Why Your Doctor May be Wrong about Meat
Welcome to the Fitness Revolution! If you are new here, you may want to get our free 30 Day Transform manual . Thanks for stopping by!
Doctors are most people’s source for health and nutrition information. But no one really asked where they get their information from? Could it be from what they pick up in mainstream media? Or it is something in a journal somewhere? The fact is that the medical community as a whole is throwing around some wrong assumptions which could be one of the reasons for the health crisis we are in today. This is not to say that doctors are not trying to help people, but just that most of them probably took one basic course on nutrition in medical school and that was it!
When it comes to meat, it has gotten a bad reputation. But like many things it based on false assumptions and only one set of conditions. When scientists needed a reason for the increased heart diseases back in the 1950s, they found their scape goat….meat. Using the same rationale I could say use of automobiles is up since then too, so cars cause cancer….but see how ridiculous that sounds?
Let’s see the 2 biggest opinions probably most in the medical community still hold on to….and why they could be wrong and actually make you sicker in the process
- Opinion: Meat gives you colon cancer; Reality: Misinformed and wrongly drawn conclusions. – I think what it needs to state is that a diet higher in processed meats (high in chemicals and preservatives), high in unstable (polyunsaturated vegetable oils)/destructive (trans)fats along with a low nutrient/antioxidant (fruit/veg) diet can increase the amount of possible destruction to the colon lining and cancer. We have heard the “meat” and “fat” is bad for you for a long time, but yet have many non-industrialized civilizations like the Masai and Inuit who show little to no heart disease or cancers (well until a westernization diet comes in higher in processed foods, additives, chemicals, sugars, and rancid polyunstarated fats). Below is a couple good quotes from Weston Price website on Meat and cancer:
In 1965 an influential physician, Ernst Wynder, took the data for the mostly processed vegetable oils, called them animal fat (which they were not) and compared them with worldwide colon cancer mortality. The table he produced showed high rates of colon cancer in European countries and low rates of colon cancer in Japan, and concluded that there was a positive effect, in other words, that saturated fat, the kind found in beef, caused colon cancer. What the data actually showed was that consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils, not saturated animal fats, was associated with the incidence of colon cancer.
Two American studies conducted in the 1990’s have found a higher risk of colon cancer among those who eat red meat. However, no study done in Europe has ever shown an association between meat consumption and cancer. This suggests that European sausage and luncheon meat, included in the rubric of “meat consumption,” are prepared by traditional methods that require few additives, while the similar products in the United States contain many carcinogenic preservatives and flavorings.
In 1975, Rowland Philips compared Seventh-Day Adventists physicians, who do not eat meat, with non-Seventh Day Adventist physicians, and found that the vegetarian doctors had higher rates of gastrointestinal and colon-rectal cancer deaths.10 National Cancer Institute data show that Argentina, with very high levels of beef consumption, has significantly lower rates of colon cancer than other western countries where beef consumption is considerably lower. A 1997 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that increased risk of colon and rectal cancer was positively associated with consumption of bread, cereal dishes, potatoes, cakes, desserts and refined sugars, but not with eggs or meat.
Actually, we know one of the mechanisms whereby colon cancer is initiated, and it does not involve meat per se. Colon cancer occurs when high levels of dietary vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats, along with certain carcinogens, are acted on by certain enzymes in the cells lining the colon, leading to tumor formation. This explains the fact that in industrialized countries, where there are many carcinogens in the diet and where consumption of vegetable oils and carcinogens is high, some studies have correlated meat-eating with colon cancer; but in traditional societies, where vegetable oils are absent and the food is free of additives, meat-eating is not associated with cancer.
- Opinion: Meat (or more specifically Sat Fat in meat) gives you heart disease; Reality: Misinformed and wrong again. – You could also add in here that advice that “all cholesterol is bad and the best way to eat is low fat”. Wrong assumptions once again. Again there are plenty of civilizations devoid of heart disease that live on a higher fat intake diet and mostly from saturated and monounsaturated fats (MUFAs). What you will find in common with those people is a lower amount of PUFAs especially in regards to vegetable oils and low consumption of sugar as well. The paranoia about sat fats and heart disease is also known as the “lipid hypothesis”, in which concludes sat fat and cholesterol intake from meats raised blood cholesterol which in turn lead to increased risk of heart diseases. The truth is that saturated fats are important for hormones and cell membrane structure. It is true “you are what you eat” when it comes to fats. If you substitute in low quality and unstable vegetable oils and add in more rancid and processed meats, don’t expect good things to happen. The quality of your meats and fats is important, that is if you like good health. We are only as healthy as our cellular structures, so what do you want them made out of?
