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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