So the reports are out. Scientists have studied the effects of red meat and processed meats. Guess what? You shouldn’t indulge in them. What does that mean, you ask? Well the recommendation is that you should not eat more than 18 ounces of red meats a week and that you should not eat any processed meats. Processed meats are meats that are enhanced for flavor, this includes salted, cured or smoked.
Okay, I like my meats, but maybe I can read labels a little more closely to see what my bacon, sausage and deli meats contain. That’s do-able, Right? Be knowledgeable and make good choices. Also with choosing to buy healthier options, maybe the meat industry will sell healthier options and eliminate harmful additives. Remember the outrage in the 1980’s over red dye? How about recently with saturated and Trans fats? With knowledge comes power.
The scientists tell us that if we stop eating processed meats altogether and cut our consumption of red meats (this includes: beef, pork, veal, lamb, mutton, horse and goat); we will significantly reduce our chance of some types of cancers.
The recommendation that scientists have made, is to eat no more than 18 ounces of red meat a week. How much is that? You ask. Well since I’m a visual person, I did a little calculation of my own. 18 ounces of red meat could be:
(1) 8oz. New York Strip Steak
(1) Ground beef hamburger
(1) Jumbo all-beef hot dog
(1) 4 oz. of roast beef
See, the news is not so grim when you see how much 18 ounces of red meat looks like. Apparently organic vs. non-organic meats doesn’t even matter.
So what can you replace a red meat with? Well of course poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. All that extra fiber you will be eating may help undo some of the damage of eating too much meat.
Enjoy your foods; just be a little more conscious of what you’re putting in your mouth.
Read more about this at: http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-meat-dangers-20151027-story.html