The most likely causes of increased heart disease in America are the other changes in our diets-huge increases in consumption of refined carbohydrates and vegetable oils, particularly hydrogenated vegetable oils; and the decline in nutrient levels in our food, particularly minerals and fat soluble vitamins-vitamins found only in animal fats.
Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products.
Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA-HNI)
The only claim that can be made against beef as a cause of heart disease is that some studies have shown beef consumption to temporarily raise cholesterol levels in short term feeding experiments. Other studies have shown that beef consumption, including beef fat consumption, lowers cholesterol levels. But even if all studies show that beef consumption raises cholesterol levels, the only conclusion you can draw is-so what? There is no greater risk of heart disease at cholesterol levels of 300 than at 180, and people with cholesterol levels below 180 are at greater risk of death from other causes, such as cancer, intestinal diseases, accidents, violence and suicide.5 In other words, it’s much more dangerous to have cholesterol levels that are too low than cholesterol levels that are too high.
As for the Vegetarians who say they are healthier without meat…..
The annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873)
If you choose a lifestyle of eating based on values, that is your choice. However if you are choosing one based on health, then you need to know all the facts. Know what are the real reasons for ill-health, and then make your decisions based on that. Meat is not the bad guy, medical is just “guessing” at best (remember that whole “low fat” craze that now the mainstream medical community is saying was maybe not a good idea….yup, they guessed wrong…Oops).
Ok this is not supposed to be some doctor bashing article (as I know they are trying to do what is right, but just misinformed), but instead a positive move we all need to make if we all want the medical system to get better. It’s broken right now, there is no doubt about it. Emergency care may be the best we have ever seen, but our long term care is in trouble. With escalating rates of obesity, diabetes, arthritis, cancers and everything else we need to take action where it counts, in getting people to focus on a proper lifestyle of prevention including nutrition and exercise. Doctors are overwhelmed with patients nowadays and don’t even have but 5 minutes to talk, diagnose and move on to the next person. They are being overwhelmed and need our help! So it’s time for YOU to help and teach your doctors something!
Ok to sum up the point of all this:
- ALL Meat is NOT bad for you, but BAD meat is bad for you. Remember, anything you eat….anything is only as good as the source it comes from. So aim for high quality (grass fed) meats and stay away from processed ones with lots of chemicals and preservatives (luncheon meats, sausage, hotdogs).
- Avoid vegetable oils. Replace the your PUFAs with better quality Sat fats(butter, coconut oil) and MUFAs (like olive oil, avocado). Throw out the margarine and use butter!
- Get Your Fruits and Vegetables. We are not eating the whole animal and getting all those vitamins and mineral from the beef liver and other places. So make sure you get in plenty of healthy vitamins, minerals, antioxidants from fruits and vegetables.
- Control Insulin with the foods that you choose. Get rid of sugar intake and make sure to eat however you want to during the day. Remember you can lose weight with insulin control and total calories, so whether you eat breakfast or don’t, make your meals balanced and don’t let your blood sugar get out of control.
- Remove Chemicals from your diet/lifestyle, as the more you ingest/eat/drink/breathe/absorb (skin), the more that can go around and create damage internally leading to possible increased oxidation and cellular destruction. Aid your body in trying to keep the inside of you as clean as you can, and it will reward you in kind.
- Train in Moderation – If you want to run a marathon, that is your choice (not any of my goals). But train for it hours daily and that will only increase oxidative damage internally. A marathon runner from Africa living off non-processed meats is going to have better health than a marathon runner from the US living off processed foods. Everything is fun and healthy, but when taken too far it can be more destructive…especially if your daily diet is just a disease ready powder keg waiting for a match to set it off. I like the motto “intensity not duration”. Keep your workouts short and up the intensity somehow, other longer lifestyle activity can be a slower pace and less damaging (like hiking).
- Eat in Moderation - We know from the studies that reducing calorie intake can increase lifespan. One of the thoughts on why this is, is lowered oxidative damage. The more calories you burn and consume, the more oxygen is required and more free radicals created as a by product.
