I have often said that if I had to kill, gut and dress my own meat, I would be a vegetarian, and that is true. However, despite the fact that I was a vegetarian for two years in my early twenties, I don't believe that the vegetarian lifestyle is more healthy particularly (it can be quite the opposite, in fact, for some) and I have no moral compunctions about eating meat, either. My hesitation would be strictly related to that moment of looking into a sweet animal's eyes before sliding in the knife. But as long as I can buy my meat shrink-wrapped onto a styrofoam tray, I'll harbor no regret while I tear into a big juicy barbecue rib. The only hesitation for me now, aside from hating styrofoam in all its forms, is picking up that package and actually putting it into my cart when the price tag reads $6.99/pound. Maybe that's a good thing, though. It has necessarily moderated our meat intake as a family, so I was able to feed the five of us for many years on $300-400 per month.
That said, I'm reproducing an article below that I came across recently, which brilliantly rationalizes my wanton love for meat. It comes from a very informative website authored by Kris Gunnars and there are other articles that you may find of interest if you visit there.
From Kris:
That said, I'm reproducing an article below that I came across recently, which brilliantly rationalizes my wanton love for meat. It comes from a very informative website authored by Kris Gunnars and there are other articles that you may find of interest if you visit there.
From Kris:
In the past few decades, meat has been blamed for all sorts of Western diseases.
But we’ve been eating meat for a long time and blaming new health problems on old foods doesn’t make much sense. The truth is… unprocessed, naturally fed meat is extremely healthy. Here are 7 evidence-based health reasons to eat meat (and be proud of it).
The truth is that humans are omnivores, despite what some vegan proponents would have you believe. We function best eating BOTH animals and plants. Humans have much shorter digestive systems than herbivores and don’t have the specialized organs to digest cellulose, the main fiber in plants. Humans also have canines, with big brains, opposing thumbs and the ability to make tools to hunt.
Unprocessed meat is also loaded with healthy fats, but meat from grass-fed animals contains up to 5 times as much Omega-3 as meat from grain-fed animals. But the nutrient composition of meat goes way beyond all the macro- and micronutrients that we are all familiar with. There is also a plethora of important lesser-known nutrients in meat, that cannot be gotten from plants. These nutrients are crucial for optimal function of the body:
The EPIC study from Europe didn’t find any association either and this study included almost 450,000 people. However, both of these studies found a significantly increased risk for processed meat. If you want to avoid chronic disease, then it makes sense to avoid processed meat as much as possible. But unprocessed red meat is perfectly healthy.
In this regard, animal proteins are excellent… they contain all the amino acids that we need, while most plant proteins have a suboptimal amino acid profile. Not surprisingly, consumption of animal protein is associated with increased muscle mass and people who eat an omnivorous diet have more muscle than people eating a vegetarian diet. Studies also show that vegetarians have much lower testosterone levels than their meat-eating counterparts. Low testosterone is associated with reduced strength, less muscle mass, more fat gain, depression and reduced self-esteem. Another thing that protein is important for is bone health. The studies show that consumption of protein, especially animal protein, is associated with increased bone density in old age and a lower risk of fractures.
If you want to gain (or maintain) muscle, as well as prevent osteoporosis and fractures in old age, then animal protein should be a regular part of your diet.
While it is true that processed meat strongly correlates with increased cancer risk, the same is NOT true for unprocessed red meat. In so-called meta-analyses, which are studies that analyze the data from many studies at the same time, the link between red meat and cancer is found to be very weak. These studies only find a very small increase in risk for men, and zero increase for women. That being said, it is possible that the way meat is cooked can have an effect, because carcinogens can form when meat is cooked excessively. For this reason, it is important to use gentler cooking methods and cut away all burnt or charred pieces.
But we’ve been eating meat for a long time and blaming new health problems on old foods doesn’t make much sense. The truth is… unprocessed, naturally fed meat is extremely healthy. Here are 7 evidence-based health reasons to eat meat (and be proud of it).
1. We Have Been Designed to Eat Meat and Other Animal Foods
Throughout history, humans and have been eating meat. Our digestive systems are well equipped to make full use of the healthy fats, proteins and nutrients found in animal foods.The truth is that humans are omnivores, despite what some vegan proponents would have you believe. We function best eating BOTH animals and plants. Humans have much shorter digestive systems than herbivores and don’t have the specialized organs to digest cellulose, the main fiber in plants. Humans also have canines, with big brains, opposing thumbs and the ability to make tools to hunt.
