Despite the high iron, protein and vitamin B12 content of red meat, only small portions of lean red meat should be consumed to avoid increasing the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Red meat is not essential, because all the valuable ingredients (protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12) can be found in other foods.

If you still don't want to give up red meat, you should answer a few questions for yourself in order to consume an adequate amount:

 

- How many calories do I consume every day compared to the calories my body burns?

- Am I replacing other important foods such as fruit, vegetables and wholemeal products by eating red meat?

 

You don't have to give up red meat, you should just choose healthier types of red meat and eat them in moderation.

 

The American Cancer Institute, which focuses on the prevention of cancer through diet and physical activity, recommends eating no more than 500g of cooked red meat per week, avoiding sausages, ham, bacon and hamburger meat.

Instead, you should eat lean meat, especially beef and pork loin and meats that contain 95% lean meat.

 

Lean meat should contain less than 10% fat, including 4.5% saturated fat. Premium meat is not necessarily the healthiest: quality often refers to tiny fat globules in the muscle mass that make the meat more flavourful.

 

Grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-fed beef. Grass-fed beef also contains more omega-3 fatty acids, although both types of beef generally contain very little omega-3 fatty acids.

 

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