- The only formula to remember: Sugar(processed carbs/grains)+Chemicals(food/drink/environment)+Rancid/Unstable Fats+Excessive Eating/Training(more oxidation/free radicals)=Cell Membrane degradation+Increased Oxidative Damage+Increased Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease
For even more reading you can go to Weston Price’s site (where the quotes above were taken from) and read as much as you like. Also this particular article “Myths & Truths About Nutrition” is a great short read.
It’s your health, time to take charge for yourself as your doctor may be misinformed. Take time out to look around and maybe we will all start to really see why our health is getting worse by the day.
Print This Post
33 Reader Comments
Feel free to leave a comment below... and as always please keep it in good taste. Comment spamming ONLY to promote your website is NOT allowed. So please use your real name in the field below otherwise it may be edited or removed. Constructive discussion is always welcome, personal attacks or useless bickering is not. Not all comments may be answered directly by editors/writers.
Great Article!
You’re right — many doctors just repeat what they hear from media and other people. I mean how long has the “6 meals a day speeds up your metabolism” myth been floating around and accepted as unadulterated truth? Forever, because people just keep repeating what they hear…
I also didn’t realize that bit about death rates in Vegetarians vs non-v’s … interesting.
Talk soon!
Caleb
[Reply]
great pic at the top. I’d wear that t-shirt if I found one.
[Reply]
Over the past several months as I’ve read IF Life, Mark’s Daily Apple, Modern Forager, etc., I’ve come to realize that almost everything my doctor and the experts have been telling me is W.R.O.N.G!
In a way, it pisses me off because I’ve been dealing with borderline blood sugar and high lipids and treating saturated fat like the plague. Good Calories, Bad Calories helped open my eyes to that fallacy and I wonder if my situation would be different if I hadn’t been doing low fat (and therefore higher carbs) over the past two decades.
I have always had a natural curiosity about diet, health and fitness so I eventually stumbled across this website and other resources, but what about the people that don’t have that curiosity? Especially with doctors and government agencies still pushing the low fat/high carb myth? For some people, this really is a matter of life and death. For many others, it has a huge impact on the quality of life.
MOD, slightly off topic but I thought I’d mention my Diet Coke cravings…they’re gone! It only took 2 days without one to break the habit…much easier than I thought it would be. And I dropped 2-3 pounds last week without any changes in my diet or exercise habits. I’m thinking the Diet Coke could have been feeding my insulin resistance and sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Do you have any ideas?
[Reply]
I cant agree more. You stated that very eloquently. What would you say is too much exercise. At the moment I am on the treadmill for 20mins (only brisk walking) and rather than increasing the duration I am trying to increase the intensity?
[Reply]
Good stuff, as always.
Hang with the Zen folks this morning in Pittsburgh, eating Pork Roast later with friends.
Life is good when you have a local raised pig, all 240lbs sitting in your freezer. How easy does meal planning become.
Bone a petite
[Reply]
[...] of organic, here’s an article from the IF Life about meat, and why your doctor’s warnings can sometimes be wrong. I heartily agree with this. Meat, in and of itself, is not the problem. It’s the [...]
Deborah – I think you start to see more mainstream coming around (but will still be slow to the truth in most cases…..especially if it pisses off one of their sponsors like the grain industry). The great part of the internet is now more information is getting out there for people to read, so hopefully the message will spread. As for people not taking an interest in their own health, well that attitude of personal responsibility has to start somewhere….and if they get sick enough they may finally want to take control. Great job on the diet coke, as for the weight loss…..sounds like some water loss to be that quickly (could be some fat in there as well) but the body is a complicated organism…just goes to show that if you get it in better health/balance and remove possible roadblocks, good things can happen. (I’ll add something to the diet soda post comments as well with some more info on that)
Dr Dan – Too much could be hours a day every day, especially at higher heart rates (I don’t buy into that whole heart rate fat burning zone crap peddled by manufacturers of treadmills). Intervals is always the best way to get the intensity in (while also promoting a fat loss environment post workout with the right hormonal signals). Going 30 sec hard, 30 slow for 10 minutes followed by another 20 min slower pace will really help the fat loss efforts. Of course diet also has to be in order so you are not just wasting your efforts burning glycogen the whole time and very little fat.
