I was enjoying a perfectly cooked rare beef fillet mignon yesterday when I was rudely interrupted by my friend who thought it pertinent to tell me that “Red meat stays in your digestive tract for 3 months, you shouldn’t eat it”. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this myth about the digestion of red meat taking 3 months, but I always thought it seemed rather far fetched. For my benefit, and now yours, I decided to find out the truth about red meat digestion.
Fillet Mignon Perfection
I think it’s helpful to begin by defining what red meat is. According to Wikipedia, the nutritional definition of red meat is simply meat that comes from mammals. Meat from poultry is considered “white meat”.
How long does it take for red meat to be digested? According to Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, red meats on average take from 1 to 3 days to be completely digested and eliminated from the body. Red meats take much longer to digest than other foods because of their high protein and fat content.
Is eating red meat a few times a week bad for you? After reading many journals and articles, there seems to be a general consensus that red meats should be eaten only on occasion, such as once a week. The primary concern about too much red meat in the diet is that it is high in saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol. Other concerns about red meat stem from it being linked to the development of some serious diseases, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. According to a study published by the
American Cancer Society, people who eat 3 or more ounces of red meat per day, which is equivalent to the amount of meat in a hamburger, are 30-40% more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon. People who eat processed meats, such as ham, bologna and bacon are in the highest risk categories for colon cancer and rectal cancer....
