The Meat Question || HR 02

Way before I knew I'd have a blog, I had a book where I wrote down health topics that confused me. In this book, I put down my 'research' results just for putting down sake lol. I just enjoyed putting the words together even though I was pretty sure no one but me would read it. When the idea to start a blog came, I decided to include a Health segment. You can read more about that HERE. I have just a post in this category because I wasn't 100% sure of all I was putting down plus as they usually say not everything on Google is correct and well, I'm not a medical practitioner.  I was just reading my very first health 'research' which was on meat and I decided to post it because well, it's my blog and then I'm definitely open to corrections. I wrote this sometime last year and because of reasons I can't pinpoint, I decided to copy and paste it from my drafts. No edits, nothing so forgive my errors. Here it is.


      MEAT: Safe or not?

You probably just raised your eyebrow because of that question. Like, of course, meat is safe. Why would anyone doubt that? Well, I was in a slight argument with a friend some weeks ago. Being an introvert,I detest arguing seriously but I had to be involved in this because it had to do with food not like I'm a foodie but hey, you're what you eat, right? 
  We all know meat is one of the major sources of protein. By meat,I don't mean the one from cow only(beef). Pork,Beef,Mutton,Ham are all kinds of meat.
  So back to my story! I was having a chat with this guy and he just mentioned the fact that he was taking beef for the first time in about three weeks. My inquisitive self asked him why and he told me that he learnt from his gym coach that meat was not good  for the body. Just as you must have disagreed,I also did. I have taken a few classes on Nutrition and meat was mentioned as a food source in more than half of the nutrients our body requires. 
  I was so sure he was wrong and so I decided to argue with him. He even told me it took two-three days for meat to digest. I literally screamed,like how can you say that? He sent a screen shot of a page showing this information and it actually said it took four-seven days.
  I wanted to evaporate into thin air just as the water in a puddle does on a hot sunny day. No pun intended. I just told him "Okay,I've heard". Looking back at it now,I have come to a conclusion that this website is probably run by a vegetarian. Now that is on a lighter note. During my spare time,I researched on this same topic and actually discovered that more than 5 other websites said otherwise. These websites stated that it took about 36-72hours(2-3days). This fact still shocks me. 
  As a student,I always consider myself lucky anytime I get as little as half a piece of meat to eat because it seems luxurious ; to me anyway. No it's not about being frugal. It's just miles away from my life as a student. I have my reservations on this now. 
  There are a lot of good things about meat but researchers have concluded that a low but not zero consumption of meat might be beneficial to human health. This is expected as meat is a rich source of Protein,Vitamin B12(Cyanocobalamin),Vitamin A(Retinol) and essential fatty acids. Humans however absorb proteins at different rates.
  I smiled to myself and heaved a sigh of relief after finding out the above but my further research revealed that in comparison to other foods,meat can take longer time and prove more difficult to digest but then,the smaller the meat size,the better(Oh No!).
  Meat requires more enzyme secretion,better chewing and all that but yet humans have been designed with a suitable digestive system that can adapt to various situations. Low-fat meat however should be higher than the high-fat ones in our diet as fat makes digestion more tedious.
  I once heard from a not very reliable source that if you discover your meat is very hard to chew,just spit it out. I can't recall vividly the reasons the person gave but from researching for this write-up,I have discovered that there are many myths surrounding meat. 
  The higher the fat content in meat,the more tender it is. Eating a fat-filled meat is all fun and juicy but then the leaner the meat,the higher the protein value. As fat increases,other nutrients get diluted. An health expert once said "If you will rather roast your meat than boil it,you might as well put your affairs in order immediately".Who would have thought our good old meat would be criticised this way? 
  What then am I driving at? Eat meat as it is a complete protein but go for the ones with less fat and don't take too much of it. You can actually do it! Yes,you can. It has close substitutes like fish and egg that can provide just about the same nutrients. The older you get,the less fat you should consume. So,do not go about whining like I used to do when I take my food without meat. It could actually be a blessing in disguise.

  The answer to this write-up then is Yes,but in moderate quantity. Stay safe and eat healthy.
  References: Dailymail.co.uk/health
                    www.sustainweb.org
                    www.freedigitalphotos.com
Yes, I put references even in my own journal. Lol.

I enjoy hearing food fads and myths. I just might do a post on that. 

What's your take on the meat issue? 

Vegetarians, fitfam, scientists, nutritionists, everybody and anybody I'd love to hear from you, please? Leave me your thoughts. Thanks 

P. S : You can read Health Research 01 on why you should stop rubbing your eyes  HERE.