Jay – Mmmmmmmm Zen Pork…..sounds delicious!! (It’s funny how much I crave fatty meat now and am totally repulsed by something like plain chicken with no fat)
[Reply]
Many issues come into play when discussing the human dietary and meat consumption. Our digestive tracts are designed primarily for plant matter. We can digest meat and derive nutrition therefrom, but ingestion of cooked animal proteins creates toxic metabolic byproducts.
Cooking meat changes the molecular structure of the amino acids rendering much of them them unusable to the body. Long transit time in the human digestive tract of undigested proteins leads to putrefaction. Additionally, meat is acid forming and the diet should not contain more than 20 percent of its calories from acid forming foods.
Wild caught game is best. Grass fed is next. Factory farmed meat should not be consumed at all. And meat should be eaten as rare as you can stomach it.
For the person getting off diet Coke, great job! Aspartame is a highly toxic chemical that should be avoided at all costs. Well, the phosphoric acid, food dyes, and caffeine are also pretty nasty. The solution for pollution is dilution, so if you ingest chemicals, salt, pharmaceuticals, etc., that are harmful to your tissues, your body will retain water to keep them in solution to protect cells.
Once you discontinue ingesting such toxins, your body will eliminate the toxins and the extra water needed to keep them in dilution. A pint of water weighs one pound, so your body has been able to excrete 3 pints of water fairly quickly. Amazing, no?
[Reply]
Joanne said:
“Our digestive tracts are designed primarily for plant matter. ”
I think that statement is incorrect.
[Reply]
Sue/Joanne – this is a good read on that topic:
“MYTH #11: The human body is not designed for meat consumption.
Some vegetarian groups claim that since humans possess grinding teeth like herbivorous animals and longer intestines than carnivorous animals, this proves the human body is better suited for vegetarianism (122). This argument fails to note several human physiological features which clearly indicate a design for animal product consumption.
First and foremost is our stomach’s production of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. HCL activates protein-splitting enzymes. Further, the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable. Further, Dr. Walter Voegtlin’s in-depth comparison of the human digestive system with that of the dog, a carnivore, and a sheep, a herbivore, clearly shows that we are closer in anatomy to the carnivorous dog than the herbivorous sheep. (123)
While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores; nor do we possess multiple stomachs like many herbivores, nor do we chew cud. Our physiology definitely indicates a mixed feeder, or an omnivore, much the same as our relatives, the mountain gorilla and chimpanzee who all have been observed eating small animals and, in some cases, other primates (124). “
http://chetday.com/vegmyths.htm
I agree meat should be at MOST around 30-35% diet (many can get by on less as well as 35% is alot!), as you don’t really much for muscle maintenance reasons as people may think (good rule of thumb is about 0.6-0.8g protein (really depends on activity level) per lean mass lbs. Most people should be able to gain muscle at 0.8-1g/lb of lean mass if they are training correctly. After that too high runs the risk of other illnesses including rabbit starvation (too many lean meats, not enough fats). As for the acidic factor, the body can handle a good amount and remove it as you have many people like the Inuit living long on a diet high in fat and some protein, with little fruits and vegetables (although they got plenty of minerals from organ meats). Nowadays since the meat today is not like the meat in the past and we are not eating all parts of the animal like bone marrow and liver, a good balance of protein, carbs (from fruits/veg), healthy fats is essential for proper nutrient intake. With that quality of meats is important too as grass fed is rich in healthy omega 3s, CLA and low in pro-inflammatory omega 6s (grain fed livestock).
also more from Cordain about dietary ratios from Paleolithic man (Cordain L, Eaton SB, Brand Miller J, Mann N, Hill K. The paradoxical nature of hunter-gatherer diets: Meat based, yet non-atherogenic. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002; 56 (suppl 1):S42-S52.)
“Field studies of 20th century hunter-gatherers (HG) showed them to be generally free of the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Consequently, the characterization of HG diets may have important implications in designing therapeutic diets that reduce the risk for CVD in westernized societies. Based upon limited ethnographic data (n = 58 HG societies) and a single quantitative dietary study, it has been commonly inferred that gathered plant foods provided the dominant energy source in HG diets.
In this review we have analyzed the 13 known quantitative dietary studies of HG and demonstrate that animal food actually provided the dominant (65%) energy source, while gathered plant foods comprised the remainder (35%). This data is consistent with a more recent, comprehensive review of the entire ethnographic data (n = 229 HG societies) that showed the mean subsistence dependence upon gathered plant foods was 32%, whereas it was 68% for animal foods.
