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 \u201cRed meat stays in your digestive tract for 3 months, you shouldn\u2019t eat it\u201d. This isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s 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 \u201cwhite meat\u201d.<\/p>\n
How long does it take for red meat to be digested? <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n Is eating red meat a few times a week bad for you?<\/strong> 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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n The message here seems to be that red meat should be eaten at most a couple times a week. Other foods, such as poultry, fish and beans are great red meat substitutes that provide lots of protein and should be eaten more frequently. When you do eat red meat, choose smaller portions and lean cuts. When preparing, red meat should be baked, broiled, or poached, rather than frying or charbroiling (BBQ\u2019ing) it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 \u201cRed meat stays in your digestive tract for 3 months, you shouldn\u2019t eat it\u201d. This isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve heard this myth about the digestion of red meat taking 3 months, but I always thought it seemed rather far fetched. <\/p>\n