Is it good for us to eat meat?

“Meat makes you old”, “meat is poison” – whether we like it or not, the discussion around “meat-eating” and the myths surrounding it, mixed with real facts, are imprinted in our minds. In order to understand whether the human body really needs meat and what the possible harm is, we turned to specialists. their arguments.

Followers of vegetarianism convince us that meat is a sinful food, incompatible with spiritual growth, and that the energy of slaughtered animals is harmful not only to spiritual, but also to physical health.

This idea is not new at all, it has archaic roots: primitive tribes believed that by eating animal meat, a person appropriates its qualities – courage, cunning, quick reaction, visual acuity, etc. The modern version of these ideas is as follows: whoever eats meat becomes aggressive or stupid – in a word, strengthens his animal qualities, degrades. This is a matter of faith, not scientific evidence.

Is man really born carnivorous?

According to the structure of our body and digestive system, we differ from both predators and herbivores. Man is precisely omnivorous, in a certain sense universal. This omnivorousness once gave us a certain evolutionary advantage: compared to plant foods, meat quickly saturates, but in its raw form it requires a lot of energy to digest, so all predators sleep after hunting. When the human ancestor learned to cook meat on fire, he got the opportunity to use time not only for getting his daily bread, but also for intellectual activity – rock painting, making tools.

Can plant foods replace meat for us?

Partly. The protein content in meat is 20-40%, while in boiled vegetables, legumes – from 3% to 10%. Nuts and soy contain comparable amounts of protein to meat, but, unfortunately, this protein is less digestible. Energy and vital building materials obtained from meat are quickly included in metabolic processes. And for the digestion and assimilation of plant products, the body often needs to apply more effort (enzymes, digestive juices) for each unit of the extracted useful substance. The point is also that plant foods contain substances that bind useful nutrients, such as phytin, tannins, and dietary fiber.

Is it true that “meat makes you old”?

It is a myth. Optimal intake of animal proteins is one of the main prerequisites for good immunity. Deficiency of building components (proteins, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, silicon, etc., mainly obtained by us from meat) in the tissues of the musculoskeletal system reduces bone density, leads to muscle and joint weakness. For example, selenium deficiency causes dystrophy of the muscles, including the heart muscle, and dystrophy of the connective tissue – ligaments, joints. In a word, they age quickly rather from a lack of animal protein in the diet. Although its excess is also harmful.

What is the harm?

Too much protein in the diet leads to calcium loss and overload of the urinary system, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes and tumors. High protein intake may be justified by increased physical activity. And with an inactive lifestyle, the harm from excess meat on the menu will be more than good.

How much meat to eat and how often?

Of course, this is a purely individual question. But you can answer it based on WHO recommendations: an adult is recommended about 0,6-0,8 grams of protein per kilogram of weight per day. Moreover, this norm should only half consist of animal protein, and the rest – from vegetable. It turns out about 50 grams of meat per day. On the other hand, according to WHO statistics, those who consume more than 100 grams of red meat daily have a much higher risk of developing stomach cancer. Therefore, it is recommended to use it no more than three times a week, and the rest of the time to replace it with white poultry meat, fish, and liver.

Is it true that meat is the main supplier of toxins that enter our body?

This is true. But this is more likely due to the quality of the meat and the conditions in which it is produced: when growing animals, antibiotics, hormones and feed saturated with a variety of chemicals are used. In the process of storage and sale, meat is treated with preservatives.

Are there ways to somehow reduce the harm, to minimize it?

Give preference to fresh meat, rather than meat products and convenience foods. Rinse, and even better – soak the meat in cold water. Ideally, do not use the first broth (that is, bring the water in which the meat is cooked to a boil, drain, pour cold water again and cook the broth). However, in “organic” meat or in the meat of wild animals, these chemicals are practically absent.