Meat: To eat or not to eat

Plenty of people have a beef with meat. They want to eat it, but can’t help but think of how it made it to their plate. Meat just isn’t made like it used to be.

We’ve all heard horror stories about genetically modified chickens, and cows pumped full of antibiotics to make them get bigger faster. And we’ve known for years that a diet packed with too much meat raises our cholesterol and blood pressure.

Our attitudes toward meat have clearly changed in the past few decades. We still love meat, but we want to know more about it—how animals are raised, what they’re fed, the antibiotics and steroids used in their growth, and how they’re processed to end up on our tables. And what we’re learning is changing what we buy at the grocery store. These scary stories are making many Americans seek steaks from cows raised organically, or only buy chicken that once roamed free on a farm. The meat industry has seen a boom in interest for artisanal meats, and you now can sink your teeth into a burger while knowing where it was bred and what it was fed.

Many others are giving up meat altogether, or turning to alternatives. In a poll conducted in August 2013 by market research company Mintel, 7% of participants identified as vegetarians. But even among vegetarians, 36% said they use meat alternatives, such as soy, tempeh and seitan. Also, about one-third said they use meat alternatives because they are healthy, and more than half thought meat alternatives are healthier than real meat.

But Americans still love their meat. Jeanne Colleluori is a spokeswoman for grocery chain Wegmans, which has stores in six states, including New York and Pennsylvania. Though meat alternatives have gained popularity, Colleluori says real meat still has plenty of muscle in the market.

“In the past few years, we have seen the demand for plantbased alternatives increase,” Colleluori says. “But we are not seeing a decrease in demand for meat.”

If you want to eat a healthy diet that includes meat and meat alternatives, you have more options than ever before. Shifting public opinion is encouraging the government to dictate meat producers offer products that are more natural, and to cut unhealthy practices. And a growing world of meat-free options means you can eat meat—or not—and feel good about it.

Where’s the beef (from)?

While they crave a tasty prime rib or chicken leg, people also thirst for more knowledge about where their meat comes from. And antibiotics top the list of concerns.

“This last year, we’ve seen a lot about antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That has prompted a lot of concern,” says Jessica Shade, director of science programs at The Organic Center, a nonprofit research group in Washington, D.C.

Meat producers use antibiotic drugs to avoid the spread of infection among their animals, and also to artificially promote their growth. The problem is that they’re the same drugs used to treat people when they’re sick. We take antibiotics, and eat them in meats. This overexposure is breeding bacteria more resistant to the drugs, creating a potentially deadly situation.

In fall 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that each year more than 2 million Americans get antibiotic-resistant infections, and 23,000 die as a result. Yet up to half of antibiotic use in humans and animals is unnecessary, the report says.

Several studies have compared the presence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria—bacteria that can’t be killed by antibiotics—in conventionally and organically produced meats. Some showed no significant difference, but in others, the organic meat had less antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, Shade says.

Responding to these statistics and public outcry, in December 2013, the Food and Drug Administration announced a policy change that indicated meat producers should phase out the use of antibiotics for enhancing growth or improving feed efficiency, using them only when medically necessary.

The FDA also said it wants the companies that market these drugs to voluntarily remove “production uses” from the approved uses for medically important antimicrobial drugs. If manufacturers comply, it would be illegal for ranchers to use the drugs for livestock growth.

“This is a good start toward a necessary decrease in the agricultural use of antibiotics,” Shade says. “I still recommend choosing organic as a way to decrease the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and potentially reduce your exposure to these ‘superbugs.’”

Antibiotics aren’t the only drugs plaguing the worried minds of carnivores. Ranchers also use hormones to amp up growth among their herds, and traces of these synthetic chemicals ultimately end up in farm waste, which may contaminate groundwater and streams.

Experts don’t know whether these hormones present a danger to human health, but studies have already shown links to abnormal hormone levels in aquatic animals, according to research from The Organic Center.

The FDA says the level of hormones used in cattle have been shown to be safe. And residual amounts are below levels that would have a damaging effect on humans, Shade says.

And conventional wisdom is slowly changing, Shade says. She talks with farmers and ranchers frequently, and many who switch to organic practices find their animals actually stay healthier.

When you want meat: Don’t take shortcuts

So, does meat have a place in a healthy diet? Absolutely, says registered dietitian Katie Lambert, of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. There’s nothing wrong with indulging your carnivorous cravings, Lambert says. You can maintain a healthy diet with or without meat, and it’s not as boring as you’d think.

“I’ve been getting a lot of questions like, ‘Should I be giving up red meat?’” she says. “There are plenty of things you can have besides boneless, skinless chicken breasts.”

Be more selective with the cut of meat you choose, she says, to get the healthiest option possible. When you’re at the butcher counter, look for loins and other cuts of meat from the upper back and sides of an animal, rather than the belly, where ground beef and flank steak come from.

