Red alert

RED meat has gotten a bad rap. It’s pegged as a carcinogen, a cholesterol contributor and a supersized part of our overall diet. But is red meat really such a nutritional villain?

In many ways, the health reputation of red meat is like the health reputation of eggs. Contradictory studies continuously update a confused public – today it’s good for you, tomorrow it’s practically poison.

The truth is red meat is a valuable part of a healthy diet but it’s commonly loaded with fat. As with so many other aspects of personal health, the bottom line seems to come down to moderation. Too much of anything is, by definition, “too much”.

One plate model making the dietary rounds these days suggests a quarter of your plate should be meat, a quarter starchy carbohydrates and half of the plate should be vegetables.

The ratio sounds reasonable to us but our butcher’s scale doesn’t weigh in ratios. To put some real numbers on this part of our diet, SuperLiving spoke with accredited dietician and spokesperson for the Dieticians Association of Australia Lisa Renn.

“Three to four times per week eating red meat is fine and actually contributes some really useful nutrients to the diet,” Renn said.
 
“We know that red meat is certainly an important part of the diet three to four times a week, somewhere between 100 and 150-gram serve sizes,” she said.

“That will provide us with the iron, zinc, protein, B12 and omega-3 that we need. But going over that and doing it in excess is not going to be beneficial.”

Eating red meat in excess may seem an Australian speciality with all our steakhouses and sausage sizzles. But reports from the national nutrition survey say we actually consume well under the recommended limits. The latest data predates the low-carb trends of the last few years but it’s clear Aussies aren’t as red meat crazy as we appear at first glance.

Renn says we can enjoy red meat regularly but we need to keep an eye on our tendency to cut it into bigger and bigger slabs. 

“As far as the old healthy diet pyramid, if you look at red meat, it does come in on that second tier,” she said.

“It can be an eat-every-day food but it certainly should be in a smaller serve size compared to other foods. I guess we’ve just gotten a bit out of whack with that.”

Red meat has been linked to colorectal cancer and raising cholesterol levels but even as the scientific debate rages over the validity of these claims, the chops on the grill get bigger (and fattier).

“With our current obesity epidemic, it’s clear that portion sizes are a whole lot larger,” Renn said. “If you think about what you get in a restaurant, there’re not many 150g steaks. They start at 200, 300, 400, 500g steaks. Our philosophy on steak is the bigger the better.

“It’s possible that some people are getting a week’s worth of meat in one meal.”

As red meat is higher in saturated fat than other foods, weight gain is the most relevant health concern related to overindulging. Even cholesterol and cancer (the scariest strikes against red meat) can be minimised by simply choosing lean cuts and watching your portion size.

Even the World Cancer Research Fund, which argues a substantial link between cancer and red meat, says 500g cooked (750g raw) can be included in a healthy diet. In fact, because of its high protein content, red meat can even play a role in preventing overeating.
 
“The protein in meat can help you feel fuller for longer so it actually can have a role in improving satiety and therefore getting people to reduce their portion sizes,” Renn said.

“Fat and protein slow the emptying from the stomach and sometimes that’s not actually a bad thing. It also can help lower blood sugar levels, which is an important point for people with diabetes.”

Red meat is a valuable source of protein but can be substituted for eggs, legumes and other high-protein sources. There are, however, many other important nutrients more easily absorbed from red meat than the usual meat stand-ins like beans.

The trick to getting these nutrients without suffering the health risks associated with red meat often comes down to how you shop and how you cook.

“Some meats have fat through the middle of the meat, so it’s more difficult to remove or get a leaner piece of meat but lean meats are available in any kind of meat,” Renn said.

“If people are going to implement healthy eating, then taste preference has to come into it as well.

“If you’re looking at a leaner piece of meat from a very practical point of view, you don’t want to overcook it. That’s why chef’s like lots of fat in their meat – because it makes it juicier. If you’re purchasing lean meat, don’t overcook it, because that will obviously have an impact on the taste.”

How you cook your foods does matter. Slower cooked meals with more moisture, like stews and soups can be better for you than your chargrilled items. Taking some time to trim the fat in the cooking process can make a major difference in the health value of red meat but Renn reminds us it all comes back to moderation.
 
“If you’re eating larger serves of meat, you may be eating smaller serves of vegetables and that’s not really the way your body wants to go,” she said.