5 Nutritional Reasons People Keep Eating Meat

There is no question about it: meat gets a bad rap when it comes to health and diet. While there is some truth to popular anti-meat sentiment, it’s more aimed at processed meat. Unprocessed, red meat can actually have some positive benefits for your health. I would simply suggest abiding by 3 simple rules: choose unprocessed, eat organic, and eat in moderation.

According to the Department of Health, you should eat less than 90g of it a day, preferably keeping below 70g. If you eat unprocessed meat within this window the positive aspects of red meat should outweigh the negative effects.

Here are 5 nutritional reasons people choose to eat meat.

1. Creatine and Protein

Creatine and protein are both necessary for good health – especially if you’re one who exercises often or plays in sports. They’re both great for building muscle and so are essential for optimal workout regimens.

Creatine itself improves your body’s ability to produce energy quickly. This means you’ll be able to go further when training. Then after your workout, the protein is used to build muscle and repair damaged tissue. In other words, they work well together to provide your muscles and body with energy and ultimately growth.

2. Zinc

An essential nutrient for skin health, eye health, and more, zinc has a few key important health benefits. As we get older, our eyes become more susceptible to damage. With so many of us working with screens on a daily basis, we’re told to take care of our eyes properly, but what we often forget is that our diet is important, too. Zinc is great for your eyes as it helps combat macular degeneration, cataracts, and night blindness.

Zinc also plays a part in boosting your immune system, fighting off colds, and dealing with ear infections. So, if you’re someone who gets ill fairly regularly, it might be worth upping your zinc intake. Red meat is a good place to start.

3. Phosphorus

About 85% of phospherus found in the human body is within teeth and bones, helping to keep them strong. It also plays a role in the kidney’s function of filtering waste while helping the body to store energy.

Phosphorus goes quite well with creatine and protein in reducing muscle pain after strenuous exercise. It’s also needed for healthy cells, as it’s used to grow, maintain, and repair them.

Reverse: 5 Reasons People DROP Meat from Their Diets

4. Iron

Iron is essential for a healthy body. It is used to create haemoglobin, which is what transports oxygen around the body. Without this process, your body would be useless.

Without obtaining enough iron in your diet, you risk developing iron deficiency anaemia. This can lead to tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and pale skin. In other words, a general unhealthiness as the blood has less haemoglobin to get oxygen to where it’s needed.

5. B Vitamins

Red meat contains a number of B vitamins, including niacin, B12, thiamine, and riboflavin. These are all included in the process of turning the food we eat into the fuel our body needs to function. They all have their own specific benefits, too.

For example, B12 is good for the nervous system, helping to reduce stress, and brain shrinkage. Riboflavin helps fight acne and muscle cramps, niacin is used in cholesterol treatment, and thiamine can boost the immune system while people also take it for digestive problems.

Those are just 5 nutritional-based reasons people decide to eat some meat.

Additional Sources:

BBC