A longitudinal study (22 years) from Harvard, Red Meat Consumption and Mortality, indicates that consuming red meat is associated with an increased likelihood of dying prematurely. Researchers are encouraging people to substitute other healthy protein sources for red meat.
But what is the 4th of July without a nice juicy cheeseburger? How can we give up those mouth-watering medium-rare Delmonico steaks and manage to gulp down those chalky protein shakes?
After experiencing the bliss of a buttery seasoned steak, many people would probably buy a ticket to an early grave before they gave up red meat for good.
CBC Medical Specialist, Karl Kabasele explains in the following YouTube video that the research suggests we replace red meat with yummy legumes, fish, and nuts if we want to live longer. We don’t have to eliminate red meat from our diet all together but the exact amount that is safe for us to eat is still unclear:
Studies in the past have already established that the consumption of red meat led to increased risks of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers but only a small portion of the population have actively changed their diet in the hopes of avoiding less than desirable health states.
While the information that was gathered from the study is helpful I remain skeptical as to whether or not it will convince people to change what they are putting on their plates. If public health agencies do not reach out to the community and develop program that encourage people to develop more reasonable meal plans then these findings remain a blurb on the radio, a tweet, or just data on a page.
The fact remains that Americans are incredibly ignorant about nutrition. These days people think that eating cheese fries for dinner is eating light and fail to realize that they have just taken in over 3,000 calories.
Studies like this one are necessary because prevention is beter than a cure, but researchers need to take global action and help citizens make more sensible choices.
Besides, I am not trying to stick around to see this happen to me:
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