Red meat is quite controversial. Apart from the often-cited health concerns, there are ethical and environmental concerns surrounding red meat, too.
So, it’s time to step back and look at the health benefits red meat has and how you can make sure you’re getting the best red meat for your diet.
What Is Red Meat?
It may sound like a completely ridiculous question to ask what is considered red meat, but just so we’re all on the same page, red meat is red when raw, and this includes beef, pork, lamb, and less popular meats like bison and venison.
In other words, all livestock is considered red meat. This also means that pork is red meat despite it often being referred to as white meat.
Although red meat gets a bad rep in conversations about cholesterol and saturated fats, red meat is actually very nutritious. And when it’s part of a balanced diet, it can be a healthy choice.
Health Benefits of Red Meat
Red meat has been part of the human diet for millennia, and it can still be a healthy food for people today. Research shows that red meat is a top source of protein and essential nutrients – “some of which are more bioavailable than in alternative food sources.” What are some of these essential nutrients?
In a report from the University of Wollongong, Australia, we learn that lean red meat is a great source of:
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B6
- Iron
- Zinc
- Amino acids / bioactive compounds
Let’s explore each one in turn and why they’re important for health and wellbeing.
Vitamin B12
100 grams of red meat (about the size of a hamburger) contains close to two-thirds of your daily requirement of Vitamin B12, which is crucial for red blood cell formation, brain function, metabolism, and energy.
Vitamin B6
100 grams of red meat also provides 25 percent of your daily Vitamin B6 requirement. We need Vitamin B6 for a strong and resilient immune system, good energy levels, and healthy skin and nerves.
Iron
When it comes to this important mineral, beef and lamb are considered to be the richest sources. Again, 100 grams of either beef or lamb meat provides 25 percent of your daily iron requirement.
What’s more, the iron within these two types of red meat is easily absorbed by the body. Plus, they also boost your body’s ability to absorb iron from other meat sources.
Iron is necessary to prevent anemia, which is marked by symptoms like fatigue, pale skin, pica, cold hands and feet, headaches, and more.
Zinc
As is the case for iron, beef and lamb meat are also very rich in zinc. And these sources of zinc are more readily absorbed by the body compared to plant sources.
What do we need zinc for? For one thing, it helps fight off infection, but it’s also used to create DNA, support cell production and support growth.
Amino Acids/Bioactive Compounds
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are several found in red meat that are powerful nutrients for overall health and well-being.
Taurine, for example, is particularly abundant in red meat, and it supports the immune system and can help protect the body against oxidative stress.
Conjugated linoleum acid (CLA) is another powerful compound found in red meat. It has antioxidant properties, and it can help manage weight, too.
Red meat includes other amino acids, including L-carnitine and creatine, both of which are necessary for many key physiological processes.
Is Red Meat Bad for You?
It’s nothing new that red meat is linked to heart problems. Depending on the cut, red meat is significantly higher in saturated fat than fish or poultry.
For years, we’ve been told that eating saturated fat from red meat can clog the arteries and cause heart disease.
However, research now confirms that this isn’t the case and that heart disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, where inflammation is at the root of the problem, not red meat.
That’s not to say that we can eat all the red meat we want. It’s important to eat all things in moderation – including saturated fats and red meat. But if the problem in red meat isn’t saturated fats, what is?
L-Carnitine as a Health Risk
For years, saturated fat and cholesterol were the culprits in red meat, and they were said to increase the risk of heart disease.
However, there’s an important compound in red meat – called L-carnitine, which scientists say may be the real problem.
What is L-carnitine? It’s a protein, and high amounts of it are found in red meats. L-carnitine is something the human body also produces, and it has energy-boosting properties.
According to new research, when we eat red meat, the L-carnitine we consume makes its way into the gut, where bacteria feast on it. When the bacteria break down L-carnitine, they create a different compound called trimethylamine-N-oxide, or TMAO.
TMAO can cause atherosclerosis, which, in turn, paves the way to heart attacks.
As study author Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., explains, “The bacteria living in our digestive tracts are dictated by our long-term dietary patterns. A diet high in carnitine actually shifts our gut microbe composition to those like carnitine, making meat eaters even more susceptible to forming TMAO and its artery-clogging effects.”
So, the more your diet is heavy in red meats, the more L-carnitine enters the gut. To accommodate this dietary pattern, your gut produces more bacteria to break down the L-carnitine, which consistently enters the gut.
Is L-Carnitine a Problem for Everyone?
At this point, it’s easy to say, Okay, the problem with red meat isn’t saturated fat and cholesterol. The problem is with this protein, L-carnitine. But even that’s painting with a wide brush.
The truth is that not everybody metabolizes this protein in the same. It may be for this reason that various studies show a weak association between red meat and heart disease.
Harvard professor, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, and a fellow team of researchers have collated the best studies to date on red meat and health, and they’ve found that while people who eat red meat do have an increased risk for heart disease, the increase is slight.
Mozaffarian explains, “If you look at people who eat unprocessed red meat, there is a relatively weak association with heart disease. It’s not protective – and healthier dietary choices exist – but major harms are also not seen.”
So, while L-carnitine can increase artery-clogging compounds in the body, everybody metabolizes this protein differently.
However, a diet high in red meat naturally increases your body’s risk of having more TMAO. This, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack.
