Almost every dietary guide tells us to eat less red meat and eat some white meat appropriately.
So what is red meat and what is white meat? Is red meat red and white meat white?
If the color of animal food is divided, it can be divided into [red meat] and [white meat].
Those meat that is red before cooking belong to [red meat], including the meat of mammals such as pigs, cattle and mutton that we often eat. The meat that is light in color before cooking belongs to [white meat], including the meat of non-mammals such as chickens, ducks, geese, fish, shrimps, crabs, oysters and clams that we usually eat.
In fact, this classification method is not perfect. For example, salmon meat is red before it is cooked, but it belongs to white meat.
Why is red meat red?
The color of human blood is red, which is mainly related to the red blood cells in the blood. The red blood cells are red because they contain hemoglobin. One of the components of hemoglobin is iron. Hemoglobin transports oxygen to various parts of the body.
By the same token, the color of red meat is mainly due to the myoglobin contained in mammalian meat.
Myoglobin is a protein, one of its components also includes iron. Myoglobin can deliver oxygen to animal muscles.
Is red meat really harmful?
Researchers analyzed the impact of eating red meat and white meat on health and found that people who eat more red meat have an increased risk of colon cancer, breast cancer and other diseases. The study also found that men eating too much red meat will also lead to an increased risk of various prostate diseases.
It should be noted that this is [eating too much red meat], which does not mean that eating red meat increases the risk of disease.
Compared with white meat, red meat contains more fat and saturated fatty acids. Excessive intake of saturated fatty acids is a risk factor for the increase of blood cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Red meat, is it still edible?
No matter red meat or white meat, they all contain fat, but the content is different. They also contain saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids, and the content is relative.
Among the red meat of the same weight, pork has the highest fat content, followed by mutton and beef.
Even in lean meat of red meat, there is a lot of fat content. However, chicken and duck meat have lower fat content and higher unsaturated fatty acid content.
The fat content in fish is generally low and contains more polyunsaturated fatty acids. Deep sea fish are rich in EPA and DHA, which plays a certain role in preventing dyslipidemia and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Every kind of food has its nutritional content characteristics. No natural food contains nutrients that can meet all the nutritional needs of our bodies.
Although red meat is rich in fat, it is rich in minerals, especially iron and zinc, and is easy to be absorbed and utilized by human body. It is also rich in protein, vitamins (B1, B2, A, D), etc.
Any kind of meat, eating too much or not eating at all, is not conducive to health, and it is recommended to eat it in moderation.
The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that adults eat animal food every day: 50 ~ 100g (1 ~ 2liang) of fish and shrimp and 50 ~ 75g of livestock and poultry meat. For those residents who eat more meat, especially pork, attention should be paid to adjustment and eat more chickens, ducks and fish as much as possible. There are also some people who usually eat animal food not enough and should be appropriately increased.
Author: Ma Guansheng
Editor: Xiao Xi
The article was reprinted by Clove Garden authorized by the author.