Ask Best Health: Is red meat bad for my health?
Confused about whether you should eat red meat? Here are the pros and cons, plus tips on proper portion sizes
By Lesley Young
It's hard to go anywhere and not face the temptation of red meat, a category that includes meats that are dark before cooking such as beef, pork, lamb and goat, as well as game meats such as duck, bison and venison. Thanks to plenty of bad press, many of us may feel guilty about eating it more than once a week, even if we're not exactly sure why. According to Nicole Fetterly, a registered dietitian in Vancouver, B.C., we eat far more red meat than we should. "We should limit red meat to 2.5 ounces [about 70 grams], once or twice a week," she says. Most public health authorities, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, recommend up to three servings per week.
Is red meat good for us?
All meat, including poultry, provides important nutrients like iron, vitamin B and protein. But all meats, especially red meat, contain saturated fats, the type that raise our blood cholesterol levels, leading to plaque build-up in arteries and increased risk of heart disease. "The trouble is we've switched to a grain-fed farming system [from a grass-fed one] and that's increased the levels of saturated fat in red meat," says Fetterly. "By feeding cows corn and other grains to fatten them up, all we are doing is fattening ourselves up."
The dangers of red meat
• Colorectal cancer
On the one hand, red meat is high in iron, the kind that is easily absorbed by the body (unlike plant sources of iron), says Fetterly. However, she notes, "excess amounts of iron could potentially damage the intestinal tract, leading to diseases such as cancer." Studies have shown that a diet high in red meat increases the risk of colon cancer. New preliminary evidence also links it with other cancers including liver and prostate cancer.
• Heart disease
Several major studies have shown that people who eat red meat virtually every day have much higher risks of death from heart disease than those who eat the smallest amounts.
How can we indulge safely?
• A cut above
Treat yourself to only the leanest cuts and look for round, loin, inside or outside round roast, eye of round steak, strip loin or sirloin steak. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, tenderloin cuts of meat can be lean if visible fat is removed. "Make your red meat count," adds Fetterly. "Opt for fine quality cuts rather than lean ground beef, which is more easily substituted with ground turkey or chicken. Most people say they can't afford fine cuts, but if you reduce your intake to once a week, you've made up the difference."
• Serve up moderation
One serving (2.5 ounces/70 grams) is about the size of a small deck of cards. Consider upping your vegetable content or add some meat-free sources of protein such lentils and eggs to your meal.
• Do the prep
Trim red meat of excess visible fat before cooking to reduce the fat content. Don't cook your meat in added fat and watch the salt. Instead, try flavouring the meat with marinades using olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs. Marinades are also excellent ways to reduce exposure to a dangerous cancer-causing byproduct of cooking meats at high temperatures called heterocyclic amines (HCA).
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Web exclusive, September 2011
Not that long ago we were told from studies that any other milk but skim milk was not good for you and then we found out there were substances in the fat in milk that was good for you, but drink in moderation. We were told from studies that whole eggs were bad for you, then found out there were substances in the yolks that were good for you, but eat in moderation. Oils were fats and were bad for you, do not eat, then found out there were good fats and bad fats, eat in moderation and the list goes on and on. See the common denominator here, its moderation. What will they find in future studies to contradict past studies and what we are being told now. I am not a hunter but please do not include wild game meat with the poorly fed domestic animals (grains, chemicals), as it is all natural and has very little fat.
I cook a lot of red meat in different forms, am 62 years old and have no cholesterol problems nor do my family. This is really a crock, if you are a mom and have to feed your family, you probably are a great cook and know that removing the fat from a good cut of beef, cooking it properly, is the better for your health.
Lots of people that eat a lot of red meat consume hot dogs, processed meats, cold cuts which are lethal with sodium and fat. Don't blame the red meat, blame the other choices that people make with fast food and a high sodium and fat diet.
Having spent all my life raising beef, I would like to add these comments. If you enjoy eating beef but have concerns about fat, learn about the grading systems in the US and Canada. All the nutritionists say choose lean cuts. I say this, start with meat from a leaner carcass, then choose leaner cuts. Generally speaking in the US, Choice is the highest in intramuscle fat (marbling), Select less, Standard least. In Canada Triple A is highest, then Double A, and Single A has the least marbling.
