To Eat, or Not to Eat, meat
The good, the bad, & the ugly
Dear Dad,
Should you eat meat?
Honestly, I’d rather write about something less polarizing like the Presidential debate last week or the best church to go to on Sundays…
The health implications of eating meat or not eating meat tend to cause a lot of strong opinions in the nutrition wars. In general, most people get very defensive when their eating habits are challenged yet the same people don’t think twice when gobbling down their meals, snacks, and drinks. Nowhere in health discussions does this vigor seem to intensify than when considering the positions about whether or not to eat meat.
Before wading into the topic it’s worth considering upfront, what would it take to change your mind? I joked at the beginning, of the funny-because-it’s-true nature, that eating meat or not eating meat is similar to politics or strongly held religious beliefs. So take a moment to consider whether any modicum of evidence, circumstance, or anecdote would cause you to pull the lever for the other side or open your mind to a new possibility?
If the answer is nothing then there’s probably no point in reading further and you can use the saved time to enter your name in the upcoming July 4th hot dog eating contest. But, if you’re willing to entertain a paradigm shift then read on.
To begin, and with the hopes of at least a marginally thought provoking discussion terms must be defined. I approach this topic, and all health related food topics, from the the same perspective that I wrote week one:
What do I mean by health? As you should consider it, health is reversing the path toward pharmaceutical reliance and maximizing healthspan; not just extending lifespan, but importantly, enjoying what you love to do for longer. More days to travel, spend time with family, and live independently. Believe me, this goal is within reach and certainly worthwhile.
Notice I am not worried about how to quickly get 6-pac abs for the summer, losing 15 pounds for a reunion, trying to bulk up, slim down, or get ripped, or at all interested in implementing any sort of fad diet plan. Accomplishing such short term goals may be possible through various nuanced/weird dietary patterns, but as it relates to sustainable health no short term fix does the trick. And, I am interested in sustained health. Long lasting health. The vitality to participate in life as long as possible.
With this goal in mind there’s no way to sugar coat it or wrap it in bacon. The best way to capture the health we’re after is by feeding your body with the fewest amount of necessary calories and this is done most effectively by eating plant foods.
What are plant foods? Unfortunately, plant based eating gets unfairly labeled as limited options of boring salads or soggy vegetables. This is untrue. Eating delicious plant foods is similar to eating any meat options where the quality, variety, and method of preparation make all the difference. The availability of delicious meal combinations using plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, tossed in spices, simmered, roasted, blended, baked, will leave even the pickiest eater satisfied.
So, why are plants the better option? Simply, plant foods have more nutrients in fewer calories. Plants are packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, good fats, and fiber. Plants provide great sources of complex carbohydrates for energy and beans, nuts, and legumes are stalked with ample protein. A proper plant based meal includes more nutrients than one with meat and allows for fewer calories to be consumed to achieve the right amount of fullness.
Is meat really all bad? Fair question; there is some good, and some bad, and some ugly.
The good: Meat tastes good. No getting around that fact. I for one, really enjoyed anything smoked, BBQ brisket especially. Also, most people eat meat so it’s just easier to oblige and at times allows you to be less bothersome. Meat is also an efficient source of protein and certain animals like fish provide healthy fats. But included in these tasty culturally accepted fleshy dishes is also an entire package of drawbacks.
The bad: Spoiled meat causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths each year and is harder to detect before consumption. Every stage of the production process is ripe for contamination due to bacteria, parasites, and pathogens living within the animals—their muscles, digestive tracts, and feces (these microbes are easily passed and spread through large feed lots, farms, and ranches. This creates a larger risk of food borne illness, ranging from personal illness to public health emergencies like mad cow disease, swine flu, or bird flu. For example, some ground beef patties have meat deposits from over 100 cows1). Also, to the degree that you care every meal of meat is a butchered animal. Lastly, eating meat increases body inflammation. Studies suggest that increased inflammation from meat may be due to a combination of high amounts of heme iron, saturated fat, and/or charred proteins and fats called “advanced glycation end products.”2 One source of inflammation certainly associated to meat consumption is due to increased adiposity, aka, people who eat large amounts of meat tend to be fatter.
The ugly: Increased meat consumption is associated with greater risk of heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Nowadays a study can be found to support any proposition and that is mostly why the meat debate is so murky. Forming an intelligent opinion requires weighing the credible evidence and sorting legitimate from farce.
I have found the work of doctors Colin T. Campbell (PhD) and Caldwell Esselstyn (M.D.) especially convincing. Both men grew up on dairy farms with typical predisposition to eat beef, chicken, milk, and eggs. Both men, after years of their own research and experimentation have come to the same conclusion: a plant based diet is the best diet to fend of cancer and heart disease (two leading causes of death) and is the only diet that has shown to reverse the harms of heart disease.
You don’t trust these guys? Or me? There is only one thing left to do. Try it for yourself. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by tinkering with your diet in a healthy way. I dare you to go a week without eating meat and log how you feel. By two weeks you will have a developed line-up of go to delicious plant based meals. (If you want some recipes, comment below). There’s no better way to determine what works than trying it for yourself.
Remember, when it comes to health, food, and nutrition there is no such thing as 100% certain outcomes. The healthiest among us can drop dead or the meat-eating chain-smoker can enjoy a long life. All we can do is play the probabilities. And the weight of the credible evidence suggests that moving the dial toward plant based foods and away from meat products gives you the best probability to enjoy a long vibrant life.
I’m not afraid to admit that casting meat entirely aside is not the only diet to improve your health and even the most ardent vegetable advocates would have to agree that once you reach the dietary threshold of 90% plant based there is little added benefit to going the full 100%. So what is the kicker? How is it that there are objectively healthy people on both sides of the meat debate? What is more important than deciding meat or no meat? Next week.
Until then:
…With Love,
JSR