Meat consumption and health

We all agree that a lot of us, if not all of us love meat, and a meal can be incomplete sometimes without it. Today, we will look at some stuffs about meat consumption. Let's see some terms first.

All meat (Red and White meat) are made up of muscle fibers. Red meat has more myoglobin content than White meat, because its muscles are used regularly by the animals and is richer in oxygen. White meat has lesser oxygen content and thus lesser myoglobin.
Although Red meat has more vitamin content than White meat, it also has greater FAT content. This the biggest difference between both of them.

Red meat includes beef, pork, among others.
White meat includes skinless chicken and turkey, etcetera.

We also have Processed and Unprocessed meat.
According to an article on this website (authoritynutrition.com), Processed meat is meat that has been preserved by curing, salting, smoking, drying or canning. They include: sausages, hotdogs, smoked meat, among others.

Let's get to some tips about meat consumption:

• Consuming much of meat high in fats (saturated fats) can increase one's cholesterol levels, which can then increase one's risk of high blood pressure, heart diseases and certain cancers. Processed meat products are usually high in fats and salt, also Red meat is high in fats too.

• Consuming much liver and liver products on a regular basis (like say, weekly) isn't healthy as liver supplies vitamin A, which can accumulate in the body, and which the body stores. At older age, excess of this vitamin can result to easy fracture of one's bones. Also, too much of this vitamin could harm an unborn child in the case of pregnancy.

• Consuming much meat coupled with poor lifestyle (such as less exercise, much sugar consumption, smoking and alcohol drinking among others) contributes to death from cardiovascular problems.

• There's an important side to meat consumption. Some animals are fed with grass, natural and good grass. While other animals are fed with grains or put in another term, "industrially raised". According to Dr Mark Hyman (drhyman.com), "the industrial grain-fed meat is full of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, with more inflammatory omega-6 fats from corn and fewer anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats". (pesticide containing grains makes the animals sick, and then the sick animals are treated with antibiotics, hormones).
When meat from these animals is consumed, such meat is sure to be unhealthy especially when consumed in large amounts and regularly. So, if one can consume meat from animals which are not industrially grain-fed, it would be much better.

I remember when growing up, we were taught that animal protein is superior to plant protein. This should still be true. Meat (an animal protein source) should've been free from these disadvantages I've mentioned, if not for the last point I made about industrial grain-feeding which limits its advantage.

• There is production of cancer causing N-nitroso compounds (especially nitrosamines) from sodium nitrite, a preservative added to processed meat products. This also supports the disadvantage in consumption of processed meats.

It's not that one must avoid processed meat totally, but regular consumption will result in accumulation of harmful substances in one's body which would result to some chronic disease conditions. Occasionally consuming processed meat is okay.

In summary, one should be careful about the source and type of meat consumed. Also, one should regulate the frequency of meat consumption, and ensure proper hygiene practices with meat.

Photo Credit: weknowyourdreams.com