It may seem blasphemous but it is true. I do indeed have my patients eat red meat if they want. Why would I tell them differently if I am eating it daily myself?
I have vivid memories of my dad broiling huge hunks of lean sirloin during the cold winter months of Michigan on a weekly basis (of course we grilled in the summer). Because of this, my taste for red meat was ingrained at a young age. In fact I wasn’t a huge fan at first until I learned to eat more after seeing my brother’s muscles grow to astronomic proportions (more on that another day). My family was pretty health conscious too so I thought nothing of it until I got to college. At one point I was told that red meat should be avoided due to its “harmful effects.” I was aware of processed red meat being implicated in diseases in epidemiological studies, but I was unaware of any inherent substance in lean red meat that would cause harm.
When I got to medical school I was again advised to tell my patients to cut down on their red meat intake. I still didn’t understand though since we were telling people to eat turkey and chicken, which have similar profiles to lean sirloin. Maybe they just equate red meat with hot dogs and crappy hamburgers on white buns with a side of trans fat soaked french fries. Or maybe it’s because of the low-fat revolution of the 90s that is still lingering. Certain cuts of red meat are fattier so that automatically made them “bad” – apparently they’ve never had a perfectly cooked ribeye! For the record I don’t think fatty cuts of beef are inherently bad, but for the sake of this article I am focusing on lean beef.
Being that protein is a HUGE driver for weight loss success and improved metabolic health, why couldn’t lean beef be used along with poultry and fish? It sure would give us another tasty option! Well to confirm my own biases I saved a few good studies to back up my claims.
- This study showed incorporation of lean red meat in elderly women can help with lean muscle gain and decrease inflammation.
- This study showed substituting in lean red meat for carbohydrates can improve blood pressure.
- This study showed replacing carbohydrates with lean red meat doesn’t increase inflammation.
- This study actually compared lean red meat to lean white meat. Both worked for lowering LDL cholesterol.
I could keep going. If anyone out there has any NEGATIVE studies with experiments of lean red meat I would like to see them. Please post in the comments below. Don’t give me any TMAO crap either. By the way, I am not saying to be extreme and eat only red meat and forget fruits and vegetables. Don’t be an extremist please. Thanks 🙂