Normally you will find that differant breeds of cattle will tend to have various amounts of fat. British breeds generally have more fat both externally and marbling. Breeds that have been brought to North America from Europe tend to have less external fat and less marbling.
Note this. Lean meat needs to be cooked differant than highly marbled meat. Cook lean meat at a lower temerature and for less time. If you over cook you raise the chance of drying out the meat as all the natural moisture will be steamed out.
Enjoy your beef, it's great.
... one more spin of that hula hoop. One more spin.
This article is so antiquated in thought that it could have been published 20 years ago. I don't know where to start.
Choose better quality meat, say - grass raised.
Even if you believe the red meat-choseterol-heart disease thing you list wild meats with regular grain fed beef which have completely different fat profiles.
You say we may feel guilt eating red meat more than once a week and then you go on to lay on the guilt- 2.5 oz's - my 5 year old eats more than that!
More discussion on poor quality red meat -hot dogs ect- and why they are a better choices
More discussion on just eating a full and varied diet fiull of vegetables, fruits, whole unprocessed foods and meat
If Best Health continues to publish such pap I will set it aside and start getting nutritional advice from The Onion.com
I fully agree with the first comment. Red meat is very healthy for you. I have done a lot of reading on proper eating while I was pregnant. There were articles in the high risk unit where I was being treat that said "Red meat contians folic acid, B 12 and iron. If you do not eat enough red meat you will have problem with conception". I don't know how true it is but someone obviously has researched the qualities of red meat in the past and linked it to low conception rates. As a general rule eat everything in moderation and you will stay healthy.
Idiotic article - 2.5 oz once a week? I'm tired of cretins trying to avioid the fact that we are omnivores, and that means meat. If you want to live on herbs, emulate a cow.
What a pile of Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Doctor. I'll have mine RARE. I want to hear my steak moo and see it bleed when I cut into it.
I somewhat agree with the Dr. However keep in mind beef animals are fed grain(corn) which is known to be highly contaminated with micotoxins/fungal poisons(mold). And many are fed or given anit-biotics as a growth promoter. Anti-biotic is also a micotoxin. These toxins get stored in the fat. We eat it, and in turn it causes disease in humans.
We would do perfectly well eating red meat as long as it is grass fed. Do your reasearch ..."know the cause".
Be sure to check out "Doctor Sol Pressman's" credentials.. not someone you want to rely on...
Of course it is bad for your health, oh but it tastes so good. A theory little mentioned in university nutrition labs all over is that a vegetarian and vegan diet might prevent heart and cardiovascular disease and even dementia, alzheimer's and avoid the stent treatment for supposedly relieveing the symptomes of MS.
If you do not agree with this, Bacon, whole, eggs and anything superfat is just fine.
This is the same B.C.dietitian that says we need up to 65% of our food from carbohydrates and then wonders why everyone is fat. Carbs turn into sugar. We don't need sugar at all, I am with the good Doctor, and will enjoy a steak to-night as well. I wish that Best Health would get some people that know what they are talking about and not just parroting Health Canada's out of date research (if you can call it that).
Is red meat bad for my health? well, if you buy it from your local grocery store chances are it is - not cause it's 'red meat' but because of how the animal was raised. It's not the grain fed that concerns me but rather the hormones, antibiotics and vaccines pumped into the animal. I'm sure it is these things and not "excess amounts of iron" that are more likely to cause cancer. Poultry is just as bad. we moved to a hobby farm to raise our own food. now the problem is finding a local butcher I can trust!
the comment above about by the supposed Doctor must be a joke. We all eat way too much meat and the "doctor's" comments are wrong. Cut back all meats esp processed meats hot dogs, cold cuts etc.
I agree wit Dr Pressman. Who does your research, journalists?
Not a word of truth in this article. Saturated fats are critical for delivery of nutrients to the cells. Plaque is caused by low grade chlamydia infestations eating the lining of the artery walls, and lack of Vitamin K2, which is found in large amounts in red meat. Heart disease has no negative relation to red meat consumption, and was unknown 100 years ago, when red meat consumption was far higher. Salt is a necessity for production of gastric juice (hydrochloric acid), but use sea salt. Sad to see this kind of crap being passed off as 'health advice' when it is dead wrong. Have yourself a nice fat steak today. I will.