7 ways to eat meat more safely....

Today's post: Monday, 3-30-2009

It was in the news last week that people who eat a lot of red meat are more likely to get heart disease and cancer. This was true of both men and women for heart disease. But even though it was true for both men and women for cancer, the increase in risk for cancer for women who ate a lot of meat was about double what it was for men.

Since many people like meat -- and the protein, iron, and B12 are essential nutrients to get, it would be nice to know how to eat meat safely.

1. The first way to eat meat more safely was in the study itself.

Simply eat it less often than some people do; & eat fish and chicken instead on the days you don’t have meat. The people with lower risk in that study ate meat 4 times a week or less and ate more chicken and fish. The people who ate meat 7 times a week or more were at higher risk. (They didn’t note what risk levels people who at meat 14 times a week or more had; but had they done so, it likely would have made the risk increases they found much larger.)

So, eat meat four times a week or less. (One benefit of that is that this enables you to get higher quality meat on the days you do eat it since you can save money by eating beans or lentils or nonfat or very lowfat dairy or eggs on the days you don’t eat meat & which cost less.)

Also here are several of the ways from an Early to Rise article earlier this month. (Given the recent release of the study that eating a lot of red meat can be harmful, I thought it timely to post on this topic. And their article is quite well done.)

Here’s their article.:

“This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com .” (It appeared on Weds, March 11, 2009.

“Enjoy Grass-Fed Steak... With a Side of Spinach

By Kelley Herring

Do you have to abstain from juicy steaks and seared lamb chops to lower your risk of colon cancer? Maybe not. Enjoying antioxidant-rich side dishes when you eat red meat could do the trick.

Recent research shows that antioxidants have the potential to neutralize the health-harming effects of both the iron and the oxidized fat. In fact, a 2005 study showed that eating spinach along with red meat eliminated all irritation of the colon that can set the stage for cancer.

Along with enriching your plate with antioxidants, there are three additional things you can do:

1. Choose ONLY Grass-Fed: Grass-fed beef is 300-400 percent higher in conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) - a natural fat that promotes weight loss and reduces the risk of cancer.

2. Drink a Glass of Pinot: Drinking wine with your steak neutralizes the harmful cancer-causing agents formed when red meat is being digested.

3. Cook Slow & Low, & Marinate Well: Some of the most potent cancer-causing agents are heterocyclic amines (HCAs). You can avoid their ill effects by marinating your meat with antioxidant-rich spices and herbs and then slow-cooking it.

Most important, enjoy your healthy, grass-fed beef, buffalo, or lamb in moderation. That means about 3 ounces (a piece about the size of a deck of cards) a few times a week.”

X* X* X* X* X*

1. She also points out it makes sense to eat meat; but not every single meal or every day.

2. Eating the meat with antioxidant vegetables as she describes is very valuable.

It actually has several benefits. The antioxidants help since it’s the oxidized LDL that causes the most heart disease in your blood vessels. So taking antioxidant supplements such as 500 mg of vitamin C or 200 mg a day of alpha lipoic acid may also be a good idea. Eating a serving of vegetables with the meat also makes you more filled and able to eat one serving of the meat instead of two which also helps prevent gaining or keeping excess fat. Lastly, by eating some raw broccoli or other cruciferous vegetable that is known to prevent cancer, you can help prevent eating the meat from raising that risk.

3. Beef from cattle fed only grass also has more omega 3 oils and far less omega 6 oils and saturated fat than grain fed plus it is simply leaner and has less fat as well. And, between having less fat and NOT eating grain that has been treated with pesticides, YOU get a lot less pesticides and herbicides when you eat grass fed beef. Buffalo or lamb that is similarly fed ONLY grass or pasture fed has similar benefits. Lastly, naturally fed animals not penned up get sick so much less their meat is also dramatically less likely to have antibiotics that can make bacteria in your body antibiotic resistant.

(If you can’t get grass fed or pasture fed, you can get some of these same benefits by getting lean cuts of meat and very thoroughly remove as much of the visible fat before cooking as possible. The fat you do get is not great for you; but you CAN have the meat with only a third or a half as much of the fat you would otherwise eat by doing this.)

4. Slow cooking can slash your risk of getting cancer from eating the meat as she points out.
Using a crock pot is a great way to cook meat because it can be very slow and takes less energy than stove roasting although slow stove roasting can also work. Using a crock pot also works well because you can make a stew with vegetables as well as the meat by using a crock pot.

5. Drinking a single glass of red wine also helps by increasing your HDL that helps clean out any LDL cholesterol you do get from eating the remaining saturated fat in the meat. And, it contains resveratrol and other micronutrients that help prevent heart disease.

Here are two more.

6. Eating meat in a recipe that includes abundant garlic or onions or both tends to reduce the viscosity in your blood from any saturated fat you eat and tends to raise your HDL levels also. Done well, this also makes the meat taste good which I find to be a very enjoyable side benefit.

7. Eating meat with cooked with sour cherries has been shown to allow it to cook more slowly and evenly plus the soluble fiber in the cherries tends to carry away the saturated fat so you absorb less of it. Similarly, you can eat beans, apples, or apple sauce at the same meal or in the same recipe. Their soluble fiber will also help carry away the saturated fat in the meat.