Red meat: what is so special about this product, why so much is said about it?

Today, many nutritionists and doctors all agree that it is very harmful and even dangerous to eat red meat. What is with this product? For centuries our ancestors used to eat traditional dishes from various species of animals and birds and did not complain about their health. But the current scientists came to the conclusion that a long and healthy life will be provided only with the transition to vegetable food and some seafood. To understand the essence and make a choice, one should first of all understand what the "bright" heads of modernity meant and why some of them insist on such radical changes in the person's diet.

Protein essence

Red meat is a muscle tissue of animal origin, as well as fatty and connective. All this contains a high concentration of myoglobin. This protein binds oxygen to the muscles and thus gives them energy for contractions. He also provides the color. Proceeding from this definition, it is impossible to say unequivocally that red meat is pork or beef, and only. Under this category fall as the most diverse animals in their entirety, as well as their individual parts. Much depends also on the mobility of the animal, the habitat and nutrition, age and sex.

Types of red meat

Meat of pigs, rams, goats, horses, cows, oxen is in most cases considered red. It should only be taken into account that the myoglobin concentration in the muscles of the animal increases with age. Therefore, a suckling pig, calf or kid will not be included correctly in this list.

Some parts of the body of rabbit, chicken, duck, turkey, goose are also considered red meat. As a rule, these are legs and hips, but there also depends a lot on age, nutrition and lifestyle. For example, in the tissues of broiler chickens, even in the legs, myoglobin concentration is very low, due to very low motor activity of the bird.

Any feathered or furry game is definitely red meat. This is due to the high content of the above protein in the musculature of wild animals and birds as a result of mobility and constant muscle work.

Heart against red meat

Today, many people refuse to enjoy a piece of pork, beef or lamb roasted on a grill or pan. Adherents of a healthy lifestyle insist that it is very harmful to eat red meat, that such a dish causes heart and vascular diseases. There is also a share of truth in this. Indeed, some types of this product, especially when improperly prepared, contain very high levels of cholesterol. This harmful substance clogs the blood vessels of a person and can even lead to a fatal outcome due to a heart attack. In this issue, the main thing is a sense of proportion. Of course, do not abuse harmful food every day, but a couple of times a year in nature with friends, you can slightly please their taste buds.

Do meat eaters risk cancer?

Not all scientists tend to regard red meat as a source of evil and call it the cause of diseases such as intestinal or breast cancer. The thing is that the cause of the onset and development of cancer in humans has not yet been established. However, as a result of some scientific research and observations, scientists have established that people who consume large amounts of red meat steaks are more at risk than vegetarians. Most likely, it's not about meat as such, but in saturated fats and carcinogens, formed when improper cooking.

Another reason for the occurrence of malignant tumors in a human doctor is called excess iron contained in red meat in large quantities. It is this substance, in the opinion of the luminaries of science, that can form compounds that damage healthy cells of the body, causing oncology.

In all that nature has created, there is benefit

This product, as already mentioned above, contains a large amount of iron, which is easily absorbed by the human body. Not always it is harmful, but for some people even necessary. Hemoglobin is responsible for the saturation of blood with oxygen. Its deficiency can cause serious health problems, as well as excess. If a person's hemoglobin level in the blood is normal or low, then it is important to eat red meat rich in heme iron. What is iron deficiency anemia and what irreparable harm it does to the body, especially to the female, you will never know.

In the muscle tissue of animals rich in myoglobin, a high concentration of zinc. This chemical element in small doses is contained in the body of each person and helps the immune system to cope with their duties. Regular consumption of red meat maintains a normal level of this substance in the human body.

Red meat is also a source of B vitamins, namely B12. This is an important component of the nervous system

Eating or not eating - that's the question!

To eat with health benefits you need correctly cooked red meat. What is this "proper cooking"? This, first of all, the rejection of chemical additives and industrial processing. In other words, it's better to give up ready-made sausages, sausages and ham. Any of these products can be cooked at home. Cook better by steaming, boiling or baking. The main thing, without crispy fried crusts and fatty underflow with carcinogens. This will lower the cholesterol content.

A fragrant, low-fat piece of beef in a bowl of useful soup is also red meat! What is bad can make our body a steak cutlet from pork tenderloin? Nothing! Even, on the contrary, replenish the body's reserves with the necessary trace elements and energy!