Eat MORE Meat!

It’s confusing—not to mention frustrating—that so many “experts” on nutrition pretend that animal food doesn’t exist. Just what do people have against meat? It’s a great source of protein, fat, and cholesterol (which your body needs to survive, no matter what impression the American Heart Association tries to give). Another important but less talked about reason to eat meat is for its folate content.

Meat is the main source of this essential nutrient, also known as folic acid. But if you search the Internet for foods containing folic acid, this is the kind of nonsense you’ll find: Eat more “bulses and legumes…blah, blah, blah…green vegetables and lanth…blah, blah, blah… gingelly seeds… bla, bla, bla…” Then, as an afterthought “…and meat.”   

Sure, vegetables contain folic acid too, but when you boil them you end up pouring most of it down the drain. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin so unless you drink the vegetable-water, you get nothing. Raw spinach is OK, but you get four times as much folate when you eat sautéed chicken livers served pink.

Tags: folate, folic acid, cookingdiva, chef, panama, liver

Comments

[someone]

FAIL!

[Jon]

Stupidest thing I've ever read. Seriously study some research. There is nothing and I mean nothing in meat that we can't get from non animal sources. And i won't even begin on environmental reasons to eat less or no meat. Time to evolve dinosaur!

[Sherri]

Jon, maybe you need to be more open minded. Most vegetarians I know are almost military with their veggie ideas and won't even consider some things don't work for some people.

I am one of those people who can't seem to absorb folate through a vegetarian diet. After being vegetarian and having my diet tailored for me by a doctor for five years, I finally did resort to meat for my folate. Even veggies high in folate and with me taking extra folic acid didn't help.

I had my vitamin levels checked every three months, especially folic/folates because I have a deficiency there. My dopac levels are extremely low and folates are needed to regulate that. Low dopac levels are linked to Parkinson's (runs in my family) and schizophrenia (runs in my family), alzheimer's and early onset dementia.

So, not all of us absorb well from veggies. I started adding beef and organic bison to my diet daily and I improved very quickly. I was under the care of a vegetarian doctor who really tried to get a vegetarian diet to work for me. But, in the end, my health didn't allow it.

So far, my dopac levels have doubled, but even doubled, I am still deficient. I've been told that it takes a long 'over-time' progression, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

There are some studies done on autism, as well, that shows folic/folates raised dopac levels and symptoms improved. It is extremely important to regulate those levels.

[Oakley Sunglasses UK]

I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..

[Emma]

I like the post and think it holds a lot of merit. If you are not a vegetarian, then you definitely need to eat meat. Eating lean meats is very healthy and an excellent source of protein! Great blog by the way!