Meat that’s good for you & some that isn’t....

Today's post: Monday, 4-28-2008

One way to stay healthy is to rely on beans and lentils; nuts, whole grains, & nonfat and lowfat dairy products as sources of protein. (This is the basis of the effective DASH diet that reduces high blood pressure. And, these foods have many added health benefits. Plus beans & lentils in bulk are amazingly inexpensive.)

However, if you LIKE meat and can afford to have some, is it better to buy packaged meats in small portions or try to get larger servings of good quality meat?

The answer to that is get good quality meat less often. Packaged meats are surprisingly bad for you.

First, good quality meat healthwise is from animals that have been exclusively fed naturally. Grain fed animals produce inferior meat that is NOT good for you.

Dr Al Sears has written often how factory farm, grain fed beef is high in omega 6 oils, tends to have antibiotics, is high in total fat and saturated fat & has virtually no omega 3 oils, while beef from cattle fed only grass is quite literally the reverse. As a result, eating a lot of grain fed beef tends to make you sick & cause heart disease while eating grass fed beef is actually good for you in moderation. (Grass fed beef cattle that are healthy to start cannot get mad cow disease since they do NOT eat animal byproducts. They just eat grass or hay.)

It’s clear to me that the best strategy for health if you eat beef is to eat only grass fed beef even if that means you eat it less often. I think Dr Sears is absolutely correct. I’ve found grass fed beef at the Whole Foods Market where I shop. And, Dr Sears gets it online. (See below.)

But it seems that there is a kind of meat that is even worse for you than eating grain fed beef in excess.

I got this article nearly 3 weeks ago from Dr Al Sears as I am on his email list.:

To see his other articles or get on his email list, go to:

http://www.alsearsmd.com/content/

“Al Sears, MD

12794 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 16
Wellington, FL 33414 April 11, 2008

Dear Reader,

You need to eat quality protein. But this seemingly simple task keeps getting trickier…

More meats are now “packaged” and you may be eating more of them than you think.

For example: Do you eat breakfast sausage or bacon with your eggs, luncheon meat in a sandwich or a frozen “dinner entrée”? Even scarier - most parents I know are now giving their kids prepackaged meals on a regular basis.

Here’s the origin of our modern problem:

Meat has a short shelf life.

To keep selling meat for longer, food manufacturers add nitrites and nitrates. They prevent spoilage, growth of bacteria and makes meat appear red, fresh and vibrant. Then, they add artificial flavors so you can’t tell that you’re eating old, stale meat.

We’ve known about the dangers of nitrites and nitrates for decades. In fact, the USDA attempted banning their use back in the 1970’s. The meat packing industry lobbied hard and won.

Research has shown and “reconfirmed” that nitrites and nitrates promote life threatening cancers including:

Breast cancer

Prostate cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Colorectal cancer

Leukemia

One study conducted at the University of Hawaii found people who ate even “moderate” amounts of processed meat on a regular basis increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by a whopping 67%!1

The World Cancer Research Fund issued a report stating that “it’s best that processed meats are avoided,” and that “they were not able to find a level at which processed meat could be reliably considered completely safe.”2

Check the label of the meat you’re about to buy. Unless the label says “nitrite/nitrate free” it’s a good bet it contains nitrites/nitrates.

Your best meat is also hormone-free and antibiotic-free. Even better, you can do as I do and only eat grass-fed meat. I get mine from US Wellness meats. It’s grass-fed for a healthy ratio of omega 3’s to omega 6 fats, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and has no preservatives. They ship it to your door packed in dry ice.”

X * X * X * X *

(Even though they have changed their name to US Wellness meats, their website is still at, http://www.grasslandbeef.com/ , their old name.)

They also have lamb, pork, rabbit, & bison that is naturally fed. That’s probably why they changed their name.