"RED MEAT RAISES RED FLAGS!"
As anyone who saw the recent RTE documentary, “What’s Ireland Eating?” (trailer above) will know, eating processed meats has been associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. While the documentary is no longer available to view online, a study published in the Harvard Gazette has drawn the same conclusions.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/03/red-meat-raises-red-flags/
The Harvard study found that “one daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of mortality, and one daily serving of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) was associated with a 20 percent increased risk”. This was due to ingredients in processed meats that have been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
For those of you who did not see the documentary, here are some of the key points it made: (Source: www.irishfitness.ie)
43% of Irish shopping budget is spent on highly processed foods, typically in the form of a half dozen sausages, 10 slices of ham.
Processed pork such as ham, sausages and rashers contribute to our high salt intake. Pumped full of water/brine, nitrates, ascorbate and dextrose these meats are drastically altered from their original state.
The average person takes in two and a half times the required volume of salt daily. The results are higher rates of blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
World Cancer research fund in London have found a correlation between bowel cancer and the amount of processed meats consumed, labelling them a food to be avoided.
Ham sandwiches make up the vast majority of children’s lunchboxes.
Despite leaps forward in modern medical care, this generation of children are likely to have a lower life expectancy than us.
But here’s the good news:
The Harvard study also found that
replacing one serving of total red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk: 7 percent for fish, 14 percent for poultry, 19 percent for nuts, 10 percent for legumes, 10 percent for low-fat dairy products, and 14 percent for whole grains. The researchers estimated that 9.3 percent of deaths in men and 7.6 percent in women could have been prevented at the end of the follow-up if all the participants had consumed less than 0.5 servings per day of red meat.
So, reducing meat consumption in all its forms and replacing it with healthier sources of protein can have a huge impact on our health and reduce our risk of chronic disease. Studies have shown that vegetarians, when they follow a balanced diet, suffer from less chronic disease such as heart disease and cancer but even swapping one or two meat dinners weekly for tasty vegetarian alternatives can improve your health!
Need help with vegetarian recipes? Here’s a really tasty, healthy, meat-free dinner option!
2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight (or tinned if you’re in a hurry)
2 sweet potatoes, cubed, parboiled
2 courgettes, chopped into chunks
4 cloves-1 bulb garlic, minced
Liberal amounts of cumin, coriander
A small amount of ginger (root or powder)
1-3 small fresh red chillis
Bring all the ingredients to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Couldn’t be simpler! Serve with brown basmati rice for a nutritious and healthy dinner! As I've stated before, I'm of the "chuck everything in a pot and keep adding stuff until it's tasty" school of cooking so some quantities may be increased or decreased according to taste.
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