Women really need to eat more meat! The benefits are more than just a little bit!

When it comes to eating meat, some female friends are more averse to it, thinking that eating meat will make people fat and is not conducive to maintaining a good figure.

In fact, from a health perspective, it is really recommended that female friends eat more meat!

Women eat more meat, there are these benefits

1

Women need more iron than men

Meat is a food that is relatively rich in heme iron and has a higher absorption rate for iron supplementation. There is also evidence that increasing the intake of livestock meat can reduce the risk of anemia.

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Iron is one of the essential trace elements for the human body. It is involved in the transport of oxygen in the body and the absorption of tissues, maintaining normal hematopoietic function. According to the data in the "2021 Chinese White-Collar Women's Dietary Health White Paper", 72.2% of women aged 18 to 49 in my country have an iron intake lower than the recommended intake at the time, and are at risk of iron deficiency.

Lack of iron in the diet increases the risk of iron-deficiency anemia. It can also make people become apathetic, dizzy, tired, and have pale skin, affecting their normal life and work.

According to the recommendations in the "Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents 2023 Edition", the recommended iron intake for men and women is 12 mg/d and 18 mg/d respectively. It can be seen that women need more iron than men.

This is because adult women have menstruation every month and lose more blood during menstruation, so they need more iron reserves; the iron demand of pregnant and lactating women will increase further; for women who go through menopause after the age of 50, the iron demand will drop to 10mg/d.

Image source: Reference [2]

2

Not eating meat can easily lead to vitamin B12 deficiency

The human body cannot synthesize vitamin B12 on its own and must obtain it from food. The main source of vitamin B12 in the diet is animal food, such as meat and animal offal, which are relatively rich. Plants contain almost no vitamin B12.

Studies have shown that the proportion of people in the general population affected by marginal vitamin B12 deficiency is 2.5% to 26%, and children, adolescents, the elderly, vegetarians and women of childbearing age are at higher risk of deficiency.

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Vitamin B12 deficiency may cause neurological problems, memory loss, depression, and fatigue. Long-term deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia and hyperhomocysteinemia (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease).

3

Reduce muscle loss

Meat is rich in high-quality protein, and the amino acid composition of animal meat protein is close to what the human body needs, with a high utilization rate. If you don't eat meat or don't eat enough meat, it will directly affect protein intake, and then affect muscle synthesis.

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Especially for women who are losing weight, not eating meat will increase muscle loss, thereby reducing body metabolism and affecting immunity.

4

Eating meat may reduce risk of fractures

The nutrients such as protein, magnesium and phosphorus in meat help maintain bone health. A study from the University of Oxford in the UK recruited about 54,898 participants and divided them into the following groups based on their dietary characteristics:

1. Meat-eating group: Eat meat normally

2. Fish food group: no meat other than fish

3. Vegetarian group: No meat or fish, but milk or eggs

4. Veganism: Do not eat meat, fish, milk and eggs.

The participants were followed up for an average of 17.6 years, during which a total of 3,941 fractures occurred. The results showed that compared with meat eaters, vegetarians had an 11% increased risk of total fractures, and vegans had a significantly increased risk of total fractures by 50%. Compared with meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans had an increased risk of hip fractures by 26%, 25% and 131%, respectively.

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The results of the study show that people who do not eat meat have a higher risk of total fractures and fractures in specific areas than people who eat meat.

Women in menopause in particular should pay more attention to the problem of fractures. The decrease in estrogen levels will cause rapid loss of calcium in the bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and the risk of fractures.

3 tips for eating meat healthily

Although from a health perspective, female friends are advised not to ignore the intake of meat, the most important thing is to eat the right meat.

1

Quantity control is key

The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that adults eat 300 to 500 grams of livestock and poultry meat per week, and eat fish twice a week or 300 to 500 grams, which is equivalent to an average of 40 to 75 grams of livestock and poultry meat or aquatic products such as fish and shrimp per day.

In particular, we should control the intake of red meat. Pork, beef, mutton and other livestock meats are red meats. These meats contain high saturated fatty acids, and excessive intake is not good for cardiovascular health. There is also sufficient evidence that excessive intake of red meat can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and obesity.

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It is recommended to choose poultry, fish, shrimp and shellfish, which are low in saturated fatty acids and rich in unsaturated fatty acids. In particular, razor clams among shellfish are not only rich in high-quality protein, but also rich in iron. Its iron content is 22.4 times that of pork tenderloin. It is strongly recommended that female friends eat it often.

2

Choose the right cooking method

When cooking meat, it is recommended to choose cooking methods that use less oil, such as steaming, stewing, and stir-frying. High-temperature cooking methods such as frying and grilling should be avoided as they can easily produce carcinogens that contaminate food and affect human health.

3

Eat less processed meat

Eat less smoked meat, cured meat, bacon, ham and other processed meats. These foods not only contain more salt, but also pose food safety problems such as excessive oxidation of fat. Eating them frequently will bring health risks.

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In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization has long classified processed meat as a Class 1 carcinogen, which means that there is a risk of cancer if eaten frequently.

What should I do if I really don’t like eating meat?

If you really don't like meat, you don't have to force yourself to eat it.

1. Protein supplementation: milk and dairy products, soy products and eggs can be considered;

2. Vitamin B12 supplementation: You can choose fermented soy products, such as natto, a small amount of green and red soybeans, and fermented black beans;

3. Iron supplementation: While choosing vegetables with high iron content, such as black fungus, amaranth, red carrot tops, chicory, etc., you can also pair them with vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C (sweet peppers, kiwis, guavas, strawberries, etc.) to improve the absorption and utilization rate of iron.

In addition, you can also choose dietary supplements such as protein powder, iron supplements, vitamin B12, etc. to better meet the needs of the body.

Summarize:

Meat can provide us with rich nutrition, and female friends are advised to eat more meat. It can not only help you prevent anemia, reduce the risk of fractures, and reduce the risk of depression, but also help you lose weight if you eat it right.

References

[1] Chinese Nutrition Society Women’s Nutrition and Health Working Group. 2021 Chinese White-Collar Women’s Dietary Health White Paper

[2] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Nutrient Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (2023 Edition) [M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2023.8

[3]Tong, Tammy YN et al. "Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study." BMC medicine vol. 18,1 353. 23 Nov. 2020, doi:10.1186/s12916-020-01815-3

[4] Chinese Society of Behavioral Medicine, Chinese Society of Behavioral Medicine, Cognitive Coping Therapy Group. Expert recommendations for the treatment and management of depression (2022) [J]. Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science, 2023, 32(3): 193-202.

[5] Kohl, Ingrid S et al. “Association between meatless diet and depressive episodes: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil).” Journal of affective disorders vol. 320 (2023): 48-56. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.059

Planning and production

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered nutritionist

Review丨Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin