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As increasing numbers of people turn vegetarian, the debate over whether meat is good for you continues to rage. Some diets recommend a strict restriction to fruit and veg.
Whereas others urge you to concentrate on meat as a pure source of protein. It's certainly true that meat contains proteins that may not be so easy to obtain elsewhere. Red meat is a good source of iron though to absorb it properly you need the Vitamin C contained in many vegetables.
The main problem with meat is how much fat it often contains. If you want to eat red meat, try to go for lean steaks and meat that has been trimmed of its fatty content. Also, try to eat fresh meat that is grilled, roasted or boiled as opposed to fried or processed. Fried bacon contains 500 calories per 100 grams as opposed to only 380 when it is grilled.
Generally speaking, white meat contains less calories than red meat. There's 280 calories per 100 gram of beef whereas the same amount of chicken contains only 200 calories. Meat eaters are particularly vulnerable to heart disease as the saturated fat from meat clogs up your arteries. Another problem is the amount of steroids and antibiotics that are fed to animals to make them grow bigger and stronger. Some of these are thought to be carcinogenic as well as causing resistant strains of bacteria to spread. Meat can be an important part of a healthy diet but be aware of just how much as well as the quality of what you're eating.
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