Red Meat - the Cons

Because of the saturated fats found in many cuts of red meat, the medical community as cautioned us against eating it. Saying that it will increase the LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and in turn increasing your chance of heart disease. While I follow their logic here, I do not agree that cholesterol is the issue. I believe the issue is inflammation not the cholesterol.

The medical community also states that red meat consumption is associated with higher rates of colon cancer, gallstones, and gout. The interesting thing here is that gout is an inflammation caused by uric acid crystals in a joint.

I would not and do not feel guilty about eating red meat. If some of the things above are concerning to you, then buy lean cuts of meat like sirloin. You could also eat venison, ostrich or buffalo. Game meats tend to have much lower fat content and also less calories.

Red Meat

Red meat has been made to look as all bad and many people feel guilty if they enjoy a good piece of beef. Red meat does contain some good things. It is an excellent source of protein. Free range fed beef contains all of the essential amino acids. It is essential that you eat free range beef, since beef that is from cattle fed specific foods does not contain the conjugated linoleic acid that our bodies need to build muscle.

Most of you are probably aware of the info above, but what you may not know is that beef also contains othe vital nutrients. These include bioavailable iron, as well as zinc, selenium, and B vitamins.

Tomorrow I'll talk about some of the cons with red meat.