“That’s where most of the fat is,” Lambert says.

Look for 90% or 93% lean ground meats, and go easy on those rib eyes and marbled steaks because of their high fat content.

When you prepare meat, be sensitive about how much seasoning you add to the dish. You’ll dial up the health risks by adding too much salt to your meat meals.

Truth behind the labels

Any health-conscious food shopper has been stuck in the meat department, going back and forth between products with different labels, unsure of what’s best. Should I choose “natural” or “organic?” What do those mean, anyway? Jessica Shade, of The Organic Center nonprofit, cautions consumers to read labels carefully, as “some labels are confusing, unfortunately,” she says.

You might think the chicken you buy is extra healthy if it’s labeled “hormone-free,” but it’s actually illegal to add hormones to poultry.

All pork or poultry carrying the label “no hormones added,” must also include the statement “federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones (in pork or poultry).”

Beef: No hormones: The label “no hormones administered” may be added if the producers provide the USDA with enough evidence that hormones haven’t been used in raising the cows.

Chicken: No hormones: It’s illegal to use hormones in chicken growth, so this label only means they’re following the law, which is why this label is followed by the statement: “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones (in pork or poultry).”

Chicken: Air-chilled vs. water chilled: Air-chilled chicken is hung in a cooler and blasted with cold air to keep it preserved. Water-chilled chicken is immersed in water, which is often treated with antibiotics and chlorine.

Natural:

• As close to its original form as possible
• Contains no artificial ingredients or added colors
• Minimal processing that doesn’t fundamentally alter the product
• Does not cover farm practices

No Antibiotics: May be used for meat and poultry products if the producer can document the animals were raised without antibiotics.

Organic:

• Animals were raised under specific regulations that dictate health and wellness standards
• Animals may be fed only 100% organic feed
• No antibiotics, hormones or other drugs may be used
• Animals have 24-hour access to the outdoors

Free-Range: Animals get continuous access to food, fresh water and the outdoors, which may or may not be fenced in or covered with a net-like material.

Cage-Free: Animals can roam about a building or room, with unlimited access to food and fresh water.

Grass-Fed: Animals get a majority of nutrients from grass throughout their life. It doesn’t mean organic, or hormone- or antibiotic-free, unless it’s noted.

Pasture-Raised: Due to the number of variables involved in pasture-raised agricultural systems, the USDA has not developed a federal definition for pasture-raised products.

Humane: Multiple labeling programs make claims that animals were treated humanely during the production cycle, but the verification of these claims varies widely. These labeling programs are not regulated under a single USDA definition.

Source: USDA

 

Going meatless: Vegetarians and vitamins

For those who choose to cut out meat altogether, the options have definitely improved, says Mark Rifkin, a registered dietitian and volunteer with the Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore. He switched to a vegan diet—one that excludes all animal-derived ingredients—in 1986.

“Quite frankly, some of the early products were quite disgusting,” Rifkin says.

To make up for some flavor deficiencies, they tended to be heavily processed and high in salt, he says. But the variety of products has improved, with aisles filled with Tofurky breasts, black bean burgers, tofu cheese and sausage, and seitan—a gluten protein often used as a meat substitute. These ingredients come in more forms—and can be prepared in more ways—than ever before.

“They’re becoming more popular in terms of what you can do with them,” Rifkin says.

Adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet a diet presents its own set of health concerns, Lambert says. She says people who remove meat from their diet lose a significant source of nutrients, including protein, zinc, iron and vitamin B. She recommends B12 and iron supplements, as well as plenty of nuts, seeds, legumes and kidney or other beans to help offset that loss.

“We get concerned with vegetarians becoming anemic,” Lambert says.

And many meat alternatives are loaded with sodium to improve their taste, Lambert says. They might even a have surprisingly high fat content.

“Just because something is catered to vegetarians, doesn’t mean it’s going to be healthier for you,” Lambert says.

3 Meat Cheaters

The meat alternative business has mushroomed. According to a June 2013 report by market research group Mintel, sales from specialty and natural supermarkets of meat alternatives reached $553 million in 2012, an 8% increase from 2010. If you’re searching for some popular meat alternatives, check out these products.

Tempeh:

• Made by fermenting whole soybeans
• Nutty flavor
• Can be chopped, sauteed, stewed, crumbled and roasted

Tofu:

• Made by thickening soymilk
• Also known as “bean curd”
• Bland flavor
• Can be “silken” or soft, or firm enough to marinate and stir-fry or grill

Seitan

• Also known as “wheat meat”
• Created by reducing whole wheat flour down to pure gluten
• Can be made from scratch, or bought as a mix
• Chewy texture
• Found in prepared foods like vegetarian fajitas and lunchmeat-style products

Sources: Whole Foods, Vegetarian Resource Group