Should I Eat Red Meat?

4 minute read

Welcome to Should I Eat This?—our weekly poll of five experts who answer nutrition questions that gnaw at you.

 

Red-meat
Illustration by Lon Tweeten for TIME

3/5 experts say yes.

You might be surprised to hear that red meat gets the green light from the majority of our experts. But before you start a “bacon” chant at your desk, you’ll want to hear their caveats. A license to freebase filet mignon this is not.

Red meat can be beef, veal, lamb and even pork—which tries to lump itself in with white meats like chicken, but since it comes from a mammal, most experts insist it’s red. Even within the family, though, red meats are not all equal. Processed meats like bacon, sausages, bologna are mostly terrible for you, and are distinct from simple slabs. “Studies find a strong association between processed meat and bad outcomes, but no such association for pure meat,” says David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.

Unadulterated lean red meat offer of high-quality protein, iron and a spectrum of B vitamins, says Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, professor of nutrition at Penn State University. That said, here in America, we’re in no danger of eating too little protein. “I think the key is moderation in lean beef intake,” Kris-Etherton says. Stick to dietary recommendations for lean protein: a couple ounces a day.

MORE: Ending the War On Fat

Other experts think meat currently has far too big a place in the diet and should be limited to 1 time per week or less, according to Julia Zumpano, an RD at Cleveland Clinic’s Heart & Vascular Institute. The best cuts are the leanest ones, like loin, tenderloin, sirloin, filet or flank, she says.

Got a beef with beef? If you don’t already eat it, there’s no reason to add it, most of the experts say. “Protein deficiency in the U.S. is all but unknown in people who aren’t overtly sick,” Katz says, so vegetarians do just fine without it. Many do more than fine. In fact, the longest-lived Americans are pescetarians, says Dan Buettner, an author and researcher who studies the diets of the oldest people in the world in his forthcoming book The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People. Interestingly, members of the longest-lived populations do tend to eat red meat, but very sparingly, only about five servings a month, Buettner found. “Red meat was a celebratory food, or it was something that was more of a condiment, not the main feature of a meal,” he says. When it shows up on the plates of the healthiest people in the world, it’s far less than a two-ounce hunk.

MORE: What Red Meat Does To Your Gut Bacteria—And Heart

That’s how dietitian Karen Ehrens encourages people to think about meat: a flavorful flourish rather than a slab at the center of the plate. Eating less is better for our health and for the environment, a huge concern for some of the experts. If you choose to eat red meat, eat the best red meat you can, Ehrens says, because what’s good for livestock seems to be good for us, too. “Evidence continues to emerge in that what cattle eat impact the make-up of their meat and milk,” she says. Indeed, meat from grass-fed cows has lower saturated fat and more heart-healthy omega-3s.

So if you’re carnivorous, chow down—in moderation.

Read next: Should I Eat Whole-Wheat Pasta?

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QUIZ: Should You Eat This or That?

Which is better for you: A 1/2 cup of ice cream or 3 scoops of sorbet?
Which is better for you: Half cup of ice cream or 3 scoops of sorbet?Getty Images (4)
Answer: A 1/2 cup of ice cream
Answer: A half cup of ice cream If you eat what you’re craving, you’re more likely to feel satisfied and eat less. And scoop for scoop sorbet contains twice the sugar with none of the filling dairy protein and fat.Getty Images (5); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: Real butter or spray on fake butter?
Which is better for you: Real butter or spray on fake butter?Getty Images; Tara Johnson for TIME
Answer: Butter
Answer: Butter Serving size for spray butters (even low-calorie ones) are around a 1/3 second spray. What on earth does that mean? You're better off using a small amount of real butter as opposed to guessing how much you're using of the mystery melange of up to 20 ingredients.Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: A sirloin burger or a turkey burger?
Which is better for you: A turkey burger or a sirloin burger?Getty Images (2)
Answer: Sirloin burger Restaurant turkey burgers are often made with dark meat and the skin, so they’re not necessarily better for you (and for the record, they aren't low-fat). You can get a sirloin burger that’s 95% lean meat and gives you 20 g of protein. Just be careful with the toppings.Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: Almonds or pretzels?
Which is better for you: Almonds or pretzels?Getty Images (2)
Answer: Almonds
Answer: Almonds Almonds are high in protein, fiber and fat and will keep you feeling fuller longer. Give high-sodium pretzels about an hour and you'll feel hungry again thanks to the high-carb no-fat or protein content.Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: Eggs or Special K?
Which is better for you: Special K or eggs?AP; Getty Images
Answer: Eggs
Answer: Eggs In the morning, you want a meal that will fill you up. Eggs offer protein and fat for satiety, but Special K cereal really only offers carbs and, well, air. If you want carbs to kick off the day, you're better off pairing eggs with a slice of 100% whole grain toast. Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
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Which is better for you: Fat free salad dressing or regular salad dressing?Tara Johnson for TIME
Answer: Regular salad dressing
Answer: Regular salad dressingTo absorb fat soluble vitamins like Vitamins E and K in vegetables you need to consume them with a fat to aid nutrient absorption. Fat-free dressing, meanwhile, is low-calorie but gets its flavor from added sugar and salt.Tara Johnson for TIME (5); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: A low fat cookie or dark chocolate?
Which is better for you: A low fat cookie or dark chocolate?Getty Images (2)
Answer: Dark chocolate “People tend to believe fat free is calorie free,” says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian in New York City. “Go for the real thing.” Fat free cookies may be lower in fat, but higher in other ingredients like sugar. Try a nice piece of dark chocolate for those antioxidants.
Answer: Dark chocolate “People believe fat free is calorie free,” says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian in New York City. “Go for the real thing.” Fat free cookies tend to be high in carbs, sugar and fake sugar. Try a nice piece of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate instead.Getty Images (2); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME
Which is better for you: Low fat Greek yogurt or 100 calorie Yoplait yogurt?
Which is better for you: Low fat Greek yogurt or 100 calorie Yoplait yogurt?Tara Johnson for TIME
Answer: Low fat Greek Yogurt
Answer: 2% Greek YogurtA little fat is good in the morning to keep you full—plus it has upwards of 17g of protein per container. Fat-free "fruit" yogurt is high in sugar—7 to 10 g per serving—and lower in protein.Tara Johnson for TIME (2); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME

 

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Write to Mandy Oaklander at mandy.oaklander@time.com