Bottom Line: Humans have been designed to consume and make full use of the important nutrients found in animal foods.
2. Meat is Incredibly Nutritious
High quality, unprocessed meat is among the most nutritious foods in the world. A 3.5 ounce portion of raw ground beef contains large amounts of Vitamin B12, B3 (Niacin), B6, iron, zinc, selenium and plenty of other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin B12 is particularly important because it cannot be gotten in ANY amount from plants. Studies show that out of vegans who don’t supplement with B12, 92% are deficient in this critical nutrient.Unprocessed meat is also loaded with healthy fats, but meat from grass-fed animals contains up to 5 times as much Omega-3 as meat from grain-fed animals. But the nutrient composition of meat goes way beyond all the macro- and micronutrients that we are all familiar with. There is also a plethora of important lesser-known nutrients in meat, that cannot be gotten from plants. These nutrients are crucial for optimal function of the body:
- Creatine forms an energy reserve in the muscles and brain and is found only in animal foods. Vegetarians are deficient in creatine, leading to reduced physical and mental performance.
- Carnosine functions as a powerful anti-oxidant and provides protection against many degenerative processes. Carnosine is only found in animal foods.
- DHA and EPA are the active forms of Omega-3 in the human body and found primarily in animal foods. The body is inefficient at converting ALA (the plant form of Omega-3) to the active forms.
Bottom Line: Meat is highly nutritious and there are many nutrients in there that cannot be gotten in any amount from plants.
3. Meat Doesn’t Raise Your Risk of Cardiovascular Disease or Diabetes
There are many claims about meat being able to contribute to serious diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The main reason for these claims is that meat is high in saturated fat. However, this myth has actually been debunked quite thoroughly in recent years. Studies now show that saturated fat in the diet doesn’t raise the “bad” cholesterol in the blood and is not in any way associated with heart disease. In a massive study from Harvard that looked at data from 20 studies with a total of 1,218,380 individuals, they found no association between unprocessed red meat, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.The EPIC study from Europe didn’t find any association either and this study included almost 450,000 people. However, both of these studies found a significantly increased risk for processed meat. If you want to avoid chronic disease, then it makes sense to avoid processed meat as much as possible. But unprocessed red meat is perfectly healthy.
Bottom Line: There is no evidence that unprocessed meat contributes to cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
4. Meat Contains High Quality Protein, Which is Crucial for the Function of Muscles and Bones
Proteins are like long strings of amino acids that are linked together and folded into complex shapes. There are about 9 amino acids that we cannot produce and must get from the diet.In this regard, animal proteins are excellent… they contain all the amino acids that we need, while most plant proteins have a suboptimal amino acid profile. Not surprisingly, consumption of animal protein is associated with increased muscle mass and people who eat an omnivorous diet have more muscle than people eating a vegetarian diet. Studies also show that vegetarians have much lower testosterone levels than their meat-eating counterparts. Low testosterone is associated with reduced strength, less muscle mass, more fat gain, depression and reduced self-esteem. Another thing that protein is important for is bone health. The studies show that consumption of protein, especially animal protein, is associated with increased bone density in old age and a lower risk of fractures.
If you want to gain (or maintain) muscle, as well as prevent osteoporosis and fractures in old age, then animal protein should be a regular part of your diet.
Bottom Line: Consumption of animal protein leads to increased muscle mass and bone density. Vegetarians have lower testosterone and less muscle mass than their meat-eating counterparts.
5. There is Only a Very Weak Correlation With Cancer, Which May be Due to Overcooking, NOT the Meat Itself
There are some studies showing a link between red meat consumption and cancer. However, all of these studies are so-called observational studies, which tend to be unreliable. These studies often make the mistake of pooling together processed and unprocessed meats, which is unacceptable because the two have vastly different effects.While it is true that processed meat strongly correlates with increased cancer risk, the same is NOT true for unprocessed red meat. In so-called meta-analyses, which are studies that analyze the data from many studies at the same time, the link between red meat and cancer is found to be very weak. These studies only find a very small increase in risk for men, and zero increase for women. That being said, it is possible that the way meat is cooked can have an effect, because carcinogens can form when meat is cooked excessively. For this reason, it is important to use gentler cooking methods and cut away all burnt or charred pieces.
Bottom Line: The association between unprocessed red meat and cancer has been vastly exaggerated, but overcooking meat may have adverse effects.
