Red meat is rich of protein , but also high in unhealthy saturated fat, its should be eaten sparingly.

The balance of good health recommends that you should eat at least two servings per day from the protein group, which includes red meat. Many people, however, eat a great deal more meat than this. Some studies show that people who eat large quantities of read meat on a daily basis have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease than those who eat it less often.

The relationship between red meat and cardiovascular disease is believed to be due to the high saturated fat and cholesterol content of these meats. Have a evidence to suggest that a high intake of read meat increase your risk of colon cancer. People who replace red meat with fish and chicken have been found to have lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. So, is it a good idea to choose to eat lower fat sources of protein. Processed meat was mostly pork and beef that were preserved by methods other than freezing. They include ham, bacon, sausages, liver pate, salami, tinned meat, luncheon meat and corned beef.

Types of meats

Games, such as venison, wild boar, rabbit and more recently, buffalo, has meat that is rich and full of flavour, because this animals get more exercise, their meat is leaner and lower in fat than beef, lamb and pork, and thus also lower in calories.

Offal: kidney, liver, tongue, sweetbreads, trotters and so on are nutritious meats, being a good source of many of the B vitamins as well as vitamins A and D and the mineral copper, iron and zinc. As liver can tend to accumulate chemical residues from the animal, so better to eat only the liver of young animals, such as calves and lambs. You should try to avoid eating too many preserved meats, such as bacon, ham, pancetta, sausages, salami and gammon because they often contain a lot of salt as well as being high in saturated fat. Many cured meats also contain high levels of preservatives.

Which meat is good for healthy life?

If you like beef and lamb, start by choosing cuts that have a low fat contain (right) and reserve the higher fat cuts for special occasions like ones or twice a month. Check any labeling on meat at the supermarket, some labels will give the fat content, particularly labels on on packets of minced or ground  beef. The leanest types of red meat are beef topside, rump and filet fillet steak, pork leg and lion steak, and game such as venison. Remember to trim off visible fat before cooking. Red meat is high in fat, particularly when compared to the white meat of poultry-very lean red meat (such as fillet steak) has a lower fat and calorie content than roast dark meat chicken (legs and wings) eaten with the skin.

Healthy life with red meat

Regardless, nutritionists hardly need more evidence about the potentially negative health effects of eating red meat. For starters, the saturated animal fat in red meat contributes to heart disease and atherosclerosis. Recent research also shows that frequent red meat eaters face twice the risk of colon cancer as those who indulge less often. Red meat is also thought to increase the risks of rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis. Red meat consumption is associated with cardiovascular diseases, possibly because of its high content of saturated fat.

Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week.
Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less.
For processed meats, the increased risks for large quantities were slightly lower overall than for red meat. The researchers compared deaths in the people with the highest intakes to deaths in people with the lowest to calculate the increased risk.
People whose diets contained more white meat like chicken and fish had lower risks of death.
The researchers surveyed more than 545,000 people, ages 50 to 71 years old, on their eating habits, then followed them for 10 years. There were more than 70,000 deaths during that time.

A major study has found fresh evidence linking eating red and processed meat and bowel cancer.  The risk was a third higher for those who regularly ate over two 80g portions of red or processed meat a day, compared to less than one a week. The study also found a low fibre diet increased the risk of bowel cancer. Eating poultry had no impact but the risk for people who ate one portion or more of fish every other day was nearly a third lower than those who ate fish less than once a week.

Eating cooked red meat may increase the likelihood of cancer because carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines are created during the cooking process. Heterocyclic amines may not explain why red meat is more harmful than other meat, however, as these compounds are also found in poultry and fish, which have not been linked to an increased cancer risk.

The study shows that after an average of almost five years, people who ate the most red meat and processed meat had a 35 percent greater risk of developing colorectal cancer than those who ate the least amounts.
The cancer risk actually rises with fairly small amounts of these foods. Eating more than about five-and-a-half ounces of red meat and processed meat per day put people in the most at-risk group. A smaller change in risk was even seen with 10 ounces per week. The meats responsible include beef, pork, lamb and veal, plus sausage, ham, bacon and cold cuts.

There are several factors to consider when trying to discern how red meat raises cancer risk. The high saturated fat content is a major contributor to heart disease. It may affect cancer development as well. But merely choosing lean red meats and reduced-fat processed meats does not appear to remove the cancer risk.

The traditional food guide pyramid has been criticized for not distinguishing between red meat and other types of meat. The newer My Pyramid recommends lean forms of red meat. The healthy eating pyramid recommends that red meat be consumed sparingly. Red meat is one of the richest sources of iron. Red meat also contains protein, levels of creatine, minerals such as zinc and phosphorus, and vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B12, thiamin and riboflavin. Red meat is the richest source of Alpha Lipoic Acid, a powerful antioxidant.

If you continue to include red meat in your diet, choose lean cuts and stick to the recommend 3 ounces or less a day. Even if you’ve eaten large amounts of red meat your entire life, studies suggest that changing your eating pattern now can have a positive effect within a few years.

Some experts believe the trouble might come from the iron and fat in the meats, others blame the salt, nitrates/nitrites of processed meats.
Not only that, when meat is cooked (especially fried or charbroiled) at high temperatures substances are created that can be mutagenic or even carcinogenic. In other words - trouble. Most experts suggest that meat should not be eliminated entirely from your diet, but rather become a supporting part of meals along with other healthy options.  Choose fish, poultry or beans as an alternative to the red meats. Leaner cuts can also be part of a healthy diet.

Healthy ways with red meat

Rather than trying to eliminate red meat from your diet completely, the solution is to eat it less often and to select the leanest cuts possible. Minimize the fat content of meat by adopting healthy preparation and cooking methods.

• Trim off all visible fat from the meat, place it on a rack, then grill or roast it. Excess fat will drip down into the pan and can be discarded.
• Use only a light spray or brush of oil in a non stick frying pan.
• When eating out, order small portions or share larger ones.
• Try stir fried dishes where a small amount of meat, cut up into tiny strips, goes a long way mixed in with lots of vegetables.

If you have risk factors for heart disease or cancer, you'll want to talk to your own doctor to find out what diet and lifestyle changes you can make to today to help keep your body healthy and disease free. Don't let the link between red meat and health be your downfall.