 Eating Red Meat |
Low carbohydrate diets are effective for losing fat. The low-carb approach is more effective than the low-fat or low-calorie approach to dieting, when trying to lose fat.
However, the question we’ve been asking for the last 20 years, or since the birth of Atkins, is – which foods are the healthiest protein sources on a low-carb diet?
Some choices include eggs, chicken, bacon, sausage, beef, salmon, white fish, shellfish, ham, pork, nuts, beans, and tofu. Since tofu is nasty, and can lead to increased risk of cancer and elevated estrogen levels in men, we won’t discuss it. But what about red meat and other meats that are high in saturated fat?
The Study
We already know that saturated fats in red meat and other fatty meat like bacon and sausage, are not good for your heart or cholesterol levels. This has been confirmed in a recent study that spanned 20 years and involved 130,000 health professionals.
Here are the nasty results from that study:
The study, based on regularly administered questionnaires, found that eating a low-carb diet based on meat protein was associated with a 23% higher risk of death from any cause, 14% greater risk of heart-related death, and 28% greater risk of cancer-related death.
Eating a vegetable protein-based low-carb diet, however, was associated with a 20% lower risk of death from any cause and a 23% lower risk of death from heart disease.
So there you have it. When following a low-carb diet, try to stay away from meats that are high in saturated fat. Always choose 95% lean ground beef if you must eat red meat. Avoid pigs and cows for the most part.
Choose these healthier sources of protein:
- fish
- nuts
- beans
- chicken
- egg whites
- venison
- buffalo
Read more about the study here: Meat Protein Risky in Low-Carb Diets
Tags: Diet, fish, low-carb, news, nutrition, red meat, vegetables
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I’m not worried about eating saturated fat at all. Just think about what you would eat if you lived in nature and had to catch all the food yourself. You wouldn’t only eat the low fat meat, but also the organs of the animals. What worries me more is that in today’s world it is hard to find natural organic food, at least in my country.
I don’t know how does meat tastes like because i don’t eat meat but i know how meat kills people…
Oh you mean like lions and tigers and bears?
Steve
Nice article…I agree tofu doesn’t taste great and with all the other options I don’t bother eating it. BUT why do you say it raises estrogen levels in men? Is it because it is soy based? Most of the articles I have read lately say this is not the case as was once believed. Soy protein is now reported to be a good source of fairly quick digesting protein source. Could you explain?
I have yet to see legitimate evidence that soy does not elevate estrogen levels in men. Please post links to the proof, otherwise I maintain that soy is not good for anyone, especially men.
so we eat red meat for thousands of years but now it causes cancer and heart disease? its the nitrates and the factory farmed meats that cause this!!! (also the sugar , white flour and rancid veggie oils) Also this study i think is the one where pizza was considered a meat if it have meat on it. its not fair to blast meat as a whole from a freaking questionnaire study which are not relaible!!!
Hey man I hear you. I’m still going to eat burgers and steak, but I decided a couple years ago that I would keep it to a minimum. There is a ton of evidence that meat high in saturated fat is just not good for your body, especially your heart. With all the food choices we have, why bother eating red meat more than once a week when you know it is probably going to contribute to high cholesterol and high blood pressure? I am not a vegetarian by any sense of the imagination – hell, I eat meat and fish probably 3 or 4 times a day – but we really should be careful about eating red meat.