The high reliance upon animal based foods would not have necessarily elicited unfavorable blood lipid profiles because of the hypolipidemic effects of high dietary protein (19-35% energy) and the relatively low level of dietary carbohydrate (22-40% energy). Although fat intake (28-58% energy) would have been similar to or higher than that found in western diets, it is likely that important qualitative differences in fat intake, including relatively high levels of MUFA and PUFA and a lower É-6/É-3 fatty acid ratio, would have served to inhibit the development of CVD. Other dietary characteristics including high intakes of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals along with a low salt intake may have operated synergistically with lifestyle characteristics (more exercise, less stress and no smoking) to further deter the development of CVD.”
[Reply]
This was a study comparing vegetarians and omnivores:
“I tracked the paper down, read it, and learned that vegetarians have significantly higher rates of advanced glycation end products (AGE) than do omnivores.”
“I find this intriguing because so many anti-meat zealots constantly harp about the dangers of overcooking meat (or cooking it on a grill) because of the AGEs that are produced in the process, which, they seem to believe end up in the bodies of those who eat grilled or overcooked meat. I don’t think it’s too much to assume that most of the omnivores eat meat, and some probably overcook it or grill it, yet they have less accumulation of AGES than the oh so fastidious vegetarians.”
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/sugar-and-sweeteners/vegetarians-age-faster-2/
[Reply]
quote from above”As for the acidic factor, the body can handle a good amount and remove it as you have many people like the Inuit living long on a diet high in fat and some protein, with little fruits and vegetables “end quote
Many people qoute the Inuit as thriving on their diets but it is fairly commonly known in research circles the Inuit sufferd form severe osteoporosis by early to mid forties. They were rarely subject to infectious diseases but most died before age 50-55 – I really don’t know where the myth started taht they lived long.
Cheers
J.
[Reply]
John – I should of worded it better to state that they “used” to live long and healthy with less occurance of degenerative (heart diseases, cancers) diseases when they lived generations as a hunter-gather based society (which is not how they are today), they didn’t live to 100 I will agree. In fact today they have a lower average lifespan due to increases in alcoholism, drug use, mental disorders and suicides (not a good place to live nowadays). As for the osteoporosis issue, their diet is no longer natural (as the reports I found on their osteoporosis rates were from the 1990s)…..and has declined tremendously in the last couple decades with more westernization of processed foods, sugars, soda and so forth (most of the original Inuit studies I believe were back in the 1960-70s studying data before that as well). Also you can add a lack of vit D (vital to bone health from sunshine exposure) living in an arctic environment (but I am sure also the change away from a diet higher in Vit D from fish/blubber and more sugars is the real issue).
It is wise to get a balance of fruits/veg with meat nowadays, but to think just too much meat causes osteoporosis is not true….especially if you use the Inuit tested in the last decade as proof considering their diet that is no longer based on the hunter gather model and has more processed food, grains and sugars. All in all it is a balance we need, as mentioned above we really don’t need much more than 30-35% of diet from meat (and that is alot to most people), the rest should be fruits/veg/healthy fats. Excessive grains, sugars, processed foods, lack of vegetables and the belief that a low fat diet is healthy are the real danger nowadays….not amount of protein intake (as most really don’t eat that much to begin with).
here’s another good quote on it all taken from something Anthony Colpo wrote: (I wish it had the accompanying studies but he is usually well researched on what he writes)
“Myth 3: ‘Low-carbohydrate, High-Protein Diets cause Osteoporosis.’
The accusation is that high protein intakes cause calcium to ‘leech’ from bones, thus causing bone-thinning. A review of the research in this area shows that high protein intake, in the presence of alkalinising fruit and vegetable intake and adequate calcium intake, either has no adverse affect on bone mass or has a positive affect on bone mass (51).
High-carb advocates are quick to point out that meat increases the acid load in the body, claiming this will lead to bone thinning. They are strangely silent when it comes to pointing out that grains also increase the acid load in the body (57). Those attacking low-carb diets like to portray them as `unbalanced’ diets, consisting of huge amounts of animal protein and little else.
Don’t believe them! Alkalinising low-carbohydrate vegetables and small servings of low-glycemic fruits are a perfect compliment to animal protein in a low-carb diet. Dr. Robert Atkins, invariably mentioned by those attacking low-carb diets, repeatedly recommended the consumption of fruits and (especially) vegetables in his writings. Paleolithic nutrition (my favoured approach to low-carb eating) is by its very nature a diet high not only in animal protein but low-carbohydrate plant foods.
