If you compare a vegetarian diet to the Standard American Diet, ie the SAD diet, the vegetarian diet is healthier by far and there is plenty of research to back that up. But what if you compare the diet of individuals who have an overall healthy lifestyle and just vary in what they eat. A study that followed over 64,000 healthy vegetarians and non vegetarians in Europe found that mortality rates did not differ significantly between nonvegetarians and vegetarians or between meat eaters, fish eaters, and vegetarians (Key T, 2009). The Adventist Health Study 2 compared different diet patterns of over 73,000 Seventh Day Adventists. The male vegetarians compared to the non vegetarians had a 12% lower risk of all cause mortality but this was not true for the women (Orlich M, 2013). Researchers then compared diet patterns, vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, pesco vegetarian and semi vegetarian to a non vegetarian diet. The Pesco vegetarians appeared to have lower risk of all cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease. So, comparing healthy vegetarians to non vegetarians there is not that much difference. But that is the key. The whole lifestyle package should be good, no smoking or excess drinking, exercise and consume lots of plants.

Let’s be clear. We are not talking about poultry or fish. And the red meat I’m talking about is not processed meat such as bacon or bologna. Processed meat is considered a Class 1 carcinogen and is associated with increased risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease (Wang X 2015; Iqbal R 2021). There is more than one carcinogenic component of processed meat but nitrates/nitrites are primary culprits. Nitrate free processed meats still have nitrates added. Food companies use natural sources such as celery juice or powder and then it does not need to be listed on the label. But acts the same way. BTW celery is not a problem! We don’t know enough about meat that is preserved through fermenting it may be a better option.

I eat limited amounts of red meat. I grew up on a ranch and this was our cultural diet pattern. And I like the taste. After ditching the brainwashing about the benefits of “beef” I grew up with, I still continue to eat some red meat. From health perspective the primary reason is protein. Red meat provides a calorie efficient source of high-quality protein. Eating animal protein is linked to increased lean muscle mass and reduction in muscle loss with age (Alexandrov, 2018). If you look at typical serving sizes you need to eat more plant protein to obtain the same amount of protein in red meat. Can you preserve muscle without red meat, sure.

What does 25 g look like:

The environmental impact of meat should not be ignored. If I didn’t have access to local organic and/or grass-fed meat I’d have a hard time continuing to eat animal products in general. The current system of raising animals in a concentrated (ie confined) animal feeding operation (CAFO) has huge environmental and ethical impacts and promotes a type of agriculture that is not sustainable. CAFO’s provide a cheap product at the supermarket but we are not paying for the true cost. Grass fed/organic options for meat can be an important part of a regenerative agriculture system which can contribute to improving our current climate predicament.

There are health benefits of eating grass-fed animal foods (meat and dairy). They are higher in omega 3 fatty acids compared to omega 6 fatty acids. Grass fed animal foods are higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is a “healthy” trans omega 6 fatty acid found in nature. CLA may be helpful for promoting weight loss. However, randomized control trials of supplementation show mixed results. Better to get CLA from food rather than a supplement. Finally, food from grass fed animal products are 2-20 times higher in phytonutrients than grain fed animals (van Vliet et al 2021).

Just because some red meat is “healthier” doesn’t mean you should eat it every day. Red meat is a class 2A carcinogen. High heat cooking, such as grilling, may also create cancer-promoting compounds. Too much red meat is associated with cardiovascular disease. How much red meat is ok? Another look at the Adventist 2 study suggested that a ½ oz per day did not increase risk, that isn’t much. A Harvard study suggested a ½ serving or (about 1 ½ oz) per day of unprocessed red meat does not increase cardiovascular risk but more than that does (Al Shaar L, 2019). The meat in these studies was most likely feedlot raised meat. Grass fed may not be as risky, we just don’t know. To optimize the health promoting aspects of your diet I’d suggest limiting red meat to 3 maybe 4 servings a week as part of an otherwise healthy plant-based diet. Next week Eugenie will provide the perspective of someone following a Vegetarian diet.