Here's What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Meat Every Day
If you're like socialite and model Kylie Jenner, you eat turkey bacon for breakfast every morning, at least according to People. Matt Damon purportedly lost 60 pounds for a role on an all-chicken breast diet (via Men's Journal). And, if you feel like eating meat every day is what makes the sun rise in the east and set in the west, feel free to add yourself to the list. Just make sure you understand what eating meat every day really does to your body.
Mashed talked to nutritionist Lisa Richards so that you don't have to do the research yourself. Richards, who is author of The Candida Diet, didn't simply state that eating meat every day is bad for you (or Kylie Jenner or Matt Damon). In fact, in doing so, says Richards, you are "ensuring adequate amounts of protein and fat that will help keep you full and prevent overeating." That's because of the 20 existing amino acids, you must consume nine as part of your diet. Animal proteins give you all nine. Don't laugh in your vegetarian friends' faces yet. So do foods like eggs and tofu, according to MDLinx. Besides, Richards warned Mashed that along with pros, there are "very real and significant" cons to eating meat on a daily basis.
Can eating meat every day give you gout?
Ariana Grande doesn't eat meat out of a respect for animal rights (via Everyday Health). Liam Hemsworth abstains for another reason. After the actor started following a nutritionist's advice to start eating more red meat, he got sick. "The more red meat I ate, the worse I felt," he told Men's Journal, "So I adopted this vegan-diet lifestyle. [...] I feel nothing but positive, mentally and physically. I love it. I feel like it also has a kind of a domino effect on the rest of my life."
Don't shoot the messenger. We're not advocating veganism like Hemsworth, but after talking to nutritionist Lisa Richards, Mashed can confirm that eating meat every day may negatively affect your health. "Eating meat daily, especially high-fat meat, can cause poor skin health by producing extra sebum secretions leading to acne and blemishes," Richards warns. She furthermore explained to Mashed that "diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol are linked to obesity and obesity-related illnesses like heart disease and hypertension."
That's not all. Eating meat regularly could give you a case of gout, just like King Henry VIII of England (the one you remember for killing off all of his wives). "Gout is a condition where urate crystals accumulate in the joints causing severe pain and discomfort," says Richards. Its primary cause is the "intake of purine-rich foods, meat being high on this list."
These are the best meats to eat, according to an expert
Still set on eating meat daily? Do it right. First, pick healthy meats. "The healthiest meats are considered lean based on their saturated and total fat content," Richards explained to Mashed. Of all possible meats, chicken is the leanest. (Matt Damon, you win.) If chicken doesn't light your fire, go for beef. "Some cuts of beef are also considered lean and according to the USDA contain 10 grams of fat or less per 3.5 ounce serving," said Richards. That means that you should be on the lookout for sirloin tip, eye of round, top round, top sirloin, and bottom round.
Second, make sure you're not overeating. "To keep your meat intake relatively healthy and balanced it's best to stay around 12 ounces of cooked meat daily," Richards advised Mashed, "This allows for approximately 3 to 3.5 ounces of meat at each meal."