Studies have shown high levels of protein and calcium to act synergistically in increasing bone mineral density (BMD). Higher protein intake was significantly associated with a favorable change in total-body BMD in elderly subjects supplemented with calcium and vitamin D. In this 3 year study, a placebo group not receiving the supplements did not experience such favourable changes (52).
The message here is to consume a well-rounded diet that includes whole-food sources of protein, and alkalinising plant foods. A calcium and vitamin D supplement may well be warranted for those at risk of, and wishing to prevent, bone thinning.
A recent study from Denmark examined the effects of a six-month high-protein diet vs a low-protein diet in 65 overweight adults. No adverse effects on bone mineral content were seen in the high-protein group, who lost almost twice as much weight as the low-protein group (53).
A study with women 55-69 years of age showed that as the consumption of animal protein increased, the incidence of hip fracture decreased (54).
Another study showed significantly lower calcium absorption in women consuming the lowest-fat, highest-fiber diets, compared to those eating the highest-fat, lowest-fiber diets (55).
For over 2 million years, humans were hunter-gatherers. Through their research, paleontologists have determined what the hunter-gatherers ate – and it wasn’t pasta, rice cakes and low-fat cookies! (56) The hunter-gatherers ate a diet rich in animal protein. Far from being delicate and fracture-prone, their remains show skeletal structures that were more robust than those of modern man.
The hunter-gatherers consumed mainly meat, and a wide variety of wild plant foods – nuts, seeds, and alkaline fruits and vegetables. Grain consumption was either non-existent or minimal. The widespread consumption of grains in the human diet is a relatively recent phenomenon, dating back 10,000 years. Grains and legumes contain ‘anti-nutrients’ such as phytates, which act to intefere with the body’s absorption of vital minerals, particularly iron and zinc (which is essential for healthy bone formation) (58,59). As mentioned, grains also increase the acid load in the body.
We can see that a low-carbohydrate, high fat, high protein diet is a far better choice for building strong bones than a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. It ensures adequate intake of protein; it replaces acid-forming, phytate-containing grains and legumes with alkalinising fruits and vegetables; and the fat content of such a diet assists the absorption of fat-soluble bone-building vitamins like Vitamin D and K.”
[Reply]
You mean a Big Mac isn’t the same thing as a nice big juicy hunk of grass-fed, free range, steroid and antibiotic free beef?
Come on now…
The next thing you’re going to tell me is that a pesticide free free Apple is better for me than a Twinkie made with HFCS.
[Reply]
Let me make clear that I did not say the body was not designed for meat. I said it was designed primarily for plant consumption. This does not rule out its ability to metabolize animal proteins and fats. We appear to be able to digest (or at the least pass through) all sorts of things.
But if one contends that we are meat eaters because we produce an acid stomach for activation of protein-splitting enzymes, then one must equally claim we are not meat eaters because we do not produce uricase. Neither argument is definitive. Plants contain proteins that need splitting.
I find the comparisons in much of the diet literature dishonest. To say we are meat eaters because we’re closer in physiology to dogs than sheep is akin to saying we are grain eaters because we’re closer to birds than fish. Equally, to say we are not meat eaters because we don’t have fangs and a short digestive tract like carnivores is also false. We are neither carnivores nor herbivores. We are omnivores by choice and perhaps by physiology as well.
I don’t know who Colpo is, but all the people I’ve heard say that meat is acid forming have also said grains are acid forming. No “strangely silent” in anything I’ve read.
If you are a hunter/gatherer, then of course a large proportion of your caloric intake will be from meat. I don’t imagine the typical hunter/gatherer lives in the tropical zone where fruit is abundant. A bunch of greens or some tubers have very few calories.
Bottom line: There’s a world of difference between a tribal member hunting down and eating wild game or harvesting fish from the ocean, eating wild berries and tubers and greens, and a North American resident buying a new york steak and a bag of chopped lettuce with low-fat dressing at Whole Foods Market and consuming it in front of the TV.
Human physiology is amazing. People on the 80/10/10 diet thrive. People eating whole foods and very little animal protein thrive. People on high protein/fat thrive. It seems to me that as long as we eat wild, natural, whole foods in their raw state, our bodies can pretty much cope. But if you cook all your meat through and eat only muscle meat, I think you’re asking for trouble.
