Eating Red Meat

Photo downloaded from http://www.thestar.com.my/



Eating lean red meat in small quantities infrequently is fine, according to my doctor. Red meat has protein to help repair tissues and iron, zinc and vitamin B12 to promote general health and well being. Therefore, having McDonald's Big Mac every day is a no no. I remember when I was studying at Cambridge for my A Levels many years ago, halal chicken and the big Spanish Mackerel were favorite meal items easily available. I was not aware than that a big fish can be a source of mercury poisoning. My flatmate and I used to finish 1 big, grilled mackerel between the two of us for dinner. We just ate it with salad without any rice in our eternal quest to slim down.

When I moved to Leeds for my undergraduate studies, halal red meat was readily available but we had to walk a few miles to get them. Luckily we also added fish to our diet together with chicken and fruits and vegetables.

I sometimes wonder if the diet that we relish as students had affected our overall health situation now.People say that you are what you eat and sometimes your genetic make up also determines your health status.

By dwelling on safe eating habits, I hope my children and their children and our future generations will be healthier than our generation ever was or could ever be.

The article by nutritionist Dr Tee Ee Siong in Sunday's Starhealth is worthy of mentioned. Dr Tee want to relay an important message-- The choices we make on what we eat, drink, and how active we are each day will together provide protection against cancer at all times, from childhood to old age. He quoted the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommendation to limit the intake of red meat and avoid processed meat. This does not mean an absolute abstinence from red meat but a moderate consumption with choosing lean cuts and trimming away the visible fats.

According to studies done by WCRF red meats and processed meats are probable causes of cancer of the bowel, eosophagus, lung, stomach and prostate. There is also evidence that grilled, barbequed and smoked meat and other animal parts cause stomach cancer. (It is interesting to note that the prophet of Islam(s.a.w) in his hadith had also cautioned on eating grilled or barbequed meat.) So boys and girls, be thankful that you do not eat satay every day. It is the carbon in the charcoal that is dangerous.

The overall consensus, as noted by Dr Tee, not only to prevent cancer but to prevent a host of other diseases ae well, is to limit consumption of animal foods and processed meats (as in saugages, hot dogs, bacon, ham) and heavily salted preserved foods.