It'll come as no surprise that red meat isn't the best for your health. If you're watching your waistline, it has long been said that you should stick to meats with lean protein like chicken or fish. But new research has found that, not only can red meat be bad for your weight, but a daily serving of red meat raises your risk of cancer and heart disease.
As a Latina who's not only concerned about maintaining her 100 pound weight loss but also my heart health, this is just one more reason why I'm striving to eat more vegetables and make sure that my family's having them, too, despite a lot of us being picky eaters.
But when I think of my abuela's ropa vieja, my mouth starts to water. With news of the serious risk of eating red meat regularly, could you ever give it up for good?
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The new study from the Harvard School of Public Health offers some of the most detailed evidence on why red meat can be bad for you in a study that spanned 28 years. A report by MSNBC.com explains the findings:
It found those eating a daily serving of red meat were 13 percent more likely to die in the study period, and approximately 14 percent more likely to develop heart disease or cancer. Those numbers go up to 20 percent more deaths and an estimated 18 percent more heart problems and cancer for those who reported eating a daily serving of processed meats such as hot dogs, salami and bacon.
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I'm personally not a huge lover of bacon, but I know at one point my brother and I practically lived on hot dogs. Did we already cause a lot of damage with our youthful pickiness? I hope not, because these findings are making me reconsider how much red meat I consume.
Although I definitely don't eat it every day, I could probably cut back on red meat even more. I don't think I could ever give it up completely, but being healthy is very important to me. Maybe once a week is a more manageable number. But could you do the same?
Will this news make you cut back on, or completely cut out, red meat from your and your family's diet?
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