Health Risks of Red Meat

To start, I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates this week.  Beth has been training for her half marathon and has been extra busy with work which has left me with lots of dad time and little free time to post.  She ran the half this weekend and did very well, even in the downpour that covered most of the Southeast today.  We are very proud and hopefully the increase in whole grains, organic fruits and veg, and lower intake of meat helped.  Her weight is down, too.

I have felt pretty good and managed to get through the week with only one meal with meat.  I took the kids to the zoo with some friends and we went to Zesto afterwards which is an old school drive in kind of place, without the ability to drive in, and without a lot of meat free options unless you are going for ice cream.  I had some great chicken and the kids had burgers.  Otherwise, it was easy to avoid meat.

I wanted to talk about the known health problems connected with consumption of meat.  There have been countless studies done by groups on both the pro and anti-meat sides of the issue but many of the same health issues seem to be linked to eating meat.  Cancer has had a great impact on people in our family and many studies have seen a correlation between eating meat and a higher risk for cancer, especially colorectal cancer.  Increased risk for heart disease are also related to eating meat.  People that eat a lot of meat also eat a lot of refined grains and deserts so while its difficult to determine the exact cause of increased risks for this health problems, it seems clear that substituting whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies in the place of meat products can lessen your chances of cancer.  Underlying causes for cancer with meat include saturated fat, carcinogens formed when the meat is cooked, and over-consumption of iron.

If you do choose to eat meat, try to stick to cuts with loin in the name to cut down on harmful fats.  Tenderloin and sirloin have lower fat contents than other cuts of meat.  Grass fed beef is also lower in total fat and has higher levels of omega 3's which are helpful even though they are found in relatively small amounts in any red meat.  Vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds are better sources for omega 3's.  Many hormones and antibiotics are also used to raise the animals that we get our meat from so try to choose organic, local meat if you can.

Hopefully you can try to put some of these tips into practice when choosing meat, or choosing to avoid meat.  Our family history includes cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and strokes to name a few health issues.  If lowering our consumption of meat and replacing it with high quality grains, nuts, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can help to lower the risks of these afflictions for my family, we are going to give it our best try.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment.  I have had communication with friends that has forced me to do more research and really think about all the benefits and reasons for choosing to make this lifestyle choice.  Hopefully this info strikes something in you that makes you look at even some small changes that can benefit you and your family.  If I have time tomorrow, I hope to put up some recipes for people to try.  And if you have a favorite meat free recipe that you would like to suggest, please do so.

Eat good, feel good,
Otto