I guess I’ll have to look up and read Colpo now. It never ends.
[Reply]
Funny how it all comes full circle to we eventually just screwed up our own food choices/quality and now suffer the health consequences.
[Reply]
Yeah, all you need for a healthy diet is a farm. There are just too many homo sapiens.
Mike, I’ve read plenty of raw food/vegan books, and N&PD by Price is the only pro-meat book I’ve read. Which book would you recommend as my first in the hunter/gatherer diet genre?
[Reply]
Joanne – the “Paleo Diet” by Dr. Cordian is I would say the main one, although you can find plenty of stuff for free on the net also…here’s some good sites:
- http://www.westonaprice.org/basics.html
- http://thepaleodiet.com/ (Cordain’s site with good PDFs and FAQs)
- http://paleodiet.com/
- http://www.beyondveg.com/
There’s enough articles and research on there to keep someone busy for a long long time! Way more time than I want to spend reading!
[Reply]
Thanks a lot. And I’m enjoying your blog. Where’s your gravatar?
[Reply]
If you can get a copy of Loren Cordain’s gout newsletter that talks about uricase. Very interesting read.
[Reply]
Cordain:
“As early hominins began to increasingly include more and more purine containing animal foods into their diets (37), blood concentration of uric acid almost certainly must have been higher than their more vegetarian predecessors, thereby increasing the incidence of gout. Because gout impairs mobility, mortality must have increased in individuals susceptible to gout. Hence, natural selection would have rapidly weeded out individuals who were most susceptible to gout and selected for those who could tolerate a high meat diet without developing gout symptoms. In support of this evolutionary scenario is a metabolic adaptation present in humans which lowers uric acid synthesis despite a high dietary purine intake.”
“Take a look at Figure 4 one more time. As the purine precursors, GMP and AMP, are ultimately converted to uric acid there are a couple of key intermediary steps along the way. AMP is converted to hypoxanthine and then to xanthine and finally to uric acid. GMP is converted to xanthine and then to uric acid. Both the conversion of hypoxanthine to xanthine and xanthine to uric acid are regulated by an enzyme called xanthine oxidase. Humans avoid the overproduction of uric acid in the face of increasing dietary purine intake from meats by decreasing the activity of xanthine oxidase (38). Compared to other animals, xanthine oxidase activity is almost 100 times lower in humans (39). This evolutionary adaptation has occurred because the gene coding for xanthine oxidase (more specifically xanthine oxidoreductase) has been repressed (40).”
[Reply]
Thanks for the references, Mike and Sue. I am now reading 80/10/10, and it would be nice to follow that with the Paleo Diet.
[Reply]
Okinawans eat rice and love pork, Jack Lalanne eats fish and tons of raw fruits/vegetables, Masai/Inuits(well used to) eat mostly meat and fat….many different ratios and I don’t think there is just one perfect one, as there are many ranges we can use. The things I think you will see in common with people who are healthy into older ages is that they avoid sugar/processed foods/processed meats, don’t cook with vegetable oil (a good reason why many vegetarians who cook/stir fry their veggies can get sick with diseases like cancer/heart disease because of high unstable/rancid fat intake), get healthy stable fats from natural sources (more MUFA and some SAT), eat as natural as possible, have a less stressful life, less toxic environmental factors around them, more active lifestyle, get plenty of fresh air, surround themselves with a community of support and a have a positive outlook on life in general. Lots of things go into longevity and health besides diet afterall.
[Reply]
Wow, I’m so glad I discovered your site!
This is possibly the best website on diet I’ve ever seen.
I own Loren Cordain’s excellent book, have just started reading the Warrior Diet (parts of which are laughable history, but he makes some excellent points on human physiology, our nervous system, exercise, and especially diet). TBK Fitness (comprehensive bodyweight exercises and a Paleolithic diet for $3.95 as an eBook from a young and fit medical doctor internist) is highly recommended.
Something made me think, Mike OD.
I haven’t had a regular schedule for weeks and made no attempt to eat healthy. Frankly, I’m not in good shape and I’m not recommending anyone use me as a model (yet).
But I noticed, naturally, that I tended to be active during the day until the hunger got quite intense at night, and then I ate a huge meal, often a couple meals within a couple hours of each other with snacking, and then was fine until the next day.
