4 beef nutrition articles you need to read & share

September 19, 2016

3 Min Read
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Beef has long been the target of many nutritionists who claim that red meat is the cause of many ailments — ranging from cancer to heart disease to diabetes. However, a growing body of researching is proving otherwise, and mainstream media outlets are now picking up on the good news. Here are four recent beef nutrition articles to read and pass along.

1. “We’re all guinea pigs in a failed decades long diet experiment” by Markham Heid for vice.com

Heid explains how animal fats and proteins like red meat and dairy products might soon make a comeback and shares how he believes these foods became “villains” in the first set of dietary guidelines.

He writes, “The USDA, along with the agency that is now called Health and Human Services, first released a set of national dietary guidelines back in 1980. That 20-page booklet trained its focus primarily on three health villains: fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Recently, research has come out strongly in support of dietary fat and cholesterol as benign, rather than harmful, additions to a person's diet. Saturated fat seems poised for a similar pardon.”

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2. “How the sugar industry shifted blame to fat” by Anahad O’Connor for the New York Times

If you want to dig deeper into how the Dietary Guidelines were created and how they have steered Americans in the wrong direction, check out this article.

Here is an excerpt: “Today, the saturated fat warnings remain a cornerstone of the government’s dietary guidelines, though in recent years the American Heart Association, the World Health Organization and other health authorities have also begun to warn that too much added sugar may increase cardiovascular disease risk.”

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3. “Don’t ban the bratwurst; German nutritionists declare veganism unhealthy” by Carey Reilly for Fox News

A life without meat isn’t good for you? You don’t say! It appears Europe might be ahead of the curve when it comes to the risks of an all-plant diet. Reilly writes that the German Nutrition Society (DGA), a non-profit research institution, has taken a firm stand against the plant-based diet in recently published study that declares veganism will not provide the body with the proper nutrition it needs to be healthy. The study goes on to explain that “the most critical nutrient is vitamin B12 which is found naturally in animal products and is lacking in the diet.”

4. “Could brisket boost your good cholesterol?” by Abby Knight for KBTX.com

Here is an excerpt from the article, which promotes beef fat as a health food:

“Stephen Smith is a professor and researcher at Texas A&M Agrilife. He says while examining brisket, his research team discovered it could have health benefits.

“‘When you look at brisket fat, it had the same composition of our ground beef that was the best for you, that had high oleic acid,’” said Smith.

“Smith says oleic acid helps your body regulate cholesterol levels by raising your "good cholesterol." Smith is hoping to take his research from the lab and start testing it on humans. He says doctors often tell patients who have high cholesterol or are overweight to cut out red meat.

“‘We are pushing against that and saying perhaps they should continue to have beef in the diet, and especially beef with fat,’” said Smith.”

The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine.com or Penton Agriculture.

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