I love to have a burger once in a while… even a steak or roast beef … but for me it is more about the calories
On Friday I got a package in the mail.
It was a BIG package.
It was also an unexpected package.
Don’t you just love it when that happens?
Well, turns out that a friend of mine decided to send me about 20 lbs of organic grass fed beef as a thank you for some consulting I helped him with the other week.
Pretty freakin’ sweet, eh? (He’s from Canada, so he’ll appreciate that)
Of course, I made a point to defrost them immediately while planning to fire up the grill several times over the weekend for a 2-day feast of fresh burgers and NY strip steaks (and broccoli, and grilled asparagus, and a few huge salads :-)
Who says low carb meals can’t be fun?
I even broke the low-carb rules a bit and downed a big bowl of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries for dessert on both nights (hey, their GI is less than 20…they might as well be low-carb).
Back to the meat.
So last night I invited some friends over to enjoy the beef-fest with me, one of whom chooses not to eat meat.
Totally fine…I’m cool with that.
But then as we were all joking about how he was missing out on some most amazing, delicious beef out there, he replied with “At least I won’t be missing out the heart attack coming from all that red meat and animal fat!”
Uh oh.
Time to debunk the misconceptions.
Number one, there’s nothing wrong with “red meat”. In fact, there are some cuts of red meat that are just as lean if not leaner than chicken breast, so trying to lump all red meat into one category is the equivalent of saying “carbs make you fat”. Let’s consider the source.
Second, what is “animal fat”? Although the term is used interchangeably with saturated fat, not all “animal fat” is saturated. In fact, more than HALF the fat in beef is unsaturated.
Oh, and here’s another fact even beyond that—not all saturated fat is bad. The problem with most saturated fats is that they have been shown to be linked to heart disease when consumed in higher quantities. That said, the main saturate found in beef (especially organic grass fed beef) is stearic acid—a saturate consumption has been shown to decrease plasma and liver cholesterol by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption.
That’s right, “animal fat” that lowers cholesterol.
Also, stearic acid intake helps to prevent arterial clotting and the formation of fatty deposits within the arteries to fight off heart disease.
Beef—it’s what’s for dinner. And beings that I still have about 6 lbs of it here, it looks like it’s going to be breakfast tomorrow, too.
Mmmmmmm. Steak and eggs.
So what about you? Have you ever bought into the anti-beef advocates claims? Did you learn something from this post? Going to devour a nice steak today?
Post your comments below and I’ll be back VERY soon with another eye-opening post!
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. My friend and fellow nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios is a big fan of red meat, too, but I have to agree with her stance on the 4 so-called “healthy” foods she warns about here:
==> 4 foods to NEVER eat <——- click here
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151 comments - add yours
BEEF, where’s the beef? I love beef and couldn’t imagine not having it!!!
Excellent post, I believe that in moderation it’s all good and I have beef about twice a week (in Texas it’s a minimum)
Yes, I grew up on a organic cattle farm and the beef we ate was insanely good! It made me a beef lover for life! However, now with cholesteral issues due to DNA in the family, for years I had a hard time finding good tasting organic beef, so I am careful to shop around. Nowadays it is becoming more of the “norm” to find organic beef, so I am THRILLED to finally eat beef once in a while wihtout worrying about the contents!
Thanks Joel for the post! ;-)
@Roger Taylor –
So, disprove the statement. You CAN disprove it, can’t you?
Or are you just going to engage in gainsay argument?
That’s great information to know, I was completely unaware of it! Thanks for an excellent post!
Originally Posted By DWI do not eat any animal produces. Up until about 10 years ago I loved to eat burger and steaks, and plenty of them. But I was aproaching my 50th birthday and felt terrible with all those condition people normally blame on age. Even though I exercised regularly I still could not get in shape. Then someone suggested I stop eating meat and I laughed but noticed how healthy they were. So, I tried it to prove them wrong. After 6 weeks I was hooked, because I had lost fat gained muscle, no longer had joint pain, felt like a 20 year old again, and now have not had even a cold in all that time. My doctor says I am healthier than most 25 year old even though I am in my late 50’s. The dangers of meat go much farther than just heart problem, they are a major cause of cancers too.
. . . or you could just completely ignore everything that was written.
You know, whatever.
Joel’s intent, at least in this entry, is hardly to go against what some believe is “conventional wisdom.” It’s a description of progress. Nutritional myths die hard, and the idea that red meat is bad for you has been dead some time, but just hasn’t caught traction.
Men’s Health ran an article awhile back describing the origins behind the anti-animal fat myths. Most of what is called nutritional fact about animal fats came from a set of assertions over 25 years ago that were pronounced as fact but never tested. The premises were based on observations of other things and extrapolated to reflect presumed effects of animal and saturated fats. The fatty acid profiles in meats and the effects of them on the human body are pretty well documented. Before shooting down the blog post, go read about beef’s fatty acid breakdown and about stearic acid.
