It’s meatless Monday again. We all love red meat, don’t we? Do you know that out of all the meats you consume on a daily basis, red meat is the one you would be less likely to eat due to the health hazards it poses? If you are still sceptical whether you should eat red meat or not, check out the following red flags that may raise an alarm.
Studies suggest that red meat contains a compound called carnitine, which is said to cause the clogging or hardening of arteries. When carnitine enters into our body, it converts into a heart-damaging compound known as the trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) via a bacteria in your intestine. When the carnitine levels are at a high, you are at a greater risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Research states that people who have a higher consumption of red meat tend to have a shorter lifespan as compared to vegetarians. Instead of eating red meat, one can switch to eating nuts, eggs, cereals & legumes. Also, processed meat is even worse as charring meat increases the toxin levels in our body which may cause stomach cancer.
Meat glue, transglutaminase, is often used to bind the smaller cuts of meat together. Transglutaminase is an enzyme which is produced by the fermentation of bacteria and is not considered to be safe. If you tend to consume glued red meat in higher quantities, you are at a higher risk of contamination. Therefore, it is often recommended to stick to vegetarian products.
Meat impacts the environment way more than any other food we eat on a daily basis. This is because livestock requires a lot more food, land and water to raise and transport as compared to crop. Also, how can you forget from where did the perfect steak on your plate come from? Locking up animals, killing them and slicing them up to make a meal for you is cruel, isn’t it?
Red meat is loaded with iron and if eaten in excess, it may raise the iron levels in your brains and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Whenever iron accumulates in your brain a fatty tissue called myelin, which coats the nerve fibres, is eventually destroyed. Red meat also results in a higher risk of developing breast cancer. According to multiple researches, a hormone-like compound in red meat increases the cancer risk.
Eating too much of meat will do no good to you. So, the more meat you end up eating, the more you expose yourself to the diseases. Try going meatless at least once a week, it will do wonders.
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Feature Image Credit (huffpost.com)