The meat is delicious and nutritious. However, in recent years, many people talk about the color change of meat, the younger ones are worried that they will get fat and ugly after eating too much meat, and the older ones are worried that eating meat will lead to the three highs. Some of the "health groups" and "weight loss groups" that many people have joined are basically fat-free protein diets, and "no meat" is even respected as a "health secret".
But is not eating meat really good for your body? What happens if you don't eat meat for a long time?
Don't eat meat, lower blood lipids?
Some people, especially middle-aged and elderly people, are reluctant to eat meat because they often have "three highs", especially high blood lipids. Blood lipids sound like they are caused by too much fat, and in their concept, "no meat = reduced fat intake = is conducive to lowering blood lipids".
Actually, the logic just sounds plausible. Because eating meat properly will not cause blood lipids to rise.
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Blood lipids include triglycerides, cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, phosphoric acid, and fatty acids. What we often call high blood lipids mainly refers to high triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood.
Let's start with triglycerides.
Triglycerides (TG) are the most abundant lipids in the body. The human body breaks down triglycerides to obtain energy, and at the same time, liver, fat and other tissues can synthesize triglycerides and store them in adipose tissue.
Triglycerides in the human body come partly from diet and partly from self-synthesis. However, with regard to hypertriglyceridemia, it is currently believed that dietary fats are not the main source of hepatic triglycerides. It can be simply understood as: if you want to control blood lipids, relying on eating less meat may not achieve the goal.
In fact, when people eat, our bodies convert excess energy into triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells. In addition to eating meat, eating rice and steamed buns and eating other things, if you eat too much, this excess energy will also be converted into triglycerides.
Let's talk about cholesterol.
Cholesterol is also a bit similar to triglycerides, about 70%~80% is synthesized by the liver, and only a small part comes from the diet. Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about eating meat in moderation will increase blood lipids.
Of course, paying attention to daily diet is also very important and necessary for blood lipid health. After all, an unhealthy diet is also a risk factor for high blood lipids. However, the dietary control required by people with high blood lipids is not only for one food, but should be adjusted from the overall dietary structure.
In fact, the current guidelines for cardiovascular and blood lipids also recommend that people with high blood lipids should have a balanced diet, ensure that there are enough vegetables, fruits, and whole grains in their daily food, and should also contain appropriate amounts of dairy products, meat, aquatic products, beans, nuts and other foods.
Eating meat causes cancer?
There are also people who say that eating meat causes cancer, "red meat is a group 2 carcinogen, and processed meat is a group 1 carcinogen".
Indeed, a few years ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), released an evaluation report on red meat and processed meat products, in which the WHO assessed processed meat products as Group 1 carcinogens and red meat as Group 2A carcinogens.
However, this does not mean that meat is necessarily carcinogenic and completely unedible.
The carcinogen rating of IRAC also does not equal the intensity of the hazard. IRAC's classification of carcinogens is not based on who is more capable of causing cancer, but on the degree of conclusive scientific evidence. The more clear the evidence of carcinogenicity, the higher the grade, and the ability to cause cancer is not necessarily related to the grade.
In its report, the WHO says that consuming 50g of processed meat per day increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%, and that if 100g (2 taels) of red meat is consumed per day, the risk of colorectal cancer increases by 17%.
It can be understood that the risk of bowel cancer is 1% for people who don't eat meat, and the risk for people who eat it is 1.18%, and the overall risk is still very small. The IARC report also notes that for individuals, the risk of colorectal cancer from eating processed meat is still small and almost negligible.
The mainland dietary pagoda recommends that the average amount of livestock and poultry meat eaten per person per day is about 40~75 grams, as long as it is eaten normally, you don't have to worry about eating meat to cause cancer.
Moreover, the cause of cancer is very complex, it is the result of a variety of factors, genetics, Xi lifestyle habits, Xi dietary habits, etc., may have an impact, and the cause cannot be simply classified as a simple food.
Therefore, you don't have to be afraid to eat meat because of this.
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What happens if you don't eat meat for a long time?
Some people are affected by some "vegetarian health" and "weight loss and body shaping", not only do not eat meat, but even remove eggs and milk, but in fact, this is very harmful. Because if you don't eat meat for a long time, your body will be prone to many serious problems, especially the elderly.
anaemia
Many women know that anemia is a very uncomfortable problem. Not only is the face pale and unsightly, but it also makes people always dizzy, easily tired, and unable to keep up.
Meat is rich in heme iron, which is the raw material of hematopoiesis, and the absorption and utilization rate is also high. If you don't eat meat all the time and don't take iron supplements, it can easily lead to the most common anemia - iron deficiency anemia.
