The last time we heard any news about red meat, well, let’s just say it was a sad, sad day for carnivores! A study from The Harvard School of Public Health found that one in ten deaths are caused by red meat…ouch! Researchers said that each extra daily serving of of processed red meat – equivalent to a hot dog or two strips of bacon – raises mortality rates by twenty percent, while an extra serving of unprocessed red meat like steak raises it by thirteen percent. But don’t worry, you don’t have to cut out red meat from your diet entirely. In fact, you shouldn’t!
There’s new evidence that eating a big, juicy steak decreases the risk of depression by half! A new study from the Deakin University in Victoria, Australia found that women who consumed less than the recommended amount of red meat in their study were more than twice as likely to have a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder as those who consumed the recommended amount. Professor Felice Jacka, one of the researchers, explains:
“Even when we took into account the overall healthiness of the women’s diets, as well as other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health remained.
“Interestingly, there was no relationship between other forms of protein, such as chicken, pork, fish or plant-based proteins, and mental health. Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. ”
Still, the World Cancer Research Fund suggests that you limit red meat intake to one pound a week, which is still a lot of meat! Since you’re not eating it every day you should really opt for the good stuff – grass-fed beef. It is a bit pricier, but it’s lower in fat and calories, and richer in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than regular beef. The rest of the week, stick to lean proteins like poultry and fish, and you’ll be one happy camper.