How Much and How Often Should You Eat Red Meat?
Unless you’re a vegan or vegetarian or your doctor gives you specific dietary instructions, can you eat red meat and stay healthy? The answer is yes – as long as you keep in mind the following tips.
Eat Red Meat in Moderation
Low-carb diets, including Paleo and Keto diets, would have you believe that you can eat red meat until the cows come home.
But according to the American Heart Association, you should only eat five and a half ounces of red, lean meat per day – that’s about the size of a deck of cards.
This is a far cry from the “Triple Bypass Burger”, a menu item from The Heart Attack Grill, which contains a whopping 6,000 calories.
Enjoy a Balanced Diet
Just because you can eat meat doesn’t mean we should eat crazy amounts of it. While it’s a nutrient-dense form of protein, it should be one of many protein sources you consume, along with poultry and plant-based proteins, such as beans and legumes.
Avoid Inflammatory Foods
Inflammation is at the root of many chronic diseases, and that includes heart disease. Therefore, while it’s a good idea to limit red meat consumption, it’s absolutely crucial that you avoid trans fats and processed sugar.
Both of these foods will cause inflammation in the body and increase your risk for a slew of diseases, including diabetes and cancer.
Pick High-Quality Red Meat
It’s true that red meat is nutrient-dense, but not all red meat is the same. And to be honest, some red meat can be pretty bad for you. For one thing, processed red meat should be avoided at all costs. Research has found that they increase the risk of cancer.
In addition to the health risks of processed meats, most of the unprocessed red meat available in the market today is full of hormones, antibiotics, and chemical residues from vaccines.
Therefore, if you choose to include red meat in your diet, always seek out high-quality sources. The animals should be grass-fed, enjoy plenty of time outside, and be free of growth hormones, antibiotics, and other potentially harmful chemicals.
Red Meat Nutrition Facts
Above, we broadly explored several important nutrients in red meat and red meat benefits; however, how do different types of red meat, like beef, pork, lamb, and bison, measure up? Is beef good for you, or perhaps pork is better?
Here are a few examples of red meat together with their nutrition facts.
Ground Beef: 100 grams
- Calories: 176
- Fat: 10 grams (15 percent DV)
- Protein: 20.0 g (40 percent DV)
- Vitamin B12: 2.2 mcg (37 percent DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.4 mg (18 percent DV)
- Iron: 2.2 mg (12 percent DV)
- Zinc: 4.8 mg (32 percent DV)
Pork Center Cut Chops: 100 grams
- Calories: 167
- Fat: 9.6 grams (15 percent DV)
- Protein: 18.7 grams (37 percent DV)
- Vitamin B12: 0.7 mcg (3 percent DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.5 mg (2.6 percent DV)
- Iron: 0.6 mg (3 percent DV)
- Zinc: 1.5 mg (10 percent DV)
Lamb Shoulder: 100 grams
- Calories: 137
- Fat: 5.8 grams (9 percent DV)
- Protein: 19.9 grams (40 percent DV)
- Vitamin B12: 3.0 mcg (50 percent DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.3 mg (15 percent DV)
- Iron: 1.5 mg (9 percent DV)
- Zinc: 4.2 mg (28 percent DV)
Bison, Ground: 100 grams
- Calories: 146
- Fat: 7.2 grams (11 percent DV)
- Protein: 20.2 grams (40 percent DV)
- Vitamin B12: 1.9 mcg (32 percent DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.4 mg (19 percent DV)
- Iron: 2.8 mg (15 percent DV)
- Zinc: 4.6 mg (31 percent DV)
How to Choose the Best Type of Red Meat
From this basic nutritional breakdown of the four most popular types of red meat (beef, pork, lamb, and bison), it appears that bison might be your best bet.
It’s low in calories and fat while high in protein and essential nutrients, like Vitamins B12 and B6, along with iron and zinc.
However, it’s important to remember that there are a lot of variables to take into consideration when selecting red meat. Here are just a few things to ask yourself when selecting red meat.
Does the Meat Contain Additives, Hormones, or Medicine?
Farming practices often include giving animals growth hormones to fatten them up more quickly. Due to poor living conditions, animals often contract diseases and, therefore, are treated with antibiotics and other medicines. You want to make sure the meat you’re eating does not include any of these things.
What Was the Animal’s Diet?
It’s always better to seek out meat that is pasture-raised and grass-fed. Unfortunately, most cattle are fed soy because it’s inexpensive and it fattens the animal more quickly. Additionally, animals are fed GMO grains and, yes, even bakery waste.
However, cows, along with bison and lamb, are foragers and do best with pastures. Therefore, always look for animals that eat an appropriate diet.
Did Animals Spend Time Outside?
Farming practices can be downright appalling, keeping animals in crowded and dirty conditions for most of their lives.
This has a negative impact on meat quality. Ideally, the animal should have free access to the outdoors and spend the majority of its time outside.
Buy From the Butcher or a Farm
We can readily buy red meat from the grocery store, but it may be difficult to know where the meat is coming from or what kind of life the animal leads. If you find a local butcher or even a nearby farm, you can have direct access to meat suppliers and understand the quality of the meat, too.
Red meat can be an excellent source of essential nutrients. It just depends on the farming practices, the cut of the meat, and how you balance the rest of your diet. Red meat is not a health risk for most people – as long as you consume it in moderation.
