I’ve seen a number of articles floating around in the last few weeks either describing meat as the answer to all of life’s problems or calling it an unmitigated health disaster.  The Nutrition Research Center had this article about what goes into non organic meat, Mark’s Daily Apple had this article asking if red meat is unhealthy (Mark’s answer was HELL NO!), Nutrition Research Center fires back with red meat is still a deadly choice and so on and so forth.  This echoes a long time argument about the benefits of eating more or less meat along with the benefits of a vegetarian diet over a more meat inclusive one.  Let’s answer these questions one at a time.

Is Meat Unhealthy? The answer is a definite NO.  Meat is not unhealthy and is in fact a normal part of a human diet.  Your body requires protein and meat is a very good way of getting it.

Is Red Meat Unhealthy? Not necessarily.  It’s a higher in fat than a lot of other meats but that’s not really a bad thing.  Just like protein, your body needs fat to survive and red meat is a good source for fat.

So Meat Is Healthy? Depends on the type and quantity of meat you eat.  Most people eat too much meat.  Even worse, they eat too much crappy meat of the sort you find at McDonald’s or most supermarkets.  That’s bad for your health, bad for your wallet and bad for the environment.

Bad For The Environment? Yes, factory farming of meat causes a giant mess when it comes to pollution.  It also depends on factory farming of corn which is an environmental mess all of its own.

So Which Meat Should I Eat? I would recommend finding a local provider of organic, free range beef or chicken.  You can find most of these at a supermarket, but if you really want the high quality stuff I would recommend going to the farmers market.  My local farmers market has a stall offering a variety of organic meats plus sausages made from game meats like venison and rabbit.  All of these choices are great for you and great for the environment.  You could also look on sites like Eat Wild where you can find local farms with grass fed meats.  Again, good for you, good for the environment and good for the local economy!  Or just make friends with your local hunter.

What About Sea Food? Sea food is another good choice.  Check out the the Monterey Aquarium site for the types of seafood to buy and when.  Again, you could make friends with your local fisherman or grab a pole and go fishing for your meals.  Hard to argue with fresh, healthy food that’s essentially free.  Plus, you get to spend some time in the great outdoors.

How Much Meat Is Too Much? Hard to answer that without knowing more about you.  In general though, the habit of eating meat with every single meal of the day is too much.  Try to limit yourself to just one serving of meat per day at most.  Trust me, it’s not that hard.

Is A Vegetarian Diet Healthy? It can be.  However, I can easily call myself a vegetarian by living on nothing more than Oreo cookies and coke, and that would definitely be UNhealthy.  Being vegetarian is not in and of itself a healthy thing.  However, on average, vegetarians do tend to be healthier.  Some people argue that’s because the sort of folks who tend to be vegetarian also tend to pay more attention to what they eat.  That could be.   Either way, a vegetarian lifestyle can be a very healthy one, but you still need to take note of what you’re eating.

Should Vegetarians Go Organic Too? Sure.  Just like factory processed meats are bad for you, so are factory processed veggie meals.  The closer you can get your food to the way mother nature intended it to be, the better you’ll be.

Can A Vegetarian Diet Be Unhealthy? Sure, see the above note on oreos and coke.  Also, vegetarians can end up with some nutritional deficiencies if they’re not careful just like meat eaters can end up overweight and obese if they don’t pay attention.  Again, it all comes down to paying attention to what you eat.

Which Diet Do You Follow? I am mostly (95%) vegetarian.  I eat meat once or twice a week at most, and I try to only eat quality, organic meats rather than the factory processed crap you find at most restaurants.

Do You Get Enough Protein That Way? More than enough.  Most people eat too much protein just as they eat too much carbs.  In fact, most people just eat too much of everything.  I get plenty of protein through my rare meat entrees, dairy, eggs and a variety of vegetables.  Here are my personal rules for eating healthy.

Conclusion

So to sum things up, meat is neither healthy nor unhealthy and the same applies to being a vegetarian.  As with all things, it comes down to the details.  Eat in moderation, get your food in as close to a natural state as possible and pay attention to what you eat.  Follow those rules and you’ll be fine.

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Yes, even bacon can be healthy but THIS can never be healthy…