Eat meat only twice a week for good health

Eat meat sparingly  maybe as few as twice in a week. This health advice can be understood in two ways. First, there are people who eat so much meat, which puts them at risk for heart disease, obesity, and stroke. Second, there are some people who are strict vegetarians and thus may lack certain benefits of meat. Let us look at how much meat our body really needs.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?

In her book 50 Secrets of the World’s Longest Living People, nutritionist Sally Beare debunks the myth that people need to eat large amounts of beef and pork in order to gain muscle. She writes, “The 800-pound gorilla thrives very happily on a vegan diet of vegetables, fruits, and nuts.”

Nutritionists agree that adults generally need 20 percent (between 10 and 35%) of their daily food intake to come from protein. For example, a 154-pound male adult would require 50 to 75 grams of protein a day.

Because of this, experts recommend that a person eat an average of six ounces of protein (60 grams), which is the size of two decks of cards. Protein can come in the form of lean meat, chicken or fish. The rest of your diet should come from fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE

Try meals without beef and pork. You don’t have to wait for Holy Week to stop eating meat. From my personal experience, going meatless for a few days in a week can make you feel cleaner and healthier.

Fish, chicken, and turkey are healthier sources of protein. They have less of the fat content found in animal meat. You can also eat chicken without the skin. If you like pork, try to remove the fat. However, it is harder to remove beef fat because the fat is marbled between the meat.

Aside from meat, there are other great substitute sources of protein, such as tofu, monggo beans, eggs, milk, and cheese. Tofu is easy to add to your dishes, besides being healthy and affordable. Low-fat milk, skim milk, and cottage cheese have less fat, too.

GROUP 1: FOR THOSE WHO EAT TOO MUCH MEAT

For people who have a daily diet of pork chops and beef steaks, you may want to reduce your meat intake a bit for these health benefits:

1. Reduces cancer risk. A study by the National Cancer Institute involving 500,000 individuals showed that those who consumed four ounces or more of red meat a day were 30 percent more likely to die within 10 years, compared to persons who ate less red meat. Aside from beef and pork, experts say that sausages, hotdogs, luncheon meats, and other processed meats also increase the risk for cancer.

2. Reduces heart disease and diabetes. Studies show that people who eat less meat and more fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables have a lower risk for heart disease and diabetes.

3. Reduces degenerative diseases like arthritis. A study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Health shows that vegetarians develop degenerative diseases (diseases of old age) 10 years later as compared to meat eaters.

4. Helps fight obesity. A diet of mostly vegetables, grains, beans, and fruits has generally fewer calories, compared to a meat diet. These foods can also help lower one’s cholesterol levels.

What could be the reason why eating too much animal meat may be harmful? According to nutritionist Sally Beare, our bodies are not designed to eat lots of meat. The meat we eat has to travel a long way through the intestines and tend to stay and stick to the intestinal wall for days. After being broken down by bacteria, these meat products will produce possibly cancer-causing substances like ammonia, phenols, and amines.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, co-chairman of the World Cancer Research Fund, says, “Animal protein is one of the most toxic nutrients there is.” Meat is high in saturated fat (the bad fat) and may cause colon, breast, and prostate cancer. Dr. Campbell reiterates, “In my view, no chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein.”

Based on Dr. Campbell’s study called the China Project, the results show that vegetarian Chinese people from the rural areas have very low rates of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer, compared to urban Chinese eating a meat diet. The data show that rural Chinese have 10 times fewer cases of heart disease than the typical American. 

GROUP 2: FOR THOSE WHO DON’T EAT MEAT

On the other hand, what about those who don’t eat meat? Do they lack iron or certain vitamins in their body? Yes, a completely plant-based diet lacks vitamin D and vitamin B12. They may also be deficient in iron. That is why some experts also believe that a little animal meat, perhaps twice a week, would be necessary to complete one’s nutrition needs.

MEAT WORSENS GLOBAL WARMING

On a different issue, environmentalist Al Gore said that decreasing the world’s meat intake would help reduce global warming. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that livestock farming worldwide produces 18% of the earth’s greenhouse gas emission. The FAO estimates that 70% of former forests have been lost and converted for animal grazing, thus heating up the planet because living trees absorb CO2 (carbon dioxide). Moreover, animal wastes produce nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the warming effect of CO2. Hence, eat less meat to save our planet. What better reason is there to reduce your meat intake?