By now, hopefully we all know that eating too much red meat is unhealthy. It can raise your cholesterol, lead to obesity, and put you at risk for heart problems. 
Now there's more bad news for red meat lovers: a large study found eating red and processed meat regularly leads to an increased risk of cancer.
In the 10-year study, 545,000 people were monitored based on their red meat consumption — some ate it every day, and others only ate five ounces a week. Men who ate a quarter-pound hamburger everyday (yikes) increased their risk of dying from cancer by 22 percent and their risk of dying from heart disease by 27 percent.
What about women? To find out read more.
For women, those who ate a ton of red meat increased their risk of dying from cancer by 20 percent and their risk of dying from heart disease by 50 percent — 50 percent ladies! That means it's absolutely crucial that people, especially women, limit their intake of red and processed meats such as steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon, and cold cuts.
When it comes to getting protein, stick to healthier meats such as chicken and fish. Barry Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also says that limiting your meat consumption can have a positive effect on global warming. So it's good for you and good for the planet. If you're trying to eat lower on the food chain, check out these three cheap and natural meat substitutes.
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Important to know- the people in that study were AARP members 50 to 71 years old. Although I haven't eaten red meat in years, I can't help but wonder how a study based on such a specific slice of the population shapes the study. Anyone else?
1I hate it when the media picks and chooses what it reports about medical findings. Read the actual report and you will find this: "Subjects who consumed more red meat tended to be married, more likely of non-Hispanic white ethnicity, more likely a current smoker, have a higher body mass index, and have a higher daily intake of energy, total fat, and saturated fat, and they tended to have lower education and physical activity levels and lower fruit, vegetable, fiber, and vitamin supplement intakes"
2So these people ate more read meat, they also didn't exercise, smoked, were overweight and didn't take their vitamins. Nuff said.
this is pretty scary news.
i'm not a big red meat eater, but my older parents are.
definitely makes me more excited that i am a fish, turkey, and chicken girl.
3Um, I think was its even more important is WHERE your meat is from. Grassfed beef can be healthier than factory farmed fish/chicken. Besides, if you are eating a fast food ahmburger everyday, you shouldn't be surprised you will probably die from a heart attack or something. Red meat can be very healthy if you get it from the right source.
4Grassfed beef healthier than fish and chicken? Why don't you show me the non-conflict-of-interest study that shows that result?
5http://www.truthaboutabs.com/grass-fed-beef.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/top-ten-protein-sources/
These two I found off the bat are not promoted by pasture farmers (although, www.eatwild.com is also a really good source)
And please not, I said grassfed meat can be healthier than factory farmed chicken/fish. If you can get pastured chicken or wild caught fish, the better. Grassfed beef has been found to be much leaner than regular corn/grain feed cattle and factory produced poultry (with all its chemicals and illnesses and fatten-them-up-as-quick-as-you-can diets.
6I recall reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and it saying somewhere in there how beef used to have much higher levels of omega-3 before it became more of an industry and if you are able to get your beef from a farm that grassfeeds them and lets them roam free, it would still be much healthier today. Still not sure how it'd compare to other lean meats but at least that occasional time you do decide to have some red meat you have healthier options out there. Same thing goes for the reports you read about how fruits and veges used to have higher amounts of vitamins and minerals 50 years ago too. Everything is produce for quantity, not quality anymore. Disposable culture.
7Oopsie, I meant:
8Please note
I limit my consumption of red meat for sure. I've been doing so for about five years now. I realized one day that I just don't like the taste of beef or really any red meat for that matter. Occasionally, I'll have a hamburger (like maybe once or twice a year) if I get the craving. But I prefer chicken and ground chicken instead of red meat.
9I don't eat a lot of red meat either, but my husband loves his beef. I think the risk probably goes up if you eat a lot of cured/processed/smoked red meats vs. a good-quality grass-fed beef. Meats like corned beef, pastrami, bologna, sausages, bacon, etc. tend to have more saturated fat and many of them have a lot of nitrates in them that are probably carcinogenic.
10Who would eat red meat every day?! That's insane. I eat it maybe 1-3 a month.
11Wait, cold cuts? What if you're eating turkey or ham? The good stuff, like Boar's Head?
12I have cancer, and my doctor told me I can eat red meat twice a year, just so that my body doesn't lose the ability to digest it. That includes pork. I can eat poultry and seafood though...
13If you really want to eat super-healthy food, the best way is not to cook it! Eating raw 100% vegan food has not only helped me to lose pounds it has also given me more energy and not to mention has lowered my cholesterol significantly too. Check out this website, http://kevkev227.kristenraw.hop.clickbank.net/ A friend recommended I give it a try and I can't tell you what a difference it has meant for me. I learned all about the best raw food recipes and I can truly say that the food is delicious and it feels so much better to be healthy!
14If you really want to eat super-healthy food, the best way is not to cook it! Eating raw 100% vegan food has not only helped me to lose pounds it has also given me more energy and not to mention has lowered my cholesterol significantly too. Check out this website, http://kevkev227.kristenraw.hop.clickbank.net/ A friend recommended I give it a try and I can't tell you what a difference it has meant for me. I learned all about the best raw food recipes and I can truly say that the food is delicious and it feels so much better to be healthy!
15oh my boyfriend loves beef (hamburgers!) aw.. but i always encourage him to eat healthier food! ha!
16my parents have been avoiding red meat too
I want people to invest more in children's education than food, which leads to healthy living for all, from my perspective.
17Fit, can you explain this to me:
For women, those who ate a ton of red meat
Is that the medical/scientific term for it? How much specifically is a "ton?" Did they literally eat 2,000 pounds of red meat?
18It's a fact - Being alive increases your chance of dying by 99.99%. Living increases your chance of developing cancer by 100%. *
I will continue to eat healthy and in moderation and ignore all of these food hysteria and contradictory "news" stories. I think that reading, believing and trying to strictly adhere to each and every food hysteria whim that comes along is sure to shorten your life.
* One must be alive in order to develop cancer. The statistics are dead on - true.
19I want to Remove this from my Computer please take it off
Betsy
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