12:07AM tambocha said... MJ- Correlation does NOT imply causation. A correlation is just that: a correlation between two factors.
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