A committee of scientists is recommending that the government’s dietary guidelines restrict the consumption of red meat in preference to plant-based foods. According to The Wall Street Journal, the draft recommendations have elicited protests from the meat industry who are touting the health benefits of beef.
“It’s baffling that we are trying to get Americans to cut out red meat when the evidence indicates nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases are increasing as red meat consumption declines,” said registered dietitian Shalene McNeill, the executive director of nutrition science at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. McNeill added that beef contains important nutrients such as potassium, iron and choline.
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 is the first one to encourage healthy eating patterns at every stage of life from infancy to older adulthood.
Christopher Gardner, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and member of the advisory committee shaping the new proposed dietary guidelines, says that the draft proposals emphasize vegetables, whole grains, fish and seafood, low-fat and nonfat dairy and unsaturated fat.
The proposed changes for the new guidelines would de-emphasize meat products in the protein category in favor of promoting seafood and plant sources of protein including nuts, seeds and soy products. The advisory committee suggests that beans, peas and lentils should be added as desirable protein sources of food.
According to Healthline, adult humans are perfectly capable of eating and digesting meat, which has high quality protein that contains all nine essential amino acids. A plant-based diet may not provide all amino acids and other nutrients that animal products do. One such essential nutrient that you can’t get from plants is vitamin B12, which is necessary for the normal function of the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. Other nutrients, such as creatine, vitamin D3, and omega-3 fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may also be also missing in a plant-based diet.
According to USA Today, experts say it is fine to get some of your recommended five and a half ounces of protein daily from lean, red meat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines lean meat as a three-and-a half ounce cut that has less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat.
Dr. Walter C. Willett, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health warns that the high amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol in beef can raise LDL “bad” cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart attacks. Red meat contains iron which when consumed in excess causes dangerous inflammation that could lead to heart disease. Some studies have linked the consumption of red meat to an increased risk of diabetes.
The committee will present its finalized report later this year and present it to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The public will then have 60 days to comment after which the agencies will review the recommendations. They will release the 2025 guidelines at the end of next year.