Meat And It’s Benefits

There are various types of meats that come from different animals, each having their own characteristics and features. Usually, meat is considered good for health and supplies a large number of essential nutrients. But different kinds of meats have varied compositions and therefore can make or break your health on consistent consumption. Here are some popular meat types, their benefits and potential concerns that are attached to their regular consumption.

Pork

Pork comes from domestic pigs. It is identified as red meat due to traces myoglobin present in its composition. Myoglobin is a protein that renders meat its red color.

Benefits

1. Pork is an important source of vitamin B1 which is necessary for avoiding cardiac arrests and facilitating glucose metabolism.
2. It has a considerable amount of zinc and selenium that boost the immune system, produces optimal hormones and defends from oxidative stress.
3. It’s less expensive than its counterparts

Concerns

1. It has high levels of omega-6 fatty acid. This can lead to an imbalance between the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 and result in pro-inflammatory reactions.
2. Pork is much more immune to food-borne illnesses and bacterial contamination than any other meat.

Beef

Beef is red meat comes from cattle such as cows and bulls. Some health experts promote the consumption of leanest beef cuts although fatty beef cuts are equally healthy.

Benefits

1. The important and healthy constituent of beef is oleic fatty acid. This fatty acid is also present in olive oil and plays a vital role in keeping the heart healthy.
2. Beef also contains other healthy elements like creatine, glutathione and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Concerns

1. Excessive intake of beef can lead to heightened iron circulation in individuals with a genetic mutation called hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis leads to over-absorption of iron. This high iron levels can make a person more susceptible to heart diseases and various cancers.
2. When overcooked, beef generates compounds like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are carcinogenic in nature.

Chicken

After pork and beef, chicken is the third most popular meat type. However, the chicken falls under white meat group and is classified into the poultry category. There are many cuisines and products that include chicken meat in them due to its immense popularity.

Benefits

1. Chicken has lower fat and calorie content when compared to other meats with an equal amount of proteins.
2. Chicken is a good source of gelatin. Because of bones that have a lower density, extracting collagen and gelatin from them is simpler.
3. Chicken is a storehouse of various vitamins and minerals potassium, phosphorous, selenium and B vitamins.

Concerns

1. Just like pork, chicken contains huge levels of omega-6. This can become problematic depending upon the overall diet of an individual.
2. Chicken is highly prone to bacterial contamination with strains like salmonella and E.coli. Therefore strict hygiene guidelines should be followed while handling raw chicken. Processed chicken meat and products should be avoided.

Lamb And Mutton

Mutton is the meat of adult sheep while the lamb is the meat of sheep who falls below one year of age.

Benefits

1. Sheepmeat has a proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6 ratio when compared to others.
2. It contains health-promoting components like selenium, zinc and B vitamins.

Concerns

1. It is very expensive than other available options.