Is Meat Healthy? – All Info

Is meat healthy or harmful?

Meat is part of a balanced diet and contains nutrients that are important for our body. At the same time, however, it also contains various ingredients that can harm our organism. Basically, the quantity makes the difference.

• The German Society for Nutrition states that excessive consumption of red meat and sausage promotes diseases such as colon cancer.
• However, meat can also be healthy if consumed in moderation. You should plan several meatless days in a week. On the remaining days, meat should not be the main ingredient, but only a part of the meal.
• The German Society for Nutrition recommends eating only 300 – 600 grams of meat per week. Instead, you should eat about 400 grams of vegetables per day for a healthy diet.
• Meat provides your body with important nutrients such as protein, vitamins A, B1, and B12 as well as iron and zinc.
• A risk factor for excessive meat consumption, for example, is that the body absorbs accompanying substances such as cholesterol or saturated fatty acids. In higher amounts, these substances can contribute to life-threatening diseases.

Meat and health – the studies show that

While there is controversy, most studies show that even reducing meat consumption can lead to health benefits.

• The results of studies from the National Center for Biotechnology Information and Northwestern
• University shows that eating more meat increases the risk of certain diseases and death.
• According to the German Apotheker Zeitung, the risk of common diseases in Western countries such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease is significantly reduced in vegetarians.
• According to this study, people who eat a completely plant-based (vegan) diet have an even lower risk than vegetarians of developing the diseases mentioned.
• Apart from the health benefits, a meat-reduced, meat-free or purely plant-based diet is preferable to a meat-containing diet from an ethical and ecological point of view.
• If you change your diet, check your blood values ​​regularly to determine whether you are consuming reduced amounts of certain vitamins and nutrients.
• All of the vitamins and nutrients found in meat can be absorbed just as well from other (vegetable) foods.
• The only vitamin that is deficient in a purely plant-based diet is vitamin B12.
• While it’s healthy to reduce or eliminate meat consumption and be vegetarian or vegan, you should eat a balanced and healthy diet regardless of what you eat.