Even though I was eating terribly unhealthy foods. Really atrocious. My energy level throughout the day was better than usual, probably because I wasn’t stimulating insulin production every couple hours.
Did I lose weight? I don’t know. If I did it was a pound or two. Considering what I ate, it’s doubtful.
However, I am eager to return to healthy eating … which I have been today … and exercise … which, again, I’m doing intense as you recommend … and without guilt eat a huge meal in the evening of healthy foods, with little to none during the day.
You’ve sold me.
Which brings me to the reason I decided to leave a comment.
I tried to purchase your book online by clicking on it, but when I clicked on the complete package or the standalone book, it simply linked to the same page! No order form.
Now, reading the text on that page after trying to order, I see it hasn’t been released yet.
I look forward to reading it!
Warmest Regards,
Christoph
LovingJacqui.net
P.S. When I was in the best shape of my life was when as a 16-year old, I spent 3 months hiking and living off the land. There’s something to be said for Paleo foods (literally in my case!) and exercise.
[Reply]
Oh — and fasting too although not on purpose.
[Reply]
[...] off is Why Your Doctor is Wrong about Meat – Does meat give you colon cancer? Does meat give you heart disease? Doctors say it does… but [...]
Mike just checked in and I love your new header image, really makes the site look 100x times better the design is now SPOT oN. This is a great article I especially liked your summing up points at the end!!
For me red meat is essential; if I go a few days with no red meat (sometimes it happens that I only get chicken and fish) I feel less energetic and lively. Last week after a few days without red meat I cooked up some Venison patties for dinner and they did me a world of good…. Energy was bounding and mood was back up! Looking forward to the book the chapter on sleep is awesome!
[Reply]
Sorry, the Paleo diet is bollocks. For some reason Cordain believes that game animals are not high in saturated fats which is simply not true. Sure, “eating close to the vine” is the best way to go but Cordain falls on his face for the details which is where it counts.
Anyway, Sue I think humans evolved primarily as animal eaters specifically fat eaters. Plant foods were seasonal foods of opportunity, not staples. I found an article I don’t have time to look up that shows based on our brain to body ratio and the amount of plant foods available that animal fat was the best bang for our buck and was mandatory to provide the calories our brains need to function. I think this article was on BeyondVeg.
As for eating plants, basically all plants have phytotoxins that bind minerals we eat and make them unavailable. Our digestive systems have no real way around this. Traditional cultures overcome this by sprouting seeds or washing them and undertaking various other preparation methods to cleanse the plants of their poisons. Clearly diseases like celiac and diabetes show that concentrated sources of sugar are very late additions to the food supply, and poor ones at that. Meat on the other hand is no problem and can be consumed raw without any issues.
Finally some anthropologists believe that language and our sense of time evolved out of a need to discuss and coordinate large game hunting activities. Since our apelike ancestors did not provide the physical strength or the physical tools to overcome prey we used organization and clever minds to create technologies to achieve success. These minds needed to communicate and understand each other and needed to be able to comprehend that some events happen before or after other events and talk about them. If it were not for our largely carnivorous nature I doubt we would be here today.
[Reply]
[...] our nutrition theme this week, The IF Life brings us: “Why Your Doctor is Wrong about Meat” Published [...]
Low-carb, High-protein Diets Reduce Survival
“Low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort by Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens Medical School published in the on-line version of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “…higher intake of carbohydrates was associated with significant reduction of total mortality, whereas higher intake of protein was associated with nonsignificant increase of total mortality… with respect to both cardiovascular and cancer mortality.â€1
This study involved 22,944 healthy adults, under observation from 1993 to 2003, whose diets were assessed through questionnaire. The authors make a point of saying proteins of plant origin are not the problem and “…are generally considered innocuous, if not beneficial, to health.â€
[Summary:] “…animal products shorten life—plant foods will help you live longer.”
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/dec/fav5.htm
[Reply]
Just wanted to point out that the illustration is rather sexist: Two happy females serving the awaiting males.
It’s an advertising staple:
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/06/21/feed-fathers-man-food/
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/05/20/for-men-only-vintage-campbells-soup-ad/
[Reply]
Miep – Thanks for your feedback. There was no intention to promote that, as it was an old meat brochure picture from a market. Have updated the picture to better reflect the message of the article.
[Reply]
[...] Read the full article here. [...]