Many people feel uncomfortable all day if they don't eat meat, truly "can't live without meat." After proper cooking, meat is delicious and widely loved. However, there are many taboos associated with eating meat. So, what should one pay attention to in daily life when consuming meat? What are the benefits?
I. Precautions for Eating Meat
1. Don't eat meat that has been overcooked
No matter what kind of meat it is, people feel the longer it's stewed, the better. This is how pressure cookers came to be; they can stew pork ribs until even the bones become soft in just ten minutes.
However, at temperatures between 200°C and 300°C, amino acids, creatinine, sugars, and harmless compounds in meat undergo chemical reactions to form aromatic amines. These food-derived aromatic amines contain 12 compounds, 9 of which are carcinogenic.
In modern life, industrial pollution accounts for 50% of human carcinogenic factors, while diet accounts for 35%. In the past, we underestimated the role of toxic chemicals in food as a carcinogenic factor. Until the issue of aromatic amines is fully understood, one should not eat overcooked meat. The best method is to cook meat in a microwave oven and then discard the broth, which contains many compounds, thus avoiding the harm of aromatic amines to the human body.
2. Avoid eating high-temperature fried cured meat
Cured meat contains nitrates, which, when fried or pan-fried, produce the carcinogenic substance nitrosopyrrolidine. Therefore, when eating cured fish, cured meat, sausages, ham, etc., avoid frying or pan-frying. The correct way to eat them is to boil or steam cured meat, sausages, ham, etc., until thoroughly cooked, allowing nitrosamines to evaporate with the steam. At the same time, when cooking cured and smoked foods, it's best to add some rice vinegar, as vinegar can break down nitrites and also has a bactericidal effect.
3. Lean meat should also be consumed in moderation
Some people believe that eating fatty meat causes weight gain, while eating lean meat avoids this and ensures nutritional intake, so they consume large amounts of lean meat. In fact, eating a lot of lean meat is not necessarily better. Lean meat contains high levels of methionine, which can be converted to homocysteine under the catalysis of a certain enzyme. Excessive homocysteine can also lead to atherosclerosis. Animal experiments have shown that homocysteine can directly damage animal endothelial cells, forming typical atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, lean meat should be consumed in moderation; more is not always better.
Braised Pork with King Oyster Mushrooms
Extended Reading: A Complete Guide to Eating Pork
4. It is not advisable to rinse pork with hot water
Some people often rinse fresh pork in hot water after buying it. This causes the pork to lose many of its nutritional components.
The muscle and fat tissues of pork contain large amounts of protein, which can be divided into myosin and myogen. The coagulation point of myosin is 15°C to 16°C, and it is highly soluble in water.
When pork is soaked in hot water, a large amount of myosin is lost. At the same time, myosin contains organic acids, glutamic acid, and glutamate sodium, and losing these components affects the taste of the pork. Therefore, pork should not be soaked in hot water but should be quickly rinsed clean with cold water.
5. Avoid eating pork from diseased or "bean" pigs
A pig's gastrointestinal tract contains numerous bacteria, such as Salmonella, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Proteus. When a pig is ill and its resistance is low, these bacteria enter the bloodstream through the lymphatic system, multiply in large numbers in the internal organs and muscle tissues, and produce toxins. The meat from a diseased pig undergoes a change in quality; its protein is destroyed and coagulated, and it is also very difficult to cook thoroughly. Therefore, people who eat this kind of dead pork with bacteria may become infected and ill.
If a person eats pork from a pig that died of Salmonella infection, they may also be infected with Salmonella and develop acute gastroenteritis, experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, high fever, and other complications. Without timely treatment, it can be life-threatening. Therefore, one must absolutely not eat pork from diseased pigs.
Similarly, "bean" pork should not be eaten. "Bean" pork is pork from a pig that died of cysticercosis, caused by the pig tapeworm. If a person eats undercooked "bean" pork, the cysticercus will develop into an adult tapeworm in the human's small intestine. The eggs hatch into larvae in the pig's intestine, then pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, travel to all parts of the body, and develop into cysticerci in the muscles or brain. Therefore, one must avoid eating "bean" pork.
II. Analysis of the Benefits of Eating Meat
1. Sharpens the mind
Evolutionary biologists believe that the substances found in red meat can increase the size of the human brain, gradually distinguishing humans from other herbivorous primates. Robert Picard, a former professor of neurobiology at Cardiff University, explains this: "Although the brain accounts for only 2% of human body weight, it requires nearly 20% of the body's energy, and red meat can provide this abundant energy."
At the same time, red meat provides humans with DHA, a substance that plays a crucial role in brain development.
B Lamb with Radish
Extended Reading: A Complete Guide to Eating Lamb
2. Resists bacteria and viruses
Red meat contains large amounts of iron and zinc, which are indispensable substances for building a healthy human immune system. In addition, red meat also provides rich vitamin D and vitamin A, which can help the body effectively fight off bacteria and viruses.
3. Relieves fatigue
Red meat is the best dietary source of iron, helping to provide the hemoglobin the body needs. The UK's National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that over 50% of girls in the UK have insufficient dietary iron intake, leading to problems such as fatigue, lack of concentration, and poor development.
Dr. Elizabeth Lund, a nutrition consultant at the UK's Gut Health and Food Institute, believes: "The iron in red meat is more easily absorbed by the body than the iron in vegetables or other supplements."
4. Helps build muscle
Red meat is rich in protein, an important substance needed by the body to build and repair muscle. Creatine in red meat is an important component of muscle and can provide sufficient energy for muscle growth.
Dr. Carrie Keston, a registered dietitian and member of the red meat advisory panel, states: "As we age, muscle cell mass decreases, and over time, our flexibility and hand-foot coordination decline."
The protein needed by the elderly is difficult for the body to generate automatically, so they need to increase their protein intake from food. The quality of protein in cheese is not as high as in red meat; red meat contains all eight essential amino acids needed by the human body. In addition, red meat also contains high levels of calcium and potassium, which are important minerals for building healthy muscle tissue.
5. Lean meat lowers blood pressure
Doctors often advise patients to eat less red meat to lower blood pressure. However, recent studies have shown that eating lean meat does not have an adverse effect on blood pressure; on the contrary, it can even help people lower it.
Lean meat refers to meat without fat, including pork leg fillet, tenderloin steak, rump beef, and lamb leg.
Braised Chicken Chunks
Extended Reading: A Complete Guide to Eating Chicken
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