The Benefits and Disadvantages of Eating Meat
Hi. It’s Dr. John Berardi here with Competitor.com. And today, I’d like to talk about eating meat. Specifically, whether meat is good for us or whether it’s a disease waiting to happen. There’s a question that the eating the right kinds of meat in the right amounts definitely fits into an overall healthy diet. And more than health, it’s a solid part on an athletes training regimen, providing protein, B vitamins, and especially important for women, iron.
However, there also seems to be good evidence that meat eating can sometimes be problematic. For example, typical high meat eaters also tend to eat less of the other healthy stuff, like veggies, like unprocessed grains, like healthy fats. So their diets tend to be high in calories, high in saturated fat, and low in fiber antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, etcetera. This is a pretty good recipe for disease risk for most people.
Now the logical solution here, is it to avoid meat. Rather, it’s to avoid displacing all of those other healthy foods with meat. It’s to include both meat and high fiber foods, fruits, veggies, and more. Be on dietary displacement. There are two other concerns with diets high in meat. First, carcinogens, second, hormones and antibiotics. There are some pretty compelling evidence nowadays that a host of potentially carcinogenic compounds are introduced into our bodies when we eat certain types of meat. And these carcinogens have been linked to two specific types of cancer -- colon and stomach.
In the end though, the meats that seemed to be most problematic are processed meats like lunch meats, canned meats, jerky, et cetera. As well as heavy weight grilled meats -- blackened or charred. But again, these risks can also be managed. Avoid processed meats, be careful in overcooking grilled meats. And finally, booster the intake of fiber and fruits and veggies -- both have protective effects against stomach and colon cancers specifically. And fruits and veggies also boost antioxidants defense, this is the perfect antidote to problems associated with processed and to heavily grilled meats.
Finally, be on cancer risk -- in farm meats nowadays, we tend to see a lot more hormones, environmental pollutants and antibiotics. Not good since we probably do absorb a small amount of these chemicals. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water here. Rather than avoiding meat, how about sticking with hormone free, naturally raised meat, grass fed is probably the best.
In the end, almost everything we eat or do in life has its risks. In fact, I’m much more likely to get into a car accident and die than I end to die of colon cancer. But that doesn’t mean I take either lightly. I tried to understand my risks and then buffer them. For example, because of the car crash risks, I wear a seatbelt. Likewise, because of the meat risks, I make sure that I avoid processed meats, I eat lots of antioxidant rich foods and veggies as well as fiber rich nuts, seeds and legumes, and I eat primarily naturally raised hormone-treat meat. This way, I get all the benefits of meat while buffering the risks. No, vegetarian isn’t required.
In the meantime, continue to eat well and train hard and I’ll see you next time on Eat & Run.
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