Last week, I showed you how meat is not bad for your heart.
This week, we will quickly delve into the question,
“Does Meat Cause Cancer?”
Again, the short answer is no. Yay!
Allow me to support my claim.
Meat, all by itself, won’t give you cancer.
Meat, in addition to excess alcohol, caffeine, sugar, processed food, and stress may be associated with a higher cancer risk. However, it is laughable to assume that meat is the cancer-causing agent in that scenario. Humans have been eating meat for a very long time. Modern diseases like cancer, obesity, and diabetes have only been around for the last .5% of human history, after we moved away from our hunter-gatherer ways.
Cancer is recently being looked at as a metabolic disease, not a genetic disease. Our diets that are heavy on processed foods and sugar-laden foods are more likely the culprit for most cancers, not meat.
Since biblical times, we have been eating plenty of whole, natural foods that we had to hunt and gather. Ancient peoples ate seasonally available fruit, nuts, and vegetables, but these were not calorie-efficient ways of getting nutrition. Animals were prized for their nutritional value, and our biblical ancestors regularly feasted on fish, fowl, dairy products, eggs, cows, goats, lambs, oxen, sheep, and venison.
Our biblical ancestors were roasting meat and fish over fires for millenia. Why is it just in the last few decades that we have been told that charred meat causes cancer?
Sugar is more implicated in cancer than is meat. High blood glucose raises insulin levels, which stimulates cancer cells to take in and use more glucose—this makes it easier for cancer cells to nourish themselves. The more sugar you have in your bloodstream, the happier the cancer cells are.
Since meat is devoid of sugar, it can’t feed cancer cells.
Meat contains vitamin A and B12, vitamins that are only found in meat itself. It also contains folate and selenium. These are cancer-protective vitamins, especially for colon, breast, and prostate cancer.
Most women already already deficient in essential amino acids. With our higher estrogen levels come a greater need for the amino acid taurine. If you are on the Pill or estrogen bioidenticals, you need even more taurine! Taurine is needed for brain and mood health, and is an essential amino acid- we must get it from our diets.
Yet culture sells women a bill of diet lies that includes this one: you should eat a plant-based diet.
From what I observe clinically, women who consume no animal products can lack energy, an even disposition, a resilience to stress, and a healthy libido. Amino acids found only in animals are necessary for healthy levels in all of these areas and more.
Our children have an absolute need for animal protein. Their bodies are made out of amino acids and essential fatty acids, not candy, packaged foods, fried foods, or fake plant protein powders.
It’s not too late to join Nourished Girl, where you can get all of the information you need to feel confident to feed your kids nourishing foods.
The long and short of it is this:
Meat, all of the meat you want, in the absence of processed and sugary foods, is totally fine for you.
Thoughts? Questions?
Let me know!
To your meaty health,
Jennifer
