But I love meat.
And meat IS very important for your diet.
However....
There are some people who do benefit from limiting meat consumption, especially red meat. It really depends on the person. Keep in mind though, like with all things, the source and quality of the meat are incredibly important.
Apparently red meat, especially beef and pork, is supposed to contribute to inflammation. I asked my Naturopath about grass fed beef and she said that it was okay in moderate amounts, no more than three times a week (I didn't have it that often even before I was watching my red meat intake). She did say too that pork, even organic, naturally causes more inflammation.
That being said, I have heard conflicting reports (about beef - most people agree that pork is bad). The meats that are supposed to be taken as an alternative for red meat is organic chicken and fish. I could go on for a long time on how good fish is for you, but not right now. One of the big reasons is that fish is high in Omega-3, good oil.
Our diets are so bombarded with Omega-6 that the Omega-3 to Omega-6 balance is way out of whack. Omega-3 reduces inflammation. Omega-6 increases inflammation. Grains tend to be higher in Omega-6. Cows feed on grains (this is another lengthy topic) instead of their natural diet of grass. Along with a host of other problems, inflammation is now a greater issue.
Some other advice for sources of protein are: beans and especially soy. Why is soy so popular? Like in a stereotypical high school, it's usually the "bad boys", and the "stuck up" girls that are popular. Why? Who knows? They're not nice, they don't do anybody any good. Just like soy. Stay away from soy unless it is prepared traditionally like in miso, or tempeh, and that in moderate amounts. See my post on soy.
With beans (non-soy), you need variety. We eat a lot of bean meals. I like to make sure that we mix our protein sources with other protein sources (eg. beans and rice/millet, black beans and pinto beans) because beans, nuts and grains, although they do contain protein, they are incomplete proteins.
Eggs are also another great source of protein and other nutrients.
If your vegan or vegetarian, if it works for you great. But it is extremely difficult to be a healthy vegan. It may be possible to get all that you need from the plant world, but it takes a lot of work.
One of the main things lacking in the plant world is Vitamin B12.
Where do you get Vitamin B12?
From meat.
Along with Vitamin B12, red meat also contains iron, zinc and or course is a great source of protein.
But what about fat?
Well, what about it? Who says fat is bad?
Okay, I know a lot of people say it is. But what fat are they calling bad? Do they even know? Do you?
