Is meat healthy?

coco095

Hi everyone! The title says it all. I want to hear what you think. Are animals products healthy? I went vegetarian six years ago because of Peta and kept it up because I thought it was healthy, but I only ever heard health arguments from people like dr. McDougall, the China study, ect. I would love to hear some other science based opinions, and this seems to be the place for them. Do you eat meat? Why? Why not? What health benefits (or drawbacks) are there to meat consumption.

Vegans and vegetarians are welcome to chime in, but please, leave ethics out of this. I am solely curious as to health aspects of eating or abstaining from meat. Thanks everyone!

wizzybeth

Yes.

MissusMoon

Yes. They contain protein and nutrients you need.

AndyJBacon

Like all things: yes & no.

I know a vegetarian that is unhealthy. All she eats is chips, candy, and garbage like that.
Meat can be total crap, like high sodium processed sausage junk. It can also be grilled salmon. The longest lived people on earth eat veggies and fish, and do a lot of walking and gardening (I forget the island. Okinawa maybe...). Since they usually live to ~100, I'll go with it being okay. In moderation. Nearly everything can kill you if you're stupid about it. Even water.

Moxie42

I believe that meat is healthy in moderation. I try to stick to lean meats like fish, chicken, and turkey. Red meat can be high in saturated fat which isn't great in large quantities but for the average person, I wouldn't consider it unhealthy in reasonable amounts. I actually try to eat red meat once a week for the iron since I'm slightly anemic and iron pills make me soooo sick. Meat is also a great source of protein (but yes, I understand that vegetarians and vegans are able to get adequate amounts of protein as well).

I do try to choose mostly organic, free-range meats and fresh, wild-caught fish. This is partially due to ethics but I also find that they taste so much better and are more satisfying!

This is just my personal opinion and what works for me.

zyxst

I'm in the Yes camp.

Alluminati

yes

Toblave

Yes, it is healthy if the animal was fed it's natural diet and "open range". Meat contains vitamins A (plants have beta-carotene, vitamin A precursor but not the vitamin itself I believe), K2 (no vegan sources that I'm aware of) and D.

Also, getting enough protein is much easier since ALL meat is a source of complete protein. In order to get enough complete protein, a vegan will need to practice "food combining" to match incomplete protein sources with their complement. This doesn't have to be at each meal but roughly within the same day.

Omega 3 (DHA/EPA) can be tough as well, without taking supplements or at least eating fatty fish (sardines). I'm not aware of any vegan sources, there are vegan sources of ALA (DHA/EPA precursor) but the conversion rate is sub 10%. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9637947)

paulgads82

If there are arguments to be made they do not come from the China study, John McDougal or PETA. I believe meat to be healthy but I go easy on red meat, primarily because it makes me feel sluggish and heavy. I try and stick to game and seafood but it's not always feasible.

GaleHawkins

AndyJBacon wrote: »

Like all things: yes & no.

I know a vegetarian that is unhealthy. All she eats is chips, candy, and garbage like that.
Meat can be total crap, like high sodium processed sausage junk. It can also be grilled salmon. The longest lived people on earth eat veggies and fish, and do a lot of walking and gardening (I forget the island. Okinawa maybe...). Since they usually live to ~100, I'll go with it being okay. In moderation. Nearly everything can kill you if you're stupid about it. Even water.

This is my take.

Low Carb High Fat has helped me recover my health in an awesome way since Oct 2014 but a funny thing has occurred over the past few months since turning 65. My desire for fats have really declined as well as the red meats. I am now eating less meat than ever in my life.

Many meats are a good source of protein. Living only on red meat would be a bad thing for me yet there is research it shows no health problems from doing so.

If one desires meat than have a go at it and monitor the results perhaps.

jgnatca

We're omnivores, designed to include meat in our diet.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4bmfs6pZV6wC&printsec=frontcover

mankars

Any food in moderation is healthy, especially meats (red), they contain certain enzymes that are very beneficial to our bodies & are not available in most veg & vegan foods.

Go for lean cuts & real meats... not the processed types.

All the best.

janejellyroll

Toblave wrote: »

Yes, it is healthy if the animal was fed it's natural diet and "open range". Meat contains vitamins A (plants have beta-carotene, vitamin A precursor but not the vitamin itself I believe), K2 (no vegan sources that I'm aware of) and D.

Also, getting enough protein is much easier since ALL meat is a source of complete protein. In order to get enough complete protein, a vegan will need to practice "food combining" to match incomplete protein sources with their complement. This doesn't have to be at each meal but roughly within the same day.

Omega 3 (DHA/EPA) can be tough as well, without taking supplements or at least eating fatty fish (sardines). I'm not aware of any vegan sources, there are vegan sources of ALA (DHA/EPA precursor) but the conversion rate is sub 10%. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9637947)

Vegans do need to eat an assortment of foods to make up complete proteins, however, this isn't really an issue assuming even minimal variety in the diet. If someone tried to get their protein from *only* grains or only *vegetables* or something like that, it could become an concern. But the vast majority of vegans in the West aren't doing that -- we eat grains, vegetables, and legumes (or products that contain them, like soy). Getting enough protein overall is something some vegans have to focus on, but getting *complete* proteins? Even cautious, science-based vegan RDs aren't concerned about this for vegans in the West anymore, assuming you aren't eating just a couple of foods, it shouldn't be an issue.

I have been vegan for ten years and have never had to think about "food combining." When I track my diet on Cronometer (which breaks down how much of each essential amino acid I am getting), I am always over 100% for each amino acid and this is without focusing on food combining at all.

pinggolfer96

My debate: eat however you want. It's not worth arguing over cause you're in control of your diet. IMO we have evolved eating meat for thousands of years. I prefer keeping meat in my diet for its nutrition, but I'm not going to argue with someone that they have to eat meat, cause at the end of the day, they're going to believe in what they think is right regardless of my opinion. I'd rather enjoy my life and diet, rather than argue about it lol.

rankinsect

Foods aren't healthy or unhealthy, diets are. That is, what matters is not the nutritional profile of any single food, but the sum of all the nutritional profiles of all the foods you eat.

That said, there are many nutritional reasons to get excited about meat. Many meats are a great source of iron, and dark or red meat can be a great source of heme iron, which is much more effectively absorbed and utilized by the body compared to non-heme iron. All meat contains vitamin B12, which no plant product has, it's a great source of protein, and overall meat tends to be filling for its calorie content, largely because of being high protein.

MelaniaTrump

Meat as in beef? Cattle?
I consider salmon healthy.

michellemybelll

That would be an affirmative.

mespreeman

jgnatca wrote: »

We're omnivores, designed to include meat in our diet.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4bmfs6pZV6wC&printsec=frontcover

And we're predators to boot.

J72FIT

coco095 wrote: »

Are animals products healthy?

Yes. All things in moderation...

CooCooPuff

Ethical reasons (but don't impose this on a carnivorous pet, buy a bunny) and person taste are the only reasons I really see to not eat meat.

tlflag1620

Yes. Animal products are healthy. We evolved eating them. The inclusion of animal products (with the accompanying dietary cholesterol- there are no plant based sources of cholesterol) in our diets is what allowed us to have both a bipedal pelvis and large brains. I've always found it ironic that the only reason we are even capable of questioning the ethical implications of our diets is the fact that we started eating significant quantities of meat.