In addition, long-term abstinence from meat may also lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, which can also lead to serious problems such as anemia. Because vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods and not in plants, people who don't eat meat are especially susceptible to deficiency.
According to the 2010~2012 National Nutrition and Health Survey, the prevalence of anemia among the elderly in mainland China was 12.5%, and the prevalence of anemia among the elderly aged 75 and above was 17.7%.
Hypodermatosis
Sarcopenia is the main manifestation of a loss of muscle mass, muscle atrophy, and loss of muscle strength. This is more common among the elderly, and nearly half of the elderly will get it. An important cause of sarcopenia is inadequate protein intake.
Such an old man looks thinner on the outside, and many people think it is a sign of health. In fact, sarcopenia is very unfavorable for the elderly, once the muscles continue to decrease, the strength decreases, and the incidence of falls, fractures, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and other diseases will increase greatly.
Many people may not feel the seriousness of these problems, but in fact, for the elderly, accidental falls and falls are very scary and can easily be fatal. For example, in the case of a hip fracture, which is not uncommon, the mortality rate can exceed 20% within a year, and can even reach up to 50%.
Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition)
Meat is an important source of protein, and the need for protein in the elderly is actually no less than that of younger people, and it will increase after the age of 65. If you don't eat meat and don't have other ways to supplement it, it's easy to be deficient in protein, which can lead to sarcopenia and even other malnutrition problems over time. According to the data of the 2010~2012 National Nutrition and Health Survey, the incidence of malnutrition and nutritional risk in elderly patients was 16% and 37%, respectively, and the incidence of hypoproteinemia was 25.1%.
Because of this series of health risks, the mainland dietary guidelines clearly recommend: the elderly should eat enough meat to ensure that they get enough high-quality protein, fish, shrimp, poultry, pork, beef and mutton are all good meats.
5 tips for eating meat healthily
Meat is rich in high-quality protein, and also contains minerals that are easily absorbed and utilized by the body, especially iron, zinc, etc., and is also rich in vitamins A and D, which are also important for human health.
How to eat meat healthily, I recommend that everyone pay attention to 5 points:
Eat in moderation
The mainland dietary pagoda suggests that ordinary people can eat 40~75 grams of livestock and poultry meat per day, or 40~75 grams of aquatic products such as fish and shrimp, and 25~50 grams of eggs (about one egg).
Eat more than a few types of meat and eat them instead
A common phenomenon is that the elders eat a relatively single type of meat. A lot of people either always eat pork or always eat beef and mutton.
In fact, eating too simple in this way is not good for health, and it is not in line with the dietary principle of balanced nutrition and diverse food.
It is recommended to enrich the table, beef and mutton, chicken and duck, fish, shellfish, etc., and change more patterns, and you will not get tired.
Eat less red meat and more white meat
Red meat, generally the meat of domestic animals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, and horses. White meat generally refers to poultry and aquatic products, such as chicken, fish, shrimp, etc.
Dietary guidelines recommend that fish and poultry should be the preferred meat for the elderly. Because compared with red meat, they are low in fat, and the muscle fibers are short, thin and soft, which is easier to digest and absorb, and is friendly to the elderly with bad teeth. If possible, you can choose more marine fish and shrimp, such as eating seafood and aquatic products 2~3 times a week.
Eat less fatty meats and less cured meats
Fatty meats such as pork belly, as well as fried and barbecued meat, not only contain a lot of fat, but also contain a lot of saturated fat, which is easy to gain weight and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Processed meats such as sausages, ham, and bacon are also high in salt, which is also not good for patients with three highs, so it is also recommended to eat less or not at all. I also eat less cured meat, bacon and other cured meats.
If you really don't like meat, you can drink milk, eat eggs, eat more soy products, and if necessary, use nutritional supplements
You can drink milk and eat eggs, which are also good sources of high-quality protein.
Tofu, dried tofu, etc., including artificial meat and vegetarian meat, which have become popular in recent years, are all soy products, which are a high-quality protein source in addition to meat. If you really don't like meat, you might as well eat more soy products.
Commercially available protein powders can also be effective in providing protein. If you don't eat any animal food, then you can eat some protein powder in moderation. Since it is easy to lack iron and some vitamins without meat, it is recommended to eat it with dietary supplements such as iron and vitamin B12, which can also meet the nutritional needs of the elderly.
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Planning and production
This article is a work of popular science China-Star Project
Produced by the Department of Science and Technology of the China Association for Science and Technology
Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Galaxy Culture Media Co., Ltd
Author丨Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center
Review丨Zhang Yu, Researcher of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, MD
Planning丨Yang Yaping