Don't Fear Red Meat - Strengthen the Gut Instead

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In almost everything nutrition related, context is everything. Almost any food can be a pro or a con based on the situation, your current health status, and the terrain of the body. This goes for plants too. for example, plants have anti-nutrients that can impair nutrient absorption, which is why our ancestors understood and valued the process of soaking and sprouting. With that said, lets dive into red meat.

Let’s set the stage by defining what kind of red meat is advantageous for consumption:

  • Grass-fed/Pasture raised

  • Unprocessed (we’re not talking about hot dogs and sausage here!)

  • Both muscle meat and organ meat (yes, you need to eat your liver too!)

  • Properly prepared (more on that below)

Why focus on the above points?

  • A more favorable omega 3/6 ratio due to the avoidance of grain consumption (6)

  • A higher amount of CLA known for it’s cancer prevention properties. Meat sourced from grass-fed cattle has the greatest amount of CLA (7)

  • Superior nutrient density and diversity

  • Avoidance of some carcinogen properties and unfavorable additives

What are the benefits of red meat?

  • An incredible source of bio-available protein. Bio-availability means how easily the body can break down, absorb, and actually utilize the nutrients in a a food. Which means, red meat is an excellent source of usable protein for our body.

  • Depending on the type of red meat and cut (beef, bison, lamb, pork, etc.), contains generous amounts of vitamins and minerals including:

    • Fat soluble vitamins A, E, and K

    • Particularly advantageous source of B Vitamins - including B3, B6, and B12 (7)

    • A diverse array of minerals including copper, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc (7)

    • Highly absorbable heme Iron

    • Excellent source of creatine and carnitine, necessary for optimal mitochondrial health (5,11)

When does red meat potentially go wrong in the body?

  • When we don’t consume enough vegetables. Vegetables contain many beneficial and health protective compounds including phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. Vegetables also help feed our beneficial gut bacteria and keep our gut bugs happy. When our gut bacteria feed on fiber it helps create vitamins like K2 and B12 but also short chain fatty acids like butyric acid which helps support and strengthen colon cells and keep the colon happy (2, 6, 8, 9).

  • When we have an imbalance of gut bacteria. We want a more favorable balance of bacteroidetes from the consumption of probiotic rich foods and vegetables to help counterbalance any negative compounds from processing meat in the gut (1). When we don’t have a favorable balance of gut bacteria, a toxin called TMAO can be created by the body, a pro-inflammatory compound (1, 10). Furthermore, an imbalance of bacteria can set the stage for many types of inflammatory conditions and diseases in the body (3, 10).

  • When we char our meat and use high-heat cooking methods. High heat can create unfavorable biproducts during the cooking process (4). These harmful compounds are called heterocyclic amines which are amino acids turned toxic and toxic lipid peroxides from fragile polyunsaturated fats (4). These toxins are known to damage our healthy cells (4).

Meat consumption can be a healthy addition to any diet given the right circumstances. Especially, when we focus on the quality, sourcing, and symbiotic relationship with other dietary nutrients like vegetables and probiotic rich foods. My advise to anyone interested in including meat in their diet is to:

  1. Eat an abundance and variety of vegetables for ample fiber consumption

  2. Consider marinating meat with herbs & spices and using lower heat cooking methods like slow roasting

  3. Strengthen your gut lining through the consumption of glycine rich foods like bone broth, gelatin, and chicken skin

  4. Include plenty of probiotic rich foods like grass-fed kefir, coconut yogurt, kimchi, and raw sauerkraut to ensure the greatest diversity of favorable gut bacteria

Photo: Eiliv-Sonas Aceron/Unsplash

References

(1) Ballentyne, S., PhD (2017). Paleo Principles. Canada: Victory Belt

(2) Hamer HM, Jonkers D, Venema K, Vanhoutvin S, Troost FJ, Brummer RJ. Review article: the role of butyrate on colonic function. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Jan 15;27(2):104-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2007.03562.x. Epub 2007 Oct 25. PMID: 17973645.

(3) Larsen J. M. (2017). The immune response to Prevotella bacteria in chronic inflammatory disease. Immunology, 151(4), 363–374. https://doi.org/10.1111/imm.12760

(4) Murray, Michael, ND, Pizzorno, Joseph, ND, and Pizzorno Laura MA, LMT (2005).  The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods.  New York, NY:  Atria Paperback

(5) National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.  (2021).  Carnitine. Retrieved from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Carnitine-HealthProfessional/#ref

(6) Nutritional Therapy Association. Basics of Nutrition Student Guide. Olympia, WA.

(7) Nutritional Therapy Association. Culinary Wellness Pt. 1 Student Guide. Olympia, WA.

(8) Nutritional Therapy Association. Module 4 - Digestion and Elimination. Olympia, WA.

(9) Sivaprakasam, S., Prasad, P. D., & Singh, N. (2016). Benefits of short-chain fatty acids and their receptors in inflammation and carcinogenesis. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 164, 144–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.04.007

(10) Wang, X., Li, X., & Dong, Y. (2020). Vitamin D Decreases Plasma Trimethylamine-N-oxide Level in Mice by Regulating Gut Microbiota. BioMed research international, 2020, 9896743. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9896743

(11) Whals, Terry, MD (2014).  The Whals Protocol.  New York, NY:  Penguin Group

Laura Snyder