Although there are moral and ecological issues with eating red meat, its flavor cannot be denied. A delicious steak might be a welcome sight after a long day. Also, nothing is better than grilling some burgers on the weekend when the weather is excellent.
However, some of the most compelling arguments against eating red meat are purely pragmatic. Plus, it could save your life if you do.
Read on for eight more reasons why you should ditch red meat once and for all.
Red meat raises your cancer risk
To many people, cancer is the most terrifying illness imaginable. In addition, by this age, almost everyone has a personal connection to someone whose life has been negatively impacted by cancer.
It may be a surprise, but eating red meat increases your cancer risk. In particular, eating a lot of processed red meat has been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. It’s thought that the large amounts of heme iron in red meat have a role in producing carcinogenic chemicals.
For this reason, it would be wise to cut back or eliminate the consumption of red meat. Yet there are many additional considerations to take into account.
Red meat raises heart disease risk
Let’s not waste time; we’ll go right to the point. Even if it’s delicious, eating red meat increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
It’s possible that eating red meat, mainly processed red meat, can lead to heart disease. As a further downside, it raises the odds of developing heart failure in those who regularly consume it. This is because red meat is high in cholesterol and saturated fat.
To your relief, you need not give up red meat altogether. You can significantly lessen these threats to your heart by limiting your consumption of red meat to no more than three ounces each week.
Red meat could lead to diverticulitis
Only some people are familiar with diverticulitis. Everyone who has it agrees on one point: you should avoid having it!
Diverticulitis occurs when the inner lining of the colon wall becomes inflamed or infected. Your intestinal pouches get ripped or plugged. When this happens, you may feel constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and other uncomfortable symptoms.
In contrast to other health dangers on this list, your risk of diverticulitis rises significantly when you ingest a large amount of unprocessed red meat. Red meat that has yet to be processed includes cattle, lamb, hog, and hamburger. Red meat that has been processed includes bacon, hot dogs, ham, sausages, beef jerky, and salami. Adding salt and preservatives to processed red meat often increases other health hazards.
Red meat may cause harm to your kidneys
When it comes to their health, few individuals prioritize kidney risks. Nonetheless, renal failure can significantly diminish the overall quality of your life.
And you guessed correctly: red meat consumption increases the chance of renal failure. And this problem may creep up on you: in many situations, renal failure may not manifest for several years.
The bigger your risk, the more red meat you consume. Yet, if you quit drinking it, or at least minimize your intake, you will be far safer.
Eating red meat could potentially shorten your lifespan
You are concerned about your health if you are reading this post. And what is the most fundamental desire of all health-conscious individuals? A possibility to live longer!
Intriguingly, avoiding red meat might be a simple approach to extending one’s life. According to Harvard research, consuming unprocessed red meat increases your risk of early death by 13%, and consuming processed red meat increases your risk by 20%!
No one will live forever. Yet eliminating red meat immediately might add years to your life!
Red meat can be costly to buy
Some reasons to avoid consuming red meat are more evident than others. For instance, the fact that red meat is costly is one of the most appealing arguments!
Red meat is one of the most costly sources of protein. Red meat has become even more expensive in other regions due to COVID-19-related supply chain complications.
It implies you can save substantial money if you give up red meat. And you may be astonished at how much faster you can stock your fridge and pantry without spending money on hamburgers and steaks!
Red meat may contain E. coli bacteria
When Americans go grocery shopping, they take food safety for granted. This is because the Food and Drug Administration performs an excellent job of ensuring the safety of the food we purchase.
The FDA could be more flawless, though. Yet outbreaks of pathogens such as E. coli have occurred more frequently than you might expect. Such epidemics are often associated with red meat (particularly ground beef).
However, it would help if you did not base your entire existence on the possibility that something terrible would occur. The reality, however, is that avoiding red meat will save you money and improve your health.
This nutritional decision will save you time and money and may even save your life. Try abstaining from red meat for a month or so, if for no other reason than to witness the transformation it may bring about!
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