OH Gawd, Here we go again! lol JOEL YOU JUST LIKE STIRRING THE POT, DONT YOU ;-) ? A general statement to the public years ago about red meat not being healthy has become a banner for some. As I’ve said before about other topics, its about moderation. Know what you’re working with and then work with it accordingly. Yes, to the average American who made mass quantities of red meat a regular staple, they need to back down. Is it totally unhealthy? NO! Like one of the other readers for me grass fed is not always available or affordable. But even so, a nice top round London Broil, nicely marinated and done on the grill, thinly sliced and accompanied with a big salad…now that’s a good healthy meal…a coule times a month.
ANd I get a kick out of people who tell you, a nutritionist, a body builder, and an award winner, what’s wrong with what they’re doing…without being asked their advice! I guess for some peopole they don’t have enough drama in their own lives so they’ve got to try to create a little in other peoples ;-).
Joel, I buy your materials and listen to what you haved to say because YOU are the evidence to back it up. Like I’ve said before, Buddy, when the people criticizing your program are lookin and doing better than you they may get my attention. Till then…what’s your next piece of advice because I’m all ears.
Every now and then we have a family that comes by to eat but claims to not eat red meat because it is unhealthy. Thank you for reveling the “mystery” behind this problem that has been bothering me for some time now.
We cannot eat too much red meat due to the price, but we have always felt that when we can it is good for us. Guess this is due to the fact that my father-in-law raised beef for over 60 years and while it was grain-fed a lot of the time, he did the best he could by not adding much to their feed.
steak is the best thing you can ever eat… anyone not eating it.. well, like you said, they are really missing out
Taking a low quality carbohydrate and turning it into a high quality protein, that’s what a cow does. Many links to be found on the cfa’s (conjugated fatty acids) in grass fed beef. If you are looking for natural, ranch-raised grass fed beef, please look us up. Would love to fill your freezer. brokenbowranch.net
I read that Paul Chek once tested a female client and said that she was in desperate need of a good steak… and she was! steak is a superfood, fact.
Fortunately where i live (Bahrain) the meat price is substardised by the government so decent sized lean steaks are around BD1 (about $2.65), i know that is pretty awesome value compared to UK prices! so i have about 3/4 steaks a week which is great. steak and eggs for breakfast make you feel like a real man and must be tried.
Health factors? if i drop dead at 50 years old then my last act would be to hold my hand up and admit to all the vegetarians and say i was wrong about red meat. but i seriously doubt that i will be more at risk to cardiac arrest at single digit bodyfat at 50 than any ‘skinny-fat’ vegan at 30+% bodyfat would be?
example: i just had a vegetarian PT client who weighed 49kg with a 35% bodyfat who looks totally ‘healthy’… thats a lean mass of 31kg! I think i DB curled that last week! not good
Good beef is always welcome on my plate. My grilll gets fired up many times during a week . I do love my chicken and turkey but that beef steak on the grill just beats them everytime …. I also grill my vegetables ( omoins, tomatoes, green peppers)
I’m very curious about whether you have any opinions / evidence regarding hormones in animal meat. Is that a myth too?
Do you recommend any good resources for determining which red meats are good? I love roast beef from the deli…
Thanks.
I was JUST thinking about this the other day. I’ve pretty much come to terms with eating red meat – it doesn’t make me feel guilty anymore. However, I don’t know enough about the stuff to determine if I’m making the best choice in terms of red meat options. For instance, my roommate’s brisket … soooooo good, but is it the best choice? Probably not.
great news- i always knew those lean steaks were great for me and now i can show the wife it’s true!! BEEF IT UP!
I’m glad I read your article because I don’t eat much red meat for most of the reasons you cleared up except for one. When I eat red meat I get terribly bloated and feel very uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s because it’s not organic. However, organic beef is expensive and I cannot afford this. So I stick to my chicken, a little pork and fish.
thanks for this post Joe quite interesting and eye opening. have to go now. there are some steaks waiting ; )
Beef finished in a feedyard will probably have hormones used on them. By the time they get to slaughter most of the hormones will have passed from the calves body. Most studies indicate that there are less hormones (estrogen) in soybean oil than in a cut of beef. http://www.beefmyths.org/beefmyths/cattlegrowthhormones/.
Concentrated grains, milo, maize and corn etc. are the reason why the cattle gain weight so fast. The composition of the muscle changes over the 90 to 120 days they are there. This is when that marbling (intramuscular fat) increases and then the CFA’s ( conjugated fatty acids ) dissipate.
I don’t recall saying that you couldn’t publish what I wrote but to be truthful I can’t remember what I did write. I could go back and find it but it’s easier to have you resend it. *GRINS*
I love beef, but never know exactly which part of the cow is the best to eat. Any suggestions?
Venison is a bit higher in protein than beef and less in fat but I’ll back up what Joel has just mentioned that animal fat is not all bad: it depends on how much you consume. In fact margarine and other solidified vegetable oils are much more harmful than animal fat such as butter because of the hydrogenation process which changes the oil